The Virtual Government Assistant

The Virtual Government Assistant (VGA) is an online tool which interacts directly with citizens to answer their enquiries.The VGA provides citizens with a simple and intuitive source of information whilst at the same time reducing the burden on Local Authority staff. The VGA will:

• engage the citizen in a natural language ‘question and answer’ dialogue (replicating, and therefore replacing, the conversation that they would have had with call centres or Authority offices);
• answer citizens enquiries using a comprehensive Q&A database, or direct them to the appropriate information source (web page, brochure, etc);
• complete forms on behalf of citizens by asking a series of simple questions;
• report on the questions asked of the VGA, enabling authorities to identify areas where both the VGA and the online channel in general can be extended to provide a more comprehensive information resource (typically, the VGA is able to answer over 90% of questions asked of it once it has been set up).

An Illustrative Interaction

A citizen asks the VGA when their rubbish will be collected. The VGA will then ask for the citizen’s postcode and whether or not it is waste rubbish or recycling that needs to be collected. It will then be able to give the citizen the correct collection details. The VGA could provide other useful information, such as links to general information about the recycling service in place, or details of the nearest recycling centres or tips. It could also offer to help with making a request for bulky rubbish to be picked up, getting the necessary details from the citizen and then filling in the form automatically.

Service Benefits

The primary purpose of the service is to reduce the number of enquiries fielded by call centres and Authority staff by enabling citizens to find the information they need online. The benefits are felt by both citizens and Authorities. The citizen is able to quickly and easily find information 24/7, while the Authority is able to free up staff to focus on other areas of service delivery.

Guaranteed Results

EzGov are so sure that that the VGA will reduce the numbers of calls to call centres that they are willing to provide a warranty against it not occurring. EzGov have calculated that for the cost of the VGA to be covered, call centre numbers at an average Local Authority will need to be reduced by 1% (implementations of the Assistant in public and private sectors have produced call reductions for between 10% and 20%). Once the VGA is set up, for every month where call reduction is not reduced by 1%, EzGov will not charge for the service. Should this happen for three months in a row, the Local Authority can ask that the service be withdrawn at no further cost.

Find Out More

To find out more or for a demonstration of the Virtual Government Assistant contact clientservices@ezgoveurope.com.