Villanova reports IT chatbot resolution without a reproducible benefit method

Discuss unresolved support demand with the CIO, service-desk manager and finance partner. Ask which inquiries recur, what counts as resolution and how often users reopen cases. A bounded engagement could validate one low-risk support category against the existing help channel. The value hypothesis is improved access and fewer repetitive contacts. Do not promise the reported resolution rate or salary savings at another campus. Include users who abandon chat in discovery so the business case does not mistake disengagement for success.

Prototype a read-only assistant over approved support articles, with authentication, article ownership and a ticket handoff. First obtain a labeled set of historical questions stripped of personal information. Test answer correctness, stale instructions, forbidden content and escalation across representative user roles. Compare with ordinary search using the same cases. Proposed validation should count confirmed resolutions and repeat contacts as well as latency and model cost. Autonomous account changes require a separate assessment; the source does not establish an agent architecture.

The service-desk manager should own rollout with a knowledge editor, identity engineer and accessibility reviewer. Clean the selected articles, rehearse escalation, train analysts and review failed conversations before expansion. Proposed acceptance requires every sampled critical error to reach a human, no unauthorized disclosure in the agreed test set and a documented comparison of total handling effort against baseline. Agree quality and response-time thresholds locally. Risks include stale guidance, hidden review labor and a heavier remaining case mix for staff.