TechnologyOne launches AI ‘Guide’ to simplify and personalise student access to university services
TechnologyOne has unveiled Guide, a new AI-powered product designed specifically for students, marking a significant shift in how enterprise software supports the full student lifecycle.
Announced at the company’s London Showcase event this week, Guide extends agentic AI beyond university back offices to students themselves, enabling them to access services, complete tasks and resolve queries through a single conversational interface.
The launch builds on TechnologyOne’s whole-of-enterprise AI platform, Plus, introduced last year to automate and streamline internal processes across higher education institutions. Where Plus focuses on improving how work is done inside universities, Guide is designed for the front door.
Students can interact with university systems using natural voice or text. Rather than navigating multiple websites, forms or portals, they can simply ask for what they need.
The key distinction lies in orchestration. Instead of directing users to web pages, Guide interprets intent, connects securely to university systems and completes actions in real time.
For example, rather than searching across multiple portals to enroll in a unit, a student can simply ask whether they meet the prerequisites and add the class within the same interaction. Guide can confirm eligibility, check timetable availability, flag potential clashes and complete the enrolment in real time. The updated schedule can then be added automatically to the student’s calendar.
Similarly, if a student is unsure about an assessment deadline or submission requirements, they can ask Guide and receive immediate clarification. Guide can surface the due date, marking rubric and submission method, and provide a direct link to upload the assessment, without the student needing to navigate multiple systems or contact administrative teams.
In more complex scenarios, Guide can also surface proactive support. If a student’s engagement drops or their results indicate they may be at academic risk, Guide can highlight relevant wellbeing, financial or academic support services and guide them through booking an appointment or accessing assistance.
TechnologyOne CEO and Managing Director Ed Chung described the launch as a major step forward in public sector AI.
“When we saw the breakthrough potential of Plus, it was immediately clear: agentic AI doesn’t just streamline processes, it changes how work gets done,” he said.
“That’s why we built Guide. It is not another interface or incremental improvement – it’s a new kind of experience: intelligent, conversational and outcome-driven. It helps resolve issues faster and get people to the right answer without friction.”
The announcement comes at a time of sustained pressure for UK higher education. Student expectations around digital access, wellbeing support and personalised learning continue to rise, while financial constraints, regulatory scrutiny and workforce pressures remain acute. Universities are expected to enhance the student experience, improve retention and widening participation outcomes, and deliver high-quality support services, even as budgets tighten and operating models evolve.
In that context, reducing friction in routine interactions has clear operational value. By resolving straightforward enquiries quickly and accurately, AI-powered engagement has the potential to reduce avoidable contact, improve first-time resolution rates and shorten waiting times. This, in turn, can create capacity for frontline teams to focus on complex and high-risk cases where professional judgement is essential.
TechnologyOne says it is already working with a select group of universities to explore how AI can be embedded responsibly within core enterprise systems.
Alongside the technology itself, the commercial framework accompanying Guide is likely to attract attention across the sector.
TechnologyOne will offer an advertising-funded model tailored for higher education environments, with revenue shared between the supplier and the institution through a co-share arrangement. This transforms digital engagement into a differentiator that empowers customers, drives efficiency, while at the same time creating a new revenue stream for universities.
For institutions facing continued budget constraints and increasing scrutiny over digital investment, the model represents a different approach to funding innovation.
“We’re not just launching Guide – we’re reinventing how it’s commercialised,” Mr Chung said. “For the first time, we’re bringing enterprise-grade agentic AI directly to the students our customers serve – and doing it in a way that has the potential to fund itself.”
Guide will also be available under a traditional SaaS subscription model for universities that prefer a standard annual recurring revenue approach.
For more than 39 years, TechnologyOne has supported essential public services across higher education. The launch of Guide reflects a broader shift in how universities are approaching digital engagement – moving beyond additional portals and fragmented systems towards more conversational, outcome-driven interactions.
Artificial intelligence will not solve every structural challenge facing higher education. But embedded within secure enterprise infrastructure, it can help narrow the gap between institutional complexity and student expectation – enabling universities to deliver services that are not only digital, but more intuitive, responsive and sustainable.
To learn more about Guide, visit https://www.technology1.co.uk/
