"TOWNy" in operation
The city of Rodgau's new chatbot, TOWNy, went live on the city administration and municipal utility websites at the end of October. The digital assistant was activated without much notice in order to gain initial experience in live operation and test its functionality under real conditions.
Functions & possibilities
TOWNy is an AI-supported chatbot that helps citizens to find information about municipal services quickly and easily. This is possible in 37 different languages. Answers can be given in plain language and help can also be provided when filling out a form. Whether by text input or voice, TOWNy understands complete sentences and responds in the same way as in a real conversation. It therefore supplements the classic search function of the website with an intuitive, dialogue-based alternative. The chatbot utilises a wide range of existing information. However, as with any artificial intelligence, answers may be incomplete or incorrect. As with any AI bot, users are therefore encouraged to critically scrutinise the answers. In order to improve the results in the long term, the integrated rating function allows users to give feedback with a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down". In addition, conspicuous answers can be reported to the email address kommunikation@rodgau.de.
Feedback & Tips
Following the successful launch, the city is now collecting feedback, optimising and continuously developing the digital assistant. Tips for effective use, such as regularly deleting the chat history or precisely formulating questions, should help to further improve the assistant - information at https://www.rodgau.de/Chatbot-Infos. Back in September, TOWNy won a public vote to find a name and design. The design is based on the Rodgau water tower. The service can be accessed via its symbol image at the bottom right of the municipal website.