Texting 101: Quick, Accessible Answers for Students.
Your students, parents, alumni, and faculty can now SMS and Whatsapp you, and you can respond right inside of Olark.
Increase international enrollment by answering foreign student questions instantly over WhatsApp.
Simplify administrative tasks with strategically placed QR codes around the university that let students asks questions right on their phones and get instant answers.
Scale your welcome center by letting students and parents add a single contact in their phone, help answer common questions, and route students to the right office and process.
SMS & WhatsApp—Now Built Right Into Olark
Your students can now message you via WhatsApp and SMS
as easily as they can on your website.
as easily as they can on your website.
Whats your "@"?, Be a Saved Contact, Not Just a Campus Website
When students add your university to their contacts via phone or WhatsApp, you’re just a few taps away—not buried in a portal. That means faster answers, easier follow-ups, and fewer missed communications.
Shrink Wait Times, Not Conversations
SMS and WhatsApp help your student services team manage 3–5x more student inquiries than phone calls. Students can get quick reliable answers from your team and even 24/7 automated chat response via our Aiden chat bot paired with your Olark account!
"When is my deposit due?" Automate the Repetitive—Humanize What’s Not
Use Olark’s AI to handle repetitive student questions through SMS and WhatsApp—like deadlines, office hours, and how-tos—so your staff can focus on the conversations that need a human touch.
Get the Message!
Students live on their phones, you should too!
Housing
“Can I move move into my dorm early?”
A student sends a quick message to the housing office via WhatsApp. You reply right away with details on amenities, what to bring, and even include a packing checklist. It’s fast for them—and fewer phone calls for you.
A student sends a quick message to the housing office via WhatsApp. You reply right away with details on amenities, what to bring, and even include a packing checklist. It’s fast for them—and fewer phone calls for you.
Orientation
“What do I bring to orientation?”
A new student clicks a link in their welcome email and starts a WhatsApp chat with your team. They get clear info in seconds—no portal login required. Happier students. Fewer drop-offs.
A new student clicks a link in their welcome email and starts a WhatsApp chat with your team. They get clear info in seconds—no portal login required. Happier students. Fewer drop-offs.
Registration
“How do I add a class?”
A returning student sees a reminder text about course registration, taps the link, and starts a conversation instantly. They get real-time help navigating forms, prerequisites, and deadlines—leading to faster completions and fewer missed credits.
A returning student sees a reminder text about course registration, taps the link, and starts a conversation instantly. They get real-time help navigating forms, prerequisites, and deadlines—leading to faster completions and fewer missed credits.
Accessible Chat. Anywhere. Anytime.
Meet every student where they are.
Gen-Z doesn't talk on the phone. They'd rather text. Bring a bring a popular and accessible new communication channel to your campus, and because it's Olark we are accessible for your staff too!
Built for your team and University IT
Ready for centralized or decentralized deployment
Choose to centralize management for multiple departments in one place or deploy separate instances that play nice.
HEVAC, WCAG, and SSO
Ready for Procurement: audited for WCAG 2.1 AA, privacy controls for FERPA, GDPR, and CCPA, and SSO compatible with SAML 2.0 and Entra.
Integrations with Slate, Salesforce, and others
Native integrations with Slate, Salesforce, and a variety of common CRMs used by Higher Education Institutions.