Residents will get help from a new and improved chatbot which has just launched on the Cornwall Council website.  

The chatbot nick named ‘Ker-Know' can answer questions on all the services offered by the council, from waste to education, and do tasks by responding to messages in real time.  

It does this by using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to search the website on behalf of residents, intelligently responding to their inquiries.  

Ker-Know can now resolve almost three quarters of enquiries received by the council daily.  

Cabinet member for customers, councillor Martin Worth, said: “Most residents who are online will have experienced chat bots when they deal with organisations – from banking to groceries and online shopping.”

“Our chat bot Ker-Know is now helping more of our residents get the answers they need more quickly, or be directed to staff member for more information.

“This is part of our ongoing efforts to improve the digital experience for Cornwall's residents and we are focused on providing more effective, efficient customer service.”

By integrating artificial Intelligence into the councils' current systems, it is hoped that it will improve a number of key areas including providing more responsive and intuitive interaction for users exploring council services online, 24/7 availability for more queries and reduce the workload on customer service teams by automating responses to a wider range of enquiries. 

Councillor Worth said: “We believe that the introduction of Ker-Know will make a big difference to residents, save time and save money.   

“We will closely monitor the performance of the chatbot and gather data on its effectiveness in handling complex queries, and your feedback will be an essential part of that.”