“The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged agencies to deliver key services to their customers. As traffic to VA call centers drastically increased during the early stages of the pandemic, the department decided to create a new chatbot that helps the agency respond quickly to veterans’ questions, provides patients with critical information and anticipates customer needs.”
What is the chatbot and how does it increase efficiency?
“The VA uses the chatbot to provide automated answers to frequently asked customer questions, enabling call center representatives to answer more intricate, personal or detailed inquiries over the phone. The chatbot has reduced wait times for veterans, and helped the VA provide customers with more support and up-to-date medical information.”
“For example, after Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and the Treasury Department started disbursing COVID stimulus checks, the VA equipped the chatbot to answer questions like, ‘Is the VA helping to make sure I get my stimulus check?’ and ‘Will the stimulus check affect my VA benefits?'”
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also provided the chatbot with medical information about the coronavirus and its symptoms, freeing the VA up to input additional information into the tool, such as VA standard service medical checkups, drug prescriptions and disability benefits…” Read the full article here.
Source: How the Department of Veterans Affairs used technology to deliver better services during the COVID-19 pandemic- By Zainab Syed, January 21, 2021. Partnership for Public Service.
