Netcall > Case Studies > Enhancing Citizen Experiences with Chatbot Automation at Worcestershire County Council

Enhancing Citizen Experiences with Chatbot Automation at Worcestershire County Council

Technology Category

Networks & Connectivity - 5G

Applicable Industries

Buildings
Cement

Applicable Functions

Process Manufacturing

Use Cases

Building Automation & Control
Chatbots

Services

System Integration
Training

About The Customer

Worcestershire County Council (WCC) is a local government authority in the United Kingdom, serving over half a million people across an area of 672 square miles. The council is responsible for providing a range of public services to the residents of Worcestershire. They had previously consolidated their services and implemented a new Netcall contact centre platform. The council is committed to enhancing the efficiency of its services and the experience of its citizens by harnessing the full potential of integrated chatbot technology.

The Challenge

Worcestershire County Council (WCC) serves over half a million people across an area of 672 square miles. The council had previously consolidated its services and implemented a new Netcall contact centre platform. However, they were keen to further exploit the potential of the integrated chatbot technology. The council aimed to provide a 24/7 service to citizens, reduce inbound call transfers to customer service teams, refine processes to support customer enquiries efficiently, proactively provide information and guidance, and manage peak communication volumes. The council's journey to enhance efficiency and customer experience had progressed from voice channel to web chat and then to chatbots. However, agents were still required to handle queries that could be resolved through chatbots. The council was focused on refining chatbot processes to make them more effective for citizens.

The Solution

The council adopted an intuitive design to manage the increased call volumes post-Covid, which peaked at about 1,400 calls. The call-abandon rate was reduced to low single figures from as high as 30-40%. The council also automated workflows by building on initial chat flow designs to address more complex process flows at handover and crossover points. After training with the Netcall team, they explored other value-added functionality within the chatbot. This enabled them to boost transactional capability, such as adding trackers to allow citizens to track application status via the bot. The council also launched their first semi-transactional capability to manage library queries, providing instant information via the chatbot to citizens and reducing the volume of voice and web chats that agents manage.

Operational Impact

The implementation of the chatbot technology resulted in a 24/7 facility for citizens, freeing up more resources for telephony and administration. The council experienced a reduction in calls into the contact centre and web chat volumes in peak service areas. The chatbot service, such as the 'Here to Help' service, proved to be an effective communication method, especially during the pandemic. The council received positive feedback from citizen chatbot engagements, which also reduced pressure on agents. Looking ahead, the council plans to expand the chatbot's transactional capabilities to their HR, finance and property functions using a 3-phase approach, aiming to improve customer experience and use the full potential of the chatbot to deflect internal contact for the support services on offer.

Quantitative Benefit