Ocelot Reviews

Pros

It delivers quick answers to questions around the clock, using the responses we set up ahead of time.

Cons

This tool really depends on how well you build it out. If you do not load in enough answers, users will not get much value from it. There is also an upfront investment of time and knowledge required before it becomes truly useful for the end user.

Pros

Adding the chatbot to our website has helped us support students and parents much better while also reducing the number of emails coming into our front-line team. It's especially satisfying to review the transcripts and see the bot giving accurate answers even when our office is closed.

Cons

The live chat feature hasn't worked out as well for us. It's been challenging to keep conversations open and juggle other tasks at the same time, the way you typically can during a phone call.

Pros

Running it from the admin side has been very simple. It has made it much faster for users to find items on our website that they would usually have trouble locating. The general library also includes a lot of useful information and can be customized to fit our needs. Most of the administrative features are clear and self-explanatory so very little training was needed. Ocelot Bot also has plenty of room to keep getting better as long as users do their part.

Cons

I really do not have any complaints about this product. Everything has been simple to use and I am satisfied with it overall.

Pros

The automatic chat feature has been really helpful for guiding people around our website and giving users assistance while they browse.

Cons

It still doesn't answer every question correctly so improving the responses takes some time.

Pros

Getting this platform up and running at our institution was pretty simple. Their team was excellent at walking us through the setup, handling deployment and replying quickly whenever my staff or colleagues had questions. It has also been simple to maintain and the early feedback suggests both staff and students really value the clear, consistent and concise messaging it provides.

Cons

Since we're still new to using the platform, we haven't come across any downsides so far.

Pros

Having the FATV Get Answers videos on our website has been a big win because students and visitors get accurate, current information whenever they need it. A major advantage for institutions is that the videos stay compliant with federal regulations which takes a lot of pressure off our team. The instant access to financial aid guidance and resources through both the videos and the chatbot has also strengthened customer service since people can get answers around the clock.

Cons

One area that could be improved is the availability of content tailored to graduate and professional students since much of the existing material is focused more on undergraduate audiences.

Pros

Students can use it as a place to ask questions even when the office is closed or outside normal business hours.

Cons

I'd really value more follow-up from their team to talk through ongoing questions and concerns. During implementation, they send a lot of emails but after that communication drops off even though there may still be things you need help with.

Pros

Each response can be customized to match exactly what I would tell a student in a face-to-face conversation.

Cons

Students still come up with questions we hadn't anticipated.

Pros

"financial aid tv" video library is really useful. We've added these videos to a variety of mass communications to explain topics like MPN, LECS, Parent PLUS Loans and financial literacy. From what students have told us, the videos are the right length, stay focused and deliver helpful information without wasting time. It has worked out much better than trying to create and record our own content. Another big plus is that the playlists include text transcripts and are ADA compliant.

Cons

At this point, I'm not really aware of any downsides to mention.

Pros

Students can reach out with questions anytime and get answers around the clock which has cut down a lot of the phone calls and emails that used to go to the Financial Aid team. That gives staff more time to focus on reviewing eligibility, awarding aid and helping students who have more complicated questions or situations.

Cons

The setup did take a decent amount of time, mainly because we wanted to adjust the responses carefully to fit our college.

Pros

The set up is uncomplicated and it's been simple to manage and keep updated.

Cons

A few of the questions weren't really relevant to our situation but it still gave us a helpful foundation while we created our own.

Pros

I really appreciate that students can get support whenever they need it, at any time.

Cons

The behind-the-scenes area can be difficult to navigate and isn't always very user-friendly.

Pros

The platform is user-friendly and students can quickly reach the department they need without much trouble.

Cons

Getting everything set up takes quite a while although I understand that the process happens in different phases.

Pros

Being able to use live chat and keep a transcript of the conversation has been really helpful.

Cons

I don't have any complaints at the moment since I'm still in training with Ocelot. Up to now, I haven't run into any cons.

Pros

The platform has been simple to set up and use so far. I'm still waiting to see it in action but the first impression has been really positive.

Cons

No real complaints at this stage since I haven't deployed it yet but I'm looking forward to seeing what the platform can do once it's live.