University of Nottingham Malaysia elevates student experience with Agentforce

Source: UNM via Salesforce. The NOVA avatar, which resembles a black duck in a spacesuit.
Source: UNM via Salesforce. The NOVA avatar.

The University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) is adopting Salesforce's Agentforce, the digital labour platform, to enhance student experience during the university applications process. UNM is the first tertiary institution in Malaysia to deploy Agentforce, and in the long-term aims to provide a unified, always-on digital touchpoint that supports prospective and current students through every stage of their university journey.

Established 25 years ago, UNM is the first UK university to establish a campus overseas. Today, it serves over 4,500 students from more than 70 countries. According to Salesforce, UNM's AI agent, Nottingham Online Virtual Assistant (NOVA), significantly benefits international students who account for over half of UNM’s applicants. International students often submit enquiries outside local business hours, when a human representative might not be available. 

Prospective students can chat with NOVA to get real-time responses to enquiries, or autonomously schedule appointments. Students can ask about course eligibility, scholarship and accommodation options, arrange to speak to a course advisor, or pencil in a campus tour. With NOVA taking on these administrative tasks, UNM’s course advisors and admissions staff will have more time to focus on in-person engagements with prospective students. 

The university’s adoption of Agentforce underscores UNM’s commitment to leading digital transformation in higher education, leveraging AI to deliver more responsive, efficient, and personalised student services at scale. Beyond operational efficiencies, Agentforce plays a strategic role in UNM’s digital transformation efforts by driving higher applicant conversion rates and helping raise student satisfaction.

This deployment builds on the success of UNM’s previous rollout of Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Digital Engagement, and Einstein. The Agentforce solution will be deployed on the website, as well as over WhatsApp, Facebook, and WeChat. UNM will put Agentforce to work in Sales Cloud to process student enquiries and facilitate lead conversion, including:  

Smart course enquiries: AI agents will deliver instant, consistent answers on courses, eligibility fees, and scholarships, cutting response times and boosting satisfaction 

Supporting scholarships and accommodation: Agents will provide future students with information about scholarships and bursaries they may be eligible for based on their academic results and other achievements, and students may also learn more about accommodation options on or around the campus 

Simplified appointment booking: From speaking with a course counsellor to campus tours, students can self-schedule in seconds, making it easy for them to pick a time that works best without waiting for a human response

“We’re excited but very aware of the large responsibilities involved by being the first university in Malaysia to adopt Agentforce, enabling us to give every prospective student personalised guidance 24 x 7 in multiple languages. This allows our course counsellors to focus on other face-to-face interactions and advising future students on getting the most out of their university experience,” said Jagdish Singh Malhi, Director of Student Recruitment and Marketing, University of Nottingham Malaysia. 

“A real counsellor will still be reachable through the interaction, so we’re not removing that from the experience. However, by embedding AI-driven solutions into campus life, we hope to give students a glimpse of the real-world impact of technology and equip them to take the same innovative mindset into their careers.”

“University of Nottingham Malaysia is setting a new benchmark for student-centric innovation in higher education by transforming themselves into an Agentic Enterprise,” said Arun Kumar Parameswaran, Executive VP & MD, South and Southeast Asia, Salesforce. 

“By harnessing Agentforce on the deeply unified Salesforce Platform, UNM is reimagining how work gets done across admissions and student services — uniting human expertise with autonomous AI agents to deliver personalised guidance at scale and unlock a truly borderless learning experience.”

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