Msizi (meaning “helper” in Zulu) is UCT Online High School’s AI-powered Support Assistant and the first point of contact for support for families. This intelligent AI agent provides always-available (as in 24/7), super-fast support and works hand-in-hand with our team to ensure that our families have the clarity they might require. By handling common queries efficiently, Msizi helps our human Support Team focus their valuable time and expertise on more complex and personal issues. In this way, we’re all able to work faster and smarter!
We've put together a few guidelines for interacting with Msizi. Following these will help you get the most out of the experience and ensure you receive the quickest, most accurate responses to your questions.
Key Guidelines for Fast and Effective Support
Tip | Why it helps |
Be Specific and Clear (include screenshots where you can) 💡 | State your question as directly and completely as possible (e.g., "What is the deadline for the Geography assignment?" instead of "What about Geography?"). Include all necessary details (and screenshots) in one comprehensive message.
Msizi is built on a vast knowledge base, and specific keywords help it find the most relevant, accurate answer quickly. Msizi can also read and understand images, so taking pictures of any messages you see or where you are struggling will ensure the quickest and most accurate support possible.
If you are experiencing a tech issue, remember to send your timed and dated screenshot along with your context in one message. |
Ask One Clear Question at a Time 🎯 | Avoid combining multiple, unrelated topics into a single message. Focusing on one query ensures Msizi can process it efficiently, leading to a faster and more focused response and reducing the chance of needing a human escalation. |
Use One Channel at a Time 👤 | Send either an email or a WhatsApp—not both. |
[During Cycle Tests and Exams] Learners to reach out directly 🧑💼 | While we value our guardians’ involvement, it is best for learners to send queries pertaining to an exam or cycle test themselves. This allows us to ask follow-up questions, request screenshots, and troubleshoot directly without delays.
|
Use Standard Language 📝 | Use clear, standard English without excessive slang, acronyms, or misspellings. This helps Msizi understand your intent and prevents it from being unable to find the information you need, which would cause an escalation delay. |
Avoid Voicenotes 🚨 | Msizi cannot listen to or respond to voice messages. Use written text messages and screenshots for the quickest support. |
Do NOT Use Msizi for Safeguarding Emergencies | Always contact a trusted adult or emergency services directly for any immediate danger, distress, safeguarding issues, or emergencies. Msizi is not human and should not be relied on solely to identify or respond to these high-risk situations. |
What if Msizi can’t help?
While Msizi is intelligent and built on a vast knowledge base about UCT Online High School, we know some questions need the special touch of a human. Msizi is designed to know its limits and will seamlessly hand your query directly to a human when necessary.
Msizi will connect you directly to a human in the following scenarios:
Complex or Personal Questions: If your query is highly specific to your individual situation.
Explicit Request for Help: If you type "I want to speak to a person/human", Msizi will immediately facilitate that transfer. Please do not do this unless you have already followed the initial guidelines above and you still have not been successful.
Unanswered Questions: If Msizi is unable to find the information you need after a few tries.
Safeguarding Concerns: Your safety and well-being are our highest priority. If Msizi detects any mention or hint of a safeguarding concern, it will immediately and with the highest urgency connect you to a human.
Important Note on Support Hours & Urgent Help:
While Msizi can answer queries 24/7, our human team is available Monday to Friday, from 08:00 to 17:00 (SAST). If your query is escalated outside these hours, we will respond the next school day.
We also want to note that while Msizi is trained to recognise and escalate potential safeguarding or emergency concerns, it is not a human and may not always detect every risk. Please do not rely solely on Msizi to identify or respond to safeguarding issues or emergencies. If you are ever in danger, distressed, or need urgent help, contact a trusted adult or a South African emergency service directly, as per the below:
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0800 567 567
Lifeline: 0861 322 322
Childline: 0800 055 555
SADAG (South African Depression and Anxiety Group): 0800 456 789
Additional Key Point
Privacy: We want to assure you that all interactions with Msizi are handled with the same commitment to privacy and data security as any other communication with the school.