Faculty and staff can now get instant answers to their questions about transactions with a new chat feature on the University Shared Services (USS) website. The chat feature uses a database managed by USS staff and hosted locally to answer common questions and is a complement to the direct assistance provided by USS staff. 

“Offering the chatbot can help our team provide even better customer service,” says Dani Weber, senior director university shared services and accounts payable. ”The chatbot will provide answers 24/7 to basic questions and help reduce the number of questions service contacts receive so they can provide even more prompt assistance transactions and unique questions.”

The chat client offers these benefits to customers:

• Instant answers for common questions, even outside of staffing hours
• Provides information without navigating through webpages
• Reduces confusion by combining terminology and commonly used language

How to use the chat client

To initiate a chat, click or tap on the chat icon in the lower right corner of a webpage on this website. Next, type your question into the dialog box and press enter or tap the send arrow to submit your question. 

If your question cannot be answered, the chat will provide you with a phone number and email to contact instead. If you refresh the website, you will need to start your chat over.

Examples of questions the chat client cannot answer:

• Questions pertaining to a specific travel expense voucher (TEV)
  • Instead the chat will direct you to the policy and resources about TEVs
• Give calculations for travel reimbursements
• Payment status for a specific transaction

Privacy and data security

The chat client is an anonymous tool that does not track personal information. Questions asked are recorded so that the database can be updated and improved. Access to the database and recorded questions is limited to authorized staff and is not shared with any entity outside the university.