AI Admission Chatbot Design

Overview

The admission chatbot uses Claude API to provide intelligent, context-aware responses to parent inquiries.

Architecture

System Prompt Design

const systemPrompt = `You are a helpful admission assistant for ${school.name}.

SCHOOL INFORMATION:
- Name: ${school.name}
- Board: ${school.board}
- Location: ${school.address}
- Contact: ${school.phone}

FEE STRUCTURE (${academicYear}):
${formatFeeTable(feeStructure)}

AVAILABLE SEATS:
${formatSeatsTable(availableSeats)}

ADMISSION PROCESS:
1. Submit online inquiry
2. Schedule school visit
3. Submit application with documents
4. Entrance assessment (if applicable)
5. Pay admission fee
6. Complete enrollment

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:
- Birth Certificate
- Aadhaar Card
- Previous school TC (if applicable)
- Passport photos
- Address proof

GUIDELINES:
1. Be helpful, professional, and friendly
2. Provide accurate information only
3. If unsure, suggest contacting admission office
4. Offer to schedule visits when appropriate
5. Collect contact details if not provided
6. Do NOT share confidential information
7. Respond in the same language as the parent (Hindi/English)

RESPONSE FORMAT:
- Keep responses concise (2-3 paragraphs max)
- Use bullet points for lists
- Include specific numbers/dates when available
- End with a helpful next step or question`;

Intent Detection

const INTENTS = {
  FEE_INFO: ['fee', 'cost', 'payment', 'फीस', 'पैसा'],
  SEAT_AVAILABILITY: ['seats', 'vacancy', 'admission open', 'सीट'],
  SCHEDULE_VISIT: ['visit', 'tour', 'see school', 'देखना'],
  ADMISSION_PROCESS: ['process', 'how to apply', 'documents', 'प्रवेश'],
  TRANSPORT: ['bus', 'transport', 'route', 'बस'],
  FACILITIES: ['facilities', 'sports', 'lab', 'सुविधा'],
};

function detectIntent(message: string): string[] {
  const detected = [];
  for (const [intent, keywords] of Object.entries(INTENTS)) {
    if (keywords.some(kw => message.toLowerCase().includes(kw))) {
      detected.push(intent);
    }
  }
  return detected.length ? detected : ['GENERAL'];
}

Suggested Actions

Based on detected intent, we provide action buttons:

Intent	Actions
FEE_INFO	Download Fee Structure, Apply Now
SCHEDULE_VISIT	Schedule Visit, Request Callback
SEAT_AVAILABILITY	Apply Now, Check Eligibility
ADMISSION_PROCESS	Download Checklist, Start Application

Chat History Management

interface ChatMessage {
  role: 'user' | 'assistant';
  content: string;
  timestamp: Date;
  intent?: string[];
}

// Store in JSONB column
await prisma.admissionInquiry.update({
  where: { id: inquiryId },
  data: {
    aiChatHistory: [
      ...existingHistory,
      { role: 'user', content: message, timestamp: new Date() },
      { role: 'assistant', content: response, timestamp: new Date() },
    ],
  },
});

Rate Limiting

@Controller('public/admission-inquiry')
export class InquiryController {
  @Post(':id/chat')
  @Throttle({ default: { limit: 30, ttl: 60000 } }) // 30 messages/minute
  async chat(@Param('id') id: string, @Body() dto: ChatDto) {
    // ...
  }
}

Cost Optimization

Strategy	Implementation
Token limits	max_tokens: 1024
Context pruning	Keep last 10 messages
Cache responses	Redis cache for FAQs
Model selection	Use claude-sonnet-4-20250514 (cheaper)

Fallback Handling

async function chat(message: string) {
  try {
    return await this.anthropic.messages.create({ ... });
  } catch (error) {
    if (error.status === 429) {
      // Rate limited - use cached FAQ response
      return this.getFallbackResponse(message);
    }
    // Log error and provide human handoff
    return {
      message: "I'm having trouble right now. Would you like to speak with our admission team?",
      suggestedActions: [{ type: 'CALLBACK', label: 'Request Callback' }],
    };
  }
}

Analytics

Track chatbot performance:

interface ChatAnalytics {
  inquiryId: string;
  messageCount: number;
  intentsDetected: string[];
  sentiment: 'POSITIVE' | 'NEUTRAL' | 'NEGATIVE';
  converted: boolean;
  conversionTime?: number; // minutes
}

Sample Conversations

Fee Inquiry (English)

Parent: What is the fee for Class 5?

Bot: The fee structure for Class 5 (2025-26) is:
- Admission Fee: ₹25,000 (one-time)
- Tuition Fee: ₹8,000/month
- Annual Charges: ₹15,000

Total first-year cost: ₹1,31,000

Would you like me to:
[Download Fee Structure] [Apply Now]

Visit Request (Hindi)

Parent: मैं स्कूल देखना चाहता हूं

Bot: जी बिल्कुल! हमारे स्कूल में आपका स्वागत है।

स्कूल विजिट के लिए उपलब्ध समय:
- सोमवार से शुक्रवार: सुबह 9 से 11 बजे
- शनिवार: सुबह 10 से 12 बजे

क्या आप अपनी सुविधानुसार विजिट शेड्यूल करना चाहेंगे?

[विजिट शेड्यूल करें] [कॉलबैक का अनुरोध करें]