Digital front door

Councils deliver a number of key services that are essential to residents. Creating a single, accessible digital front door that provides residents the information they’re looking for and enables them to fulfil their needs, can serve as a first port of call for residents alongside the variety of other channels and tools councils offer.

This type of approach may allow councils to cater to the needs of all residents. In line with central government ambitions of the gov.uk platform, AI and smart technologies can be used in a variety of ways helping signpost users to what they need, supporting them to resolve their enquiry and ensuring councils are responding to residents’ needs.

Residents often find themselves on a council website after a Google search when trying to access services or find information. However, information can sometimes be hard to find and difficult to correctly interpret. This problem is especially acute for users with accessibility needs or different language needs. Providing a digital front door to users can improve the ability for users to get to what they need, provide tailored information and support, in turn building trust with councils and improving their overall customer experience. There is also the opportunity for residents to receive information quicker with AI and smart technology providing a right-first-time resolution to a user's query or service requirement.

On top of these benefits, AI and smart technology can also help the council understand residents needs and behaviours. This can help add truly user-centred content for their digital front doors along with using insights to train staff and optimise services.

The complexity and quantity of information held by councils and the services offered mean a comprehensive and scalable digital front door is challenging to implement. Focussing on one service area, however, reduces its ability to fulfil the challenge.

Councils want to future-proof access to services across different platforms, where increasingly information is accessed through smart devices or other routes, rather than via their website.

Councils need to be sure that information they surface for users is relevant for them and that they are not, for example, requiring information about a different council.

Residents and their support network: Solutions would primarily be used by residents and others supporting them (e.g., friends and family) to access information and services.

Data analysts: Insights generated by tools could be monitored for service improvement.

Customer service and resident facing council officers: When officers are already working with a customer, they can more seamlessly work across different departments to signpost residents to the right information for them, if the customer needs to ask at all. This can free time for officers to spend on complex cases.

Elected officials and decision-makers:  Build on existing transparency between residents and decision-makers by providing a space for two-way communication.

Considered website design has been used but it lacks sophistication and does not utilise the personalisation or enhanced accessibility that AI or smart technology tools can offer. This sits alongside other traditional communication channels like delivering information over the phone or through leaflets.

There are some off-the-shelf tools that some councils use for creating their main websites as well as microsites for individual service areas. Some tools for service-specific area for driving users to the right services have also been deployed.

Several councils have explored chatbots, search and novel navigation functions to enable better accessibility for their current websites in an ad-hoc manner.

To make online services suitable to different accessibility or language needs there are rudimentary online tools but are not specific to council or user needs.

There are sector-wide discussions around how the gov.uk model could be adapted to local government, particularly for adding standardisation across the sector while helping councils retain their individual local ethos on their digital fronts.

How can AI and smart technology:

• provide seamless, inclusive, and user-friendly access to all public services, ensuring that every resident can efficiently interact with the council online
• collect and make use of diverse information sources to inform decision making
• effectively signpost residents to the best information for their needs
• support interpretation to be more accessible and available at the point of need
• make council information accessible and help people to self serve
• use information gathered to offer additional services
• answer residents with information, advice or guidance questions and seamlessly link to digital services on the basis of multiple inputs

Futr AI is a powerful SaaS platform that transforms how public services engage with both citizens and internal staff, such as employees, social care workers, and government teams. Its multichannel, multilingual AI and Live Chat hybrid solution enables seamless communication with the public across multiple platforms, ensuring that individuals receive timely and accurate support in their preferred language.  

Mortar’s Hoop'd is a modular framework for building customised service design solutions, focused on supporting users and staff in navigating, promoting and communicating services. A Hoop’d solution applies intelligence to help generate accessible communication content, compile directories, make personalised recommendations, and prioritise cases.

Beebot AI is providing a platform that delivers modern, intuitive and great user experience for citizens and also professionals/council staff and council partners using an engaging and easy to use interface. It combines technologies such as: Conversational AI and RPA with AI-driven analytics to enable organisations to reduce costs, drive scalability and enhance user experiences. 

The LGA maintains vendor neutrality. This initiative aims to assist the sector with the responsible and secure implementation of AI and smart technology solutions. Vendors presented were assessed and pre-selected ahead of the event. This event does not guarantee business for vendors or providers, nor are councils obligated to procure any presented solutions. Councils may, however, choose to commission a solution through proper procurement channels following the Showcase.