Is AI the answer to customer service in local government?

There’s a lot of noise surrounding Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is now something of a buzzword in business. For all the misconceptions, the truth is that we’re living in a digital revolution and those who are late to embrace change risk being left behind. There are efficiencies to be had by businesses who embrace AI across their operations, but in customer service in particular, AI has the power to be truly transformative.

The quality of customer service can determine people’s loyalty to a company, making it a crucial element for any organisation to get right. Yet today’s customer service environment is facing internal and external pressures that mean no one is winning.

There’s an expectation among users for an immediate response, but service representatives face repetitive work at challenging volumes, along with delays and disorganisation, leading to frustration on everyone’s part. But it doesn’t have to be like this, and local councils can reclaim control of their customer service by adopting AI.

Unlike an AI chatbot, employees responding to user queries must conduct research into policies and source the right answers. This approach can be timely and lead to frustration. Whereas an AI agent is able to provide quick and accurate responses in seconds, creating an overall smoother experience. Using AI also guarantees consistency across customer service, as chatbots can be programmed to deliver the same messages in the same tone to everyone.

They can even be multilingual which is highly beneficial for councils that don’t meet the linguistic diversity requirements of their residents. Having services accessible in people’s native language creates a personalised approach. This further enhances the customer experience.

Another advantage of implementing chatbots is the ability to be available to customers 24/7. This is beneficial for local councils’ housing services, whose tenants might need assistance at all hours of the day.

AI in customer service doesn’t just entail isolated benefits; it will have a positive effect across local councils’ wider operations. As technology takes on the more mundane tasks, skilled staff are freed up to carry out more nuanced tasks. This will boost the entire organisation’s efficiency and focus on customers who are more in need or can’t access services digitally.

While the efficiency savings are encouraging, some challenges do remain, such as trying to integrate human empathy. AI chatbots are not sentient beings, which means interactions could lack human touch and feel impersonal.

Equally, some more complex problem-solving skills may be absent from AI agents, potentially highlighting the absence of human presence. However, increasingly AI is able to pick up where it left off with customers and adapt to the tone of the conversation, using tailored responses to give interactions a more personalised feel.

AI presents many benefits and opportunities to councils looking to enhance their customer service operations. As teams struggle to meet customers’ needs and deliver adequate customer service, AI can alleviate some of the pressures on organisations’ resources, streamline processes and enhance the customer experience by offering a responsive service that’s readily accessible to everyone, 24/7.