With council services facing unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, and with residents and businesses needing increasing support, small increases in customer contact caused severe operational difficulties for already stretched services.
My role(s): Digital Project Manager, Digital Designer
Project length: 3 months
Starting out as a trial to gauge the customer appetite for using an automated customer service system, the end purpose of the chatbot was to continue the channel shift of customers using the council website to self-serve rather than contact services directly. With services already stretched, even small increases in customer contact would severely effect their operating ability.
Colchester's Recycling & Rubbish service was severely effected during the first lockdown with operating rules (e.g. social distancing) resulting in crews having to operate at half capacity. With 85,000 homes requiring weekly collections, many residents were unfortunately missed.
Signposting
Providing easy access to self-serve processes online.
Whilst the council saw an increase in missed bins being reported over the summer months, customers were able to do this online which prevented the increase being felt by the service.
Online reporting
Customer self-serve forms.
Missed bin reports
Reporting via online/self-serve, email, and telephone during 2020.
Creating consistency
Improving the customer experience of self-serve transactions at local government level.
