Council to adopt AI to enhance resident services

The two-year contract will see the council deploy a new AI digital assistant across its website and call centre to help resolve resident enquiries quicker and provide self-service options to help free up council staff to support residents with complex issues.  

Alongside answering enquiries - including waste management, parking permits, and housing enquiries 24 hours a day, seven days a week - the voice assistant features SMS functionality that will deliver additional information to residents via text message.  

Residents will be able to contact the council at their convenience and benefit from reduced wait times, multilingual support and an enhanced customer experience, which in turn will help reduce reliance on council staff and save both time and money across services. 

Cllr Martin Goddard, Hillingdon Council's Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation, said: "Reshaping our customer and staff processes, with ICS AI as an enabler, will help us continue to put our residents first and achieve our Digital Strategy vision to improve the way the council delivers services to residents by utilising technology. 

 "By adopting customer-focused technology, we will enable our residents to access the services they need quickly and at their own convenience, whilst also delivering more efficient and effective processes for council staff." 

 Martin Neale, CEO of ICS.AI, added: "We are proud to support Hillingdon Council on this journey to revolutionise resident services and become a nationwide example for re-thinking the way local councils do things.  

"Our collaboration reflects a shared commitment to delivering accessible, efficient, and customer-focused solutions, providing residents with faster, more convenient access to council services, while empowering staff to focus on high-value tasks.  

"This project, in partnership with Microsoft, is a testament to how technology can enhance community engagement and deliver measurable results." 

This is the first step in the council's wider Digital Strategy where solutions across key service areas, including adult social care, children's services, customer services, and finance will be explored.  

For more information about the digital strategy, visit www.hillingdon.gov.uk/digital-strategy.