SPOKANE, WA. — October 18, 2006 — Next IT, a top innovator of intelligent self-service solutions for the web and other customer service channels, announced today that Gonzaga University will expand its use of “Spike” the University’s virtual mascot sitewide to include admissions and athletics. Spike—powered by Next IT’s ActiveAgent technology—currently resides on Gonzaga’s Alumni Website. ActiveAgent is an artificial intelligence-enabled solution that dynamically responds to website visitors’ questions and inquiries through voice and text responses.
“We at Next IT are very pleased that Spike’s success serving the GU Alumni community has led to site-wide implementation,” said Fred Brown, President and CEO of Next IT. “It was our vision to help GU achieve their immediate goal of successfully reaching out to their Alumni, and achieving that, as well as help implement a long term vision to harness the power of intelligent technology for the advancement of the entire institution.”
At Gonzaga, the GU Alumni team and Next IT first implemented Spike in December 2004 to assist the University’s Alumni Website visitors with answers to questions and website navigation. Additionally, Spike informed thousands of Alumni about university events and opportunities to get involved, and was used to facilitate giving and other university campaigns. With Spike, Gonzaga University has experienced a 50% increase in web-based Alumni activity, and online giving increased nearly 90% in 2005.
Building on this success, Gonzaga plans to use Next IT’s ActiveAgent technology to include recruiting new students, as well as informing students about the school’s athletic programs, game dates, game schedules, and etc.
“Expanding Spike to serve potential and existing students and families is exciting for us here at Gonzaga University. We see this as an opportunity to not only attract and recruit new students, but also as a means to assist our student body with obtaining information regarding classes, events on and off campus, and student clubs and activities in a way that is comfortable for today’s tech-savvy college students,” said Joe Poss, Associate Director of Development.
About Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University, founded in Spokane Washington in 1887, is an independent, comprehensive university with a distinguished background in the Catholic, Jesuit, and humanistic tradition. Gonzaga emphasizes the moral and ethical implications of learning, living, and working in today’s global society. Through the University’s core curriculum, each student develops a strong liberal arts foundation, which many alumni cite as a most valuable asset. The school enrolls approximately 6,100 students in 92 undergraduate and 21 graduate programs.
About Next IT Corporation
Next IT Corporation is fundamentally changing the way organizations interact with website visitors and channel customers through software solutions driven by artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The Company’s ActiveAgent suite of Intelligent Customer Experience Applications reduces service costs, increases revenues, and strengthens customer relationships. Next IT’s website is at www.nextit.com.
Press Contact:
Jennifer Mitchell
Next IT Corporation
509.458.8656
marketing@nextit.com
Back to News