Enhancing Citizen Engagement with AI-Powered Chat Assistance
Location: New Jersey
Introduction
Residents expect local government websites to be simple, helpful, and available when they need them. But many municipal websites have years of accumulated information spread across departments, pages, PDFs, calendars, and forms.
The result is a common challenge: residents cannot always find the answer, even when the information exists.
A municipality looking to improve citizen self-service implemented IGNA® Chat to make its website more responsive, easier to navigate, and available around the clock.
The Challenge
The municipality was receiving repeated calls and emails about routine services such as office hours, trash pickup, permits, meeting information, licensing, and department contacts.
Staff were spending valuable time answering the same questions across multiple channels. Residents were frustrated because website search did not always lead them to the right information.
The municipality needed a better way to help residents find answers without increasing staff workload.
The TechForGov Solution
IGNA® Chat was deployed as an AI-powered website assistant trained on approved municipal website content and public information.
The solution helped residents ask questions in plain language and receive guided answers from official sources.
Key Capabilities
- 24/7 website assistance
- Answers from approved municipal content
- Multilingual resident support
- Guidance to forms, departments, and service pages
- Visibility into common resident questions
The Impact
After deploying IGNA® Chat, residents had a simpler way to access information without needing to call the office for every basic question.
Staff were able to reduce time spent on repetitive inquiries and focus on more complex resident needs.
Active Directory (AD) Migration
Key Outcomes
- Improved citizen self-service
- Reduced repetitive calls and emails
- Better website navigation
- More consistent answers from approved content
- Stronger after-hours access to municipal information
- Better insight into what residents are asking
The IGNA® Difference
- IGNA® Chat does not replace municipal staff. It helps residents get answers faster and gives staff more time for higher-value interactions.
Ready to Improve Citizen Engagement?
- Start with one high-volume service area, one department, or one set of frequently asked questions.
Want to see how this could work for your municipality? Request a short demo with TechForGov.