The ITS “Blue Bubble” – A Closer Look

The ITS Virtual Assistant (informally called “the blue bubble”) first appeared this past February at the bottom of many tech websites, providing another way to get answers to technology questions. Let’s take a closer look at the VA…
How does it work?
Click the blue bubble to get started then click one of the “frequently asked” topic buttons (see below) – or type a short phrase describing what you need in the Write a message area at the bottom of the chat window (not shown). It’s that easy!

You’ll be directed to “how to” instructions and resources or be given an opportunity to connect with the Helpdesk. If you don’t initially have success, retry your inquiry using different wording.
Where does it look for answers?
Our Virtual Assistant is trained to look for pertinent info in our portal’s Knowledge Base of articles, as well as look at select ITS websites on Drupal. It does not make up answers from unknown sources. (Note that VA results will differ from searches performed using the search field on our Client Portal; this latter method only looks at articles in our portal’s Knowledge Base.)
Does it use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to give me answers?
As noted above, the answers are all provided by humans. The AI works to match your question with our answers.
What else can I do in the chat window?
Click the three dot (menu) icon found in the upper right of the chat window to choose from the following options:

How can you provide feedback?
We regularly seek ways to improve our Virtual Assistant and its search results. If you choose the Email Transcript option (shown above) you can forward the details of your experience, along with your feedback, to Helpdesk@middlebury.edu.
As always, if you have any questions please reach out to the Helpdesk using your preferred method.