North London Metropolitan University (NLMU), a major UK public institution serving over 30,000 students and partnering with organizations such as TfL and Ocado, was struggling to keep up with surging call volumes and long student wait times.

To overcome this challenge, NLMU implemented Emergent, a multi-agent, enterprise-grade AI phone system that completely automated its frontline communications.

As a result:

• Average call wait times dropped from 18 minutes to under 2 seconds.

• 85% of inbound inquiries were automated.

• Live CRM bookings were handled autonomously.

• All interactions were conducted under 100% GDPR and UK privacy compliance.

The Problem: An Overwhelmed Student Services Hub

NLMU’s student service center was the primary touchpoint for students, partners, and the public, managing admissions, campus tours, and general inquiries. The department faced several systemic issues:

• Crippling Wait Times: During admissions peaks, average wait times exceeded 18 minutes, resulting in high abandonment rates and student frustration.
  
  
  

• Repetitive, Low-Value Calls: Around 80% of inquiries were simple FAQs like “What are the term dates?” or “How do I book a campus tour?”, tying up trained staff who were needed elsewhere.
  
  
  

• Manual, Error-Prone Processes: Agents manually updated CRM entries during live calls, which was slow, inefficient, and prone to human error.
  
  
  

• 24/7 Demand, 9 - 5 Staff: International students often called after hours, leaving many calls unanswered and queues growing.
  
  
  

• Compliance & Consistency Risk: Ensuring each agent followed GDPR consent scripts and delivered consistent answers required constant training and oversight.
  
  
  

The Solution: Deploying Emergent’s Multi-Agent System

To resolve these challenges, NLMU deployed Emergent, a web-based, AI-driven phone-answering system that serves as the digital “front door” for all inbound calls. Emergent’s multi-agent architecture handles calls instantly, automates bookings, and ensures full compliance.

Here’s how the system transformed NLMU’s operations:

1. Instant, 24/7 Call Answering

Using Twilio SIP trunking and OpenAI GPT-realtime audio, every call is answered within 2 seconds by “Robert,” a conversational AI agent capable of natural, human-like dialogue, available 24/7/365.

2. Grounded, Accurate Responses (Zero-Hallucination)

Emergent employs Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) to provide grounded, factual responses. NLMU’s full knowledge base, including student handbooks, FAQs, and course catalogs, was indexed into a vector database, ensuring that every answer cites the exact source material.

3. Full CRM & Booking Automation

Using Playwright for browser automation, “Robert” now interacts directly with the CRM to create or modify bookings. Each booking is verified with the caller (“Is it correct that you want to book for 3 PM on Tuesday?”) and logged with screenshots and timestamps for full auditability.

4. Intelligent Escalation & Oversight

Complex or sensitive queries such as visa issues are seamlessly escalated to a live agent. Post-call, the Whisper transcription layer produces detailed transcripts and summaries, feeding into the Admin Console for training and QA.

5. Rock-Solid Security & Compliance

Emergent is built with GDPR-first architecture, supporting consent scripts, DSAR data export and deletion, and RBAC-secured admin access. All credentials are vaulted securely, and Argon2id hashing ensures top-tier authentication protection.

The Outcome: A “Crystal Clear” Transformation

The results of Emergent’s deployment at NLMU were immediate, measurable, and transformative.

Key Outcomes:

• 85% call containment rate with most inquiries resolved without human assistance.

• 12 full-time employees redeployed to “Student Success” roles.

• 90% faster booking times for campus tours and appointments.

• 100% compliance with GDPR and institutional policies.

• Effortless scalability during admissions surges, maintaining peak performance.

Conclusion

By integrating Emergent’s multi-agent AI system, North London Metropolitan University transformed its student services from a high-cost, overburdened call center into a 24/7 intelligent support system that is faster, compliant, and highly scalable.

Emergent not only improved efficiency but also freed human staff to focus on student success and strategic growth, setting a new benchmark for how higher education institutions can modernize their service operations with AI.