An innovation in the municipal world
The city of Laval is working with artificial intelligence tools to benefit its citizens. Having started its digital transformation in 2019, it now offers its consulting expertise to public organizations in Canada who wish to accelerate theirs. Several municipalities outside Quebec and ministries have already requested support from Laval in this area.
Supporting 311 agents
The integration of a virtual assistant application using artificial intelligence began in late 2020, at the 311 call centre in Laval, in collaboration with Microsoft. This new technology tool has not only made it possible to successfully support the work of agents, it has also facilitated citizen participation in various public consultation sessions.
At 311, the virtual assistant makes it possible to respond to complex requests more quickly, in addition to summarizing the verbal interaction between the citizen and the agent in a written text. This dialogue text is then filed in the citizen request, which improves the quality of subsequent exchanges between agents and citizens. This tool using Microsoft Azure AI, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform supports the 311 team, which responds to approximately 250,000 calls annually on more than 250 different topics.
“We are convinced that the introduction of tools using artificial intelligence has a real positive impact on the citizen experience and on the efficiency of our public services. Thanks to the ideas and comments that emerge from citizen participation, we are continuously improving these tools. We are proud of this expertise that we are developing with collaborators such as Microsoft and aim to use these technological innovations in other settings, such as the 911 emergency response service. “
— Stéphane Boyer, deputy mayor and vice-president of the executive committee
More inclusive citizen consultations
Since December 2020, this technology tool has been used in the context of citizen consultation sessions. Written verbal interactions from all participants appear at the bottom of the Microsoft Teams app screen. This innovation fostered a better understanding of the projects by all, which then allowed the formulation of more informed comments. This initiative is therefore part of the City’s desire to promote inclusion and provide better accessibility to consultation sessions.
Additional information
For more information on this partnership and the innovations in place in Laval, visit https://www.partenariatpublic.laval.ca
To know more about the virtual assistant application, watch the video available on City of Laval’s YouTube channel.
