In a world where technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace, the Indian public sector is not lagging behind. In fact, they are leading the charge in embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a big way, particularly in the form of chatbots. These government agencies are harnessing the power of AI chatbots to engage with citizens, streamline booking processes, provide top-notch customer service etc.
Gone are the days when customers had to twiddle their thumbs and wait on hold for hours or be transferred from one department to another. Thanks to AI chatbots, citizens can now access the information and services they need in a flash, with just a few taps on their screens. These chatbots are designed to provide support 24/7, making them the silver bullet for a fast-paced, ever-changing world.
The growth of AI chatbots in the public sector can be traced back to the COVID-19 pandemic. With lockdowns and social distancing measures in place, government agencies had to think outside the box and find new ways to keep delivering services to citizens. This is where AI chatbots came in to play, offering a safe and efficient alternative to in-person interactions. Since then, the use of AI chatbots has continued to grow, with more and more public sector organizations seeing the light and recognizing the benefits they bring.
Chatting with change- the power of WhatsApp for public sector units
Upbeat from the wide use of the WhatsApp chatbots during the last two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, WhatsApp has been leveraged by civic bodies, governments, and city administrations across India to identify ways in which the WhatsApp Business Platform can help governments communicate with citizens quicker and deliver services in a ‘safe and secure’ manner.
WhatsApp has been at the forefront of delivering innovative technology solutions that also have the potential to power social impact in the country. WhatsApp’s easy, simple interface makes it one of the first digital gateways for millions, accelerating India’s vision of a digitally inclusive nation or say elevating Digital India initiative.
The range of deployments include bodies such as the National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI), Indian Railways, Bangalore Metro Rail Corp. Ltd (BMRCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd (BPCL), which are increasingly using these automation platforms to answer user queries and even accept bookings.
Sounds interesting, but how can ValueFirst help PSUs?
1. Remote engagement tool
Government offices may or may not be in the same vicinity as all the citizens. It’s very important to make government bodies more accessible to the citizens. ValueFirst acts as a bridge between the organization and its citizens, and allows for seamless, frictionless communications.
2. Service discovery & information
The government is a civil service provider to every citizen. From Passports to Identity Cards to Electricity Bills, the government does it all.
A service discovery bot can act like a receptionist who can answer or guide you to the right page based on your query.
This solves the problem of complex sites that make it very difficult to avail any of services. With a chatbot that can easily redirect citizens to the right place, there’s no chance of getting lost or confused in the complex maze of menus, departments, sub-departments and pages.
3. Citizen feedback
You’d have noticed that the government runs many campaigns asking users to send SMSs or call to give feedback on their services. A chatbot is the easiest and most natural way to engage users to collect feedback, both qualitative and quantitative.
It makes the entire experience very human and accessible to the citizens. With smart backend integrations, the bot can automatically route the feedback to the right departments within the government for quick action and redressal.
4. FAQ tool
Citizens want answers, and they want them immediately. With most agency and government operations primarily operating remotely, communication slowed down significantly. That is, until governments started to implement chatbot solutions. Now, questions get answered within seconds leaving customers at ease, and council members feeling more productive and having the freedom to focus on more complex tasks.
Achieving success hand-in-hand with our customers
Below are some of the examples of government agencies leading the charge with our state-of-the-art WhatsApp chatbots.
1. PMIDC (Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company)
ValueFirst created a WhatsApp based solution to digitize municipal engagement with citizens and give them real time updates based on their queries.
The solution provided users assistance in:
2. BSES Rajdhani
BSES Rajdhani is one of the largest power distribution organizations in North India. ValueFirst helped them with WhatsApp powered chatbot solution to automate key processes and boost customer engagement.
The solution provided users assistance in:
3. Karnataka Government
ValueFirst created a WhatsApp based helpdesk for the Government of Karnataka to share credible and accurate information to citizens.
The solution was deployed with listed objectives:
To sum up
WhatsApp is a platform that connects billions of users every day and is now granting businesses endless possibilities for reaching and engaging with its massive audience. With WhatsApp for Business, companies are now able to interact with customers on the platform they love and use WhatsApp chatbots to do it quickly and at scale.
Got questions about our government chatbots?
Government agencies have their own unique challenges and opportunities. Connect with our government chatbot experts to learn how we created chatbots designed for PSUs to take full advantage of our platform. Learn from our experience on using chatbots for government agencies services, online support, and self-service.
