Client Context
A UK local authority serving 250,000 residents was struggling to maintain citizen service levels against tightening budgets. Their contact centre handled enquiries across council tax, planning, waste services, housing, and social care, with growing demand and constrained resources.
The Challenge
Monthly enquiry volumes exceeded 50,000, with most being repetitive questions about council tax payments, bin collection schedules, and planning application status. These routine queries consumed 60% of agent time, leaving complex cases waiting days for attention. The council needed to improve service without increasing headcount.
Our Solution
We built an AI triage and automation system that works alongside existing staff. The system uses natural language understanding to classify enquiries, provides instant responses to routine questions through a citizen portal chatbot, and enriches complex cases with context before routing to the appropriate team. All data processing meets GDPR requirements with full audit logging.
Results
Within 3 months of deployment, 41% of enquiries were resolved automatically without human intervention. Average resolution time dropped from 5 days to 1.7 days. Staff reported higher job satisfaction as they focused on meaningful casework rather than repetitive answers. The council saved £890K annually, which was reinvested in front-line services.