Smart Complaint management system

It is a AI is an intelligent WhatsApp-based complaint system that uses AI to classify, prioritize, and route student complaints automatically, reducing manual effort and speeding up resolution.

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Inspiration

As a hostel representative, I regularly receive complaints from students about infrastructure issues such as plumbing leaks, electrical failures, WiFi problems, and maintenance requests. The current complaint system relies on a physical register where students must go to the hostel office and manually write their complaints. However, many students avoid doing this due to inconvenience, time constraints, or hesitation in approaching wardens directly. Additionally, wardens have a hectic schedule and must manually review the complaint register and forward issues via email to the appropriate department. This manual process often causes delays in resolving problems, even for urgent issues. As a result, students experience frustration and inefficient complaint resolution. This inspired me to build an automated, AI-powered complaint management system that simplifies the entire process and eliminates manual intervention.

What it does

HostelNova AI is an intelligent WhatsApp-based complaint management system that allows students to report issues simply by sending a message or image via WhatsApp. The system uses AI to automatically: Classify the complaint category (plumbing, electrical, WiFi, etc.) Extract important details such as hostel name, room number, and issue summary Assign the complaint to the correct department Send instant notifications to responsible staff Track complaint status and automatically notify students upon resolution This removes the need for physical registers and manual email forwarding.

How we built it

I built the system using a modern backend architecture with Python FastAPI to handle incoming WhatsApp messages via webhook integration. The complaints are stored in a PostgreSQL database for tracking and management. An AI model processes each complaint to extract structured information and determine the appropriate department. The system then automatically sends email notifications to the responsible department and updates the complaint status. Cloud storage is used to store images sent by students, and the system is deployed on a cloud platform to ensure accessibility and scalability.

Challenges we ran into

One of the main challenges was integrating the WhatsApp Business API and handling real-time webhook events reliably. Another challenge was designing the AI prompt to accurately extract structured data from unstructured complaint messages. Ensuring secure complaint tracking and implementing automated routing logic also required careful backend design. Deploying the system with proper cloud integration and handling asynchronous workflows was another important technical challenge.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud to have built a fully functional end-to-end AI-powered complaint management system that automates the entire complaint lifecycle without manual intervention. One of our key accomplishments was successfully integrating the WhatsApp Business API with a backend server to receive real-time complaints from students. This eliminates the need for physical complaint registers and makes reporting issues simple and accessible. We also implemented an AI-powered classification engine that automatically extracts structured information such as hostel name, room number, complaint category, and priority from unstructured WhatsApp messages. This enables intelligent routing of complaints to the correct department without human involvement. Another major accomplishment was designing a scalable backend architecture using FastAPI and PostgreSQL to store, track, and manage complaints efficiently. The system also sends automated email notifications to departments and resolution updates back to students via WhatsApp, creating a complete automated feedback loop. We are also proud of building this system based on a real-world problem observed in our hostel, making the solution practical, impactful, and deployable in real environments such as universities, apartments, and organizations. This project demonstrates how AI can be used to automate operational workflows, improve response times, and enhance overall infrastructure management efficiency.

What we learned

Through this project, I gained hands-on experience with: Building scalable backend systems using FastAPI Integrating AI models into real-world applications Working with WhatsApp Business API and webhooks Database design and complaint tracking systems Cloud deployment and automation workflows I also learned how AI can be used to solve real-world infrastructure and operational problems efficiently.

What's next for HostelNova — AI-powered Infrastructure Complaint Automation

The next goal is to deploy this system for real-world use in my college hostel and expand it to support multiple hostels and departments. I also plan to integrate Amazon Bedrock for enhanced AI capabilities and build a full admin dashboard for real-time complaint monitoring. This system has the potential to scale beyond universities and be used in apartments, corporate offices, and smart city infrastructure.

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