Government chatbots are skyrocketing in popularity – and for good reason.
Most government agencies are buckled under the onslaught of requests from citizens. And most citizens are ready for a smoother, faster, digital government experience.
Let’s dive into why chatbots for government are on the rise, what governments have been doing with them, and how agencies can get started on their own AI chatbot projects.
Government Chatbot Statistics
Why are governments investing in chatbots? A few insights into government services show that chatbots are aiding governments in a few of their weakest points:
60% of governments will prioritize BPA by 2026
Business process automation (BPA) uses advanced technology to conduct business processes with minimal human involvement.
It might look like an automated system processing permit applications, or a chatbot handling citizen inquiries (a form of robotic process automation).
Government consultants have predicted that 60% of government organizations will prioritize business process automation by 2026.
Government chatbots can save 1.2 billion work hours and $40 billion each year
A study from Deloitte found that automating federal employee tasks could save 96.7 million to 1.2 billion federal work hours per year and $3.3 to $41.1 billion in costs.
“It’s highly unusual for a business improvement to increase speed, enhance quality, and reduce costs at the same time,” say the report’s authors. “But cognitive technologies offer that tantalizing possibility.”
72% of citizens want access to government information via smartphone
We have far better communication technologies than we did 20 years ago – and most people want governments to start acting like it.
The Center for Digital Government found that 72% of citizens want to access government information via smartphone – and 62% want their governments to adopt more innovative technology.
What is a Government Chatbot?
A government chatbot is an AI-driven tool that improves communication between citizens and government agencies. It’s an e-governance tool that’s often accessed via a government website or app, or a messaging channel (like a WhatsApp chatbot).
The goal of a government chatbot is to provide efficient, cost-effective services for citizens and government employees alike. It can:
- Reduce response times
- Handle high volumes of requests during a crisis
- Allow employees to focus their time on high-level tasks
All in all, chatbots for government agencies bring institutions into the 21st century by using AI (or other technology) to expedite processes.
Examples of Government Chatbots
MISSI from the State of Mississippi
Mississippi’s for government chatbot, MISSI, is a go-to resource – it can direct citizens to the correct state agencies, send links to online services, and assist in digital payments.
Mississippi residents can use MISSI to:
- Renew hunting licenses
- Schedule a driving test
- Find employment assistance
- Find the names and public emails of government officials
- Get information on tax refunds
Since its launch in 2017, MISSI has received over 14 awards for marketing communications, creativity, and digital government.
SG OneService Chatbot from Singapore Municipal Services Office
When residents of Singapore text ‘Hi’ to a public phone number – either on WhatsApp or Telegram – they’re connected with the SG OneService Chatbot.
The SG OneService Chatbot detects user intent and categorizes feedback or submits requests.
Fun fact: The chatbot got its avatar (profile image) from a public competition, with the winner receiving hundreds in shopping vouchers.
Alex at the Australian Taxation office
Taxes are hard, but chatbots can help.
The Australian Taxation Office introduced Alex to help residents understand their taxes. A livechat tool, it’s available 24/7 for tax payers.
It answers questions related to income and deductions, private health insurance, amendments and errors, tax offsets, and other general tax information.
Use Cases for Government Chatbots
The best chatbot platforms are flexible – they allow designers and builders to create a chatbot for any use case. The only limit is your creativity (and maybe your timeline).
But there are a few common use cases for government chatbots. These are a few of the most popular.
1. Internal Employee Support
Conversational AI isn’t just helpful for citizens – it can empower employees by automating routine tasks like:
- HR queries
- IT troubleshooting
- Accessing internal policies
2. Public Feedback Collection
Public feedback is an integral part of improving government service, but it can be expensive and time-consuming.
Conversational AI is a simple way to gather feedback efficiently. It’s easily accessible, it’s free to use, and it helps agencies become more citizen-informed.
3. Service Requests
Pot holes, public safety concerns, maintenance requests for parks . . . a chatbot provides a one-stop-shop for citizens to report on issues.
Governments can respond more quickly to requests, and inform citizens if an incident has been reported already.
4. Emergency Management
In times of crisis, people need information, and they need it fast. A chatbot provides an already-existing avenue for citizens to ask questions and for governments to disseminate accurate information.
How does it work? During a crisis, an organization can upload an FAQ page as a Knowledge Base, allowing citizens to access the information relevant to them.
By combining LLMs and RAG, they can receive personalized responses that are rooted in up-to-date information.
5. Provide Updates
The people who tend to call government services most often are waiting on updates, whether it’s immigration status, passports, or permits.
When a chatbot is integrated with an organization’s source of truth, it can instantly provide real-time updates to citizens.
And it can do it without bogging down government employees.
6. Register for Services
Instead of forms (which are prone to human error), chatbots allow humans to register for services one step at a time.
They can start with their personal information, and be asked follow up questions until the form is completed by the bot.
These strategies can be used for:
- Employment aid
- Voter registration
- Insurance programs
- Registering vehicles
- Social programs
Benefits of Government Chatbots
There are plenty of benefits for government workers and citizens alike. Chatbots increase efficiency and availability, which is a win for everyone involved.
Instead of listing 50 benefits, here are 4 of the most important, quick-win benefits of government chatbots:
Multilingual Support
Your jurisdiction is multilingual – your services should be, too.
Chatbots can communicate in multiple languages, ensuring equitable access to services and reducing language barriers for citizens.
A chatbot using the GPT engine will automatically be able to converse in over 80 languages – no extra training required.
Citizen Engagement
Effective engagement starts with accessibility.
Providing a channel for citizens is a simple way to encourage engagement, whether through feedback or reporting incidents.
Immediate Responses
Most people who have called a government service are familiar with long wait times. Overburdened employees can only handle so much volume.
But government chatbots can handle thousands of conversations simultaneously, freeing up human agents to take on the more complex (or delicate) situations.
This is best done by building a chatbot with human-in-the-loop capabilities – it can pass a user onto a human whenever needed.
24/7 Service
Citizens need information at all times of day. A chatbot provides free access all day, all night, and on weekends. Vital information suddenly becomes easy to access at any time.
How to Deploy a Government Chatbot in 5 Steps
With the huge swath of AI tools available today, there are options for any specific needs you might have.
While we’re pretty biased towards our own chatbot platform (and our government agency clients would agree!), we’re here to help you find the one that suits your agency’s needs best.
No matter your starting point, here are the first steps to embarking on a chatbot project for a government agency:
1. Identify Highest-Value Use Cases
A chatbot project is an investment – when properly designed, it can save
Identify the lowest-hanging fruit: does an agency have a high number of calls regarding a certain issue? Are there any menial (digital) tasks that take up valuable employee time?
Best practice is to start with one strong use case, and then extend your chatbot after your first successful deployment.
2. Choose an AI Chatbot Platform
The best chatbot platforms are the ones that can meet your unique needs and goals – so the ‘right’ choice will be different for everyone.
Here are a few key questions to ask while picking a chatbot platform for government:
- What integration capabilities will you need?
- What’s your budget?
- Do you have access to a developer, or will you need to hire one on contract to build and deploy your bot?
- What security measures do your top choice of platforms offer?
- What level of AI involvement will you need? Do you want your chatbot to make decisions, or do you just want to use an LLM agent to produce fluid, natural-sounding language?
Start by booking calls with a few strong options – each chatbot product will walk through their options with you.
3. Integrate Tools and Knowledge Bases
After choosing your platform, the next big step is integrating any tools, platforms, or systems that will be relevant to your AI workflows.
A low-code platform will offer pre-built integrations. A flexible chatbot platform will offer custom integrations – a developer can integrate any internal system or platform you use that you want the chatbot to be able to work with.
You’ll also want to create Knowledge Bases for the chatbot to draw from – sources like official policies and procedures, updated wait lists, or legal requirements.
4. Test and Refine
Even after deployment, there'll be plenty of room for improvement in your bot. It’s only by seeing how it interacts with the public that you’ll get a better sense of its weaknesses.
Ensure that your plan incorporates the ability to reiterate on your chatbot – this is by far the best way to maximize your ROI.
5. Deploy and Monitor
Most governments deploy chatbots to official websites, but you can also make your bot accessible elsewhere.
A WhatsApp chatbot (or Facebook Messenger chatbot or a Telegram chatbot) can sometimes be the easiest way for citizens to engage with government agencies.
Deploy your chatbot wherever your citizens are most likely to get use out of it.
After deploying, don’t forget to use chatbot analytics to monitor the success of your bot. Stringent monitoring is key to improving your bot over time (and ensuring it’s succeeding in its job).
Deploy a Secure Government Chatbot
By 2026, the majority of governments will use advanced technologies to better serve their citizens.
Botpress provides governments with secure, reliable AI agent tools to enhance performance and citizen support.
With pre-built integrations, endless flexibility, and maximum security measures, our platform is well-suited for building chatbots and AI agents for high-impact industries.
Start building today. It's free.
Or contact our team to learn more.
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