What problem does it solve? Large volume of phone calls should decrease and consumers can get their questions answered in a timely manner. Also, a lot of industries have implemented this in order to better customer service. What is your solution and who does it apply to? I work for the licensing boards under the Division of Consumer Affairs. The solution is have a "Chat with Us" option under each board. The idea is to allow consumers to ask questions as they would if they called in. Given the times, not everybody likes to get on the phone, or doesn't have the time to reach out in person. Similar to our AskConsumerAffairs email, but in this way consumers can get an immediate response to their inquiry. Not to mention that it can also allow staff to answer more than one inquiry at a time, whereas when answering the phone one cannot tend to more than one customer. The dedicated person to the AskConsumerAffairs emails can answer chat questions or each board can assign a staff member or members to answer these inquiries. Given the fact that we are going online soon, it only makes sense we give people the chance to virtually communicate with us. Also, this will get staff used to using technology on their daily work tasks. What is the anticipated impact? This will decrease the volume of phone calls and consumer grievances on the long wait to get an answer from us. It will also allow staff to connect with someone, answer their question, and go on with their day. Similar to phone customer service, but the upside is that staff can adequately investigate the matter without the pressure of having someone on the line. It is also suggested that the Chat Bot can ask some filtering questions to see if the inquiry itself can be answered by a link to our website. For instance if the consumer wants to know what form to use to apply for a social work license, the Chat Bot can provide that link without having to connect to a live representative.
This content is created by the open source Your Priorities citizen engagement platform designed by the non profit Citizens Foundation