TOPICS: Chatbot for Government   Chatbot for Service    Chatbot Trends   

Chatbots for customer service - How chatbots can transform Government Services

There’s been a lot of talk lately, about why and how modern businesses need to reposition themselves for the digital age with chatbots for customer service. Smart automated solutions such as online chatbots for websites and messenger apps seem to be the way ahead for businesses looking to attract and retain more clients. But are they just as relevant for government agency websites?

Why do government agencies need chatbots?

At first glance, it may appear that government bodies don’t need to go out of their way to rope in customers or close sales. Sure, in the long run they need to stay in their voters’ good books. And efficiently managed websites and digital experiences help them do that. But on the face of it, lead generation doesn’t seem like the topmost priority of a government body website.



What does stand out as a characterizing feature of most government websites, though, is the fact that they handle numbers. The kind of traffic that a federal tax authority website sees on a daily basis, for example, parallels or even exceeds that of prominent ecommerce platforms.

Additionally, visitors on that tax authority website aren’t just passing through. They’re looking for very specific information on a deduction, filing their taxes, lodging complaints about pending refunds, and so on. For them to get all the information and answers that they need, the tax body would need a massive amount of manpower.

Or it can create a chatbot for the same purpose.

Processing requests in large numbers through government chatbots:

When 60-year old Ben visits the tax authority website for the first time, what he sees can be pretty intimidating. Ben has always filed his tax returns manually, and has no idea how to navigate the site. Plus, Ben has learned about a new benefit that he can claim as a senior citizen, and needs to know the application and claims procedure.

What does Ben do? If he tries and navigates his way through the hundreds of webpages on the site, it could be hours before he finally has some clarity. It would obviously be easier if a tax official could just answer his questions. Except that Ben would need to go to the tax office first, stand in queue, and fill out a bunch of paperwork before he can get his answers.

But what if Ben doesn’t need to do any of that? There’s another way. An instant chat window opens up when Ben reaches the tax authority website, and an online chatbot wishes him a good morning, and asks, “What do you need assistance with today? (Please select a department from the options below).”

And Ben is able to get to his query in a matter of seconds. The presence of the government chatbot emulates the experience of talking to a real person, and removes any bureaucracy from the picture. Ben, and countless others like him, get answers to their questions, and accurate, up-to-date information on government schemes and policies. For complex queries, they can quickly submit a support ticket through the same chat window, and hear back from an official in a couple of days.

A tech-savvy government chatbot for a tech-savvy demographic:

Meg, 25, conducts most of her transactions online. She shops, orders food, and books show tickets through her laptop or smartphone. When she needs her license plate renewed, though, she needs to stand in line at the motor vehicle department.

Or not. If the motor vehicle department website has a fleet of online chatbots, Meg, and others like her, can initiate their license plate renewal process online. The government chatbot connects them to the concerned department, and they can come back anytime for updates on their application status.

Similarly, by building chatbots into a city’s public transit system website, government bodies can dispense real time information on subway routes, schedules, and feeder bus services.A citizen can just type their question into the chat window and get an instant response to help them plan their route.

In the long run, using chatbots for government agency websites builds an efficient and tech-savvy image for any government. And this image goes a long way in garnering voter trust and public support. Find out more about government website chatbot development by getting in touch with us.