FinlandPublic sector2020 – ongoingCity of Helsinki
Virtual assistant network for city services
Helsinki's virtual assistants handled up to 300 contacts daily, IBM reported
Problem
Separate city service teams faced heavy inquiry volumes. Residents wanted faster answers and more flexible service hours.
Approach
Helsinki and IBM Consulting developed assistants using IBM's conversational AI platform. Work began in December 2020, and the first assistant launched in early March 2021. Staff workshops supplied common questions for training because customer-service chat logs were unavailable. The network later included a combined assistant for healthcare and social services.
Results
Takeaway
Staff knowledge supplied the initial training material. Actual customer questions then informed revisions to the assistants.
Categories
- Size
- Large enterprise
- Industry
- Public sector
- Business function
- Customer service
- Innovation type
- Process innovation
- AI technology
- Conversational and voice AI
- Adoption
- Partner co-development
- Evidence
- Vendor case study
Sources
Source summaries
IBM described the co-development and expansion of Helsinki's assistant network. It reported 10 operating assistants handling up to 300 contacts daily.
Full details are in the original sources.
