Customer interaction as it used to be

“…But I used to be able to walk into your office and ask for help!”

I have witnessed this far too many times, especially with local, regional, and national government services. Through cost-saving and rationalisation exercises, the physical ability to talk to a service provider has become ever more digitally based. The ability to share a document with someone or have a physical presence was comforting, especially for those who have long used this method of interaction with public services.

The Challenge of Digital Interaction

The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that our population is ageing. In addition, there are many digitally excluded individuals who favour face-to-face interactions over dealing with a call centre or chatbot. While call centres serve a purpose, certain situations and groups of citizens find an in-person presence more comforting, supportive, and stress-relieving, making it significantly more effective.

You’ve likely encountered designs featuring a video screen on a desk for individuals to communicate with contact centre agents. However, I am convinced that we must focus on developing the next generation of public interaction. In the following sections of this document, I will outline this vision and discuss how CDW can collaborate with you to create the future of interaction.

Building a Strong Foundation

I will use a few driving statements to build my solution's premise.

The ability to engage in physical, face-to-face interaction with public services has reduced over the years.[1]

As humans, we feel more connected when we can see the person we are talking to, not just hear them. [2]

We are a multi-lingual society and there is an ever-increasing requirement for public services to support more languages. [3]

Access to public services is generally based on normal office hours.

Public services are being driven to be more efficient regarding costs and energy utilisation, while being expected to maintain and improve the quality of service to the citizens. [1]
Public services are quite often operated without joint technological investments and siloed from a financial perspective, reducing the ability to benefit from operations at scale that could benefit multiple organisations. [4]

These statements are focused on the UK public sector, but most, if not all, can be applied to almost any public service organisation globally.

A Vision for Seamless Service

Imagine if we could create a setting where citizens can interact with almost any government service or provider, in a physical space that adapts to their needs and preferences, and that is available whenever required.

The solution I suggest is a kiosk placed on city streets and in neighbourhoods, allowing all public services to reach users directly. Although it might seem innovative, this idea isn't entirely new; I recently spoke with an organisation already implementing a similar concept, although focused on personal healthcare in European locations. They were present at a retail event in London; attracting a constant queue of people eager to use the service. There was no fee or reward, just a comprehensive personal health assessment conducted privately without human interaction.

This convinced me not only of the willingness but also of the eagerness of individuals to use a kiosk-based service. However, the idea I am proposing does not stop with the kiosk—this is merely the beginning. The true transformative change lies in how this kiosk functions and what it facilitates in terms of service delivery to citizens.

The Kiosk Experience

Use your imagination to help you picture how this kiosk operates.

Imagine you are a citizen with a question about a self-assessment return. You've read the form, checked online resources, and completed as much as possible, but you're stuck on one question. Nearby, on your high street is a Public Service kiosk that you can visit while shopping.

You arrive at the kiosk on a Saturday during your shopping trip and approach it. At the entrance is a panel prompting you to select the service you need; it's a straightforward menu where you choose the public service you're seeking. You pick Tax, and the system informs you that the kiosk is currently busy, but a slot has been reserved for you in 30 minutes. It asks if you'd like a text reminder and, if so, to provide your phone number. You then go to a local coffee shop after entering your phone number.

Twenty minutes later, you receive a message indicating your appointment is coming up and you can return to the kiosk at any time until your scheduled slot. It also notes that if you're delayed by more than five minutes, you'll lose the slot, and if you want to delay, reply to the text with “delay” and the system will reschedule your appointment. Making it on time, you finish your drink and head back to the kiosk; upon arrival, you choose the booked appointment option and verbally confirm your name. The door opens to let you in.

Inside, there is a desk with two chairs and a video screen built into the opposite wall. The person on the screen greets you by name and asks why you have come. You have your documents ready and the system instructs you to lay them on the table with the writing facing upwards. With all the information in place, you must confirm some identity details for security checks; you are also asked whether you would like to save your appearance and voice analysis for easier identification next time.

The system helps you understand the forms with clear, simple instructions and asks if you comprehend everything. It also offers to complete the forms digitally on the spot, saving you from having to fill out paperwork manually and mailing it. At the end of the session, you are given the option to either dispose of or keep the paperwork you brought. The door opens, and you leave, confident that you have correctly completed your tax return.

Bridging the Gap with AI

This may seem like a fanciful idea, but it is far from science fiction with the onset of AI communication and generative AI. The creation of a virtual persona almost indistinguishable from a real human is possible now; the ability for this solution to interact with a human in a natural way with natural language conversations, contextual data is here. An AI assistant like this benefits from several features; it is flexible in appearance and language capabilities, it has infinite patience and it can explain things several different ways or with on screen diagrams to help a citizen understand the context.

The kiosk model can utilise local data and even dialects to help citizens feel at ease; it can reference the weather or the local football team, naturally and in a way that helps to create a relaxed environment. With the tabletop document cameras, documentation can be reviewed, digitally converted and understood in a way that only visual comparison enables. With an AI-enabled service citizens can access these kiosks 24 hours a day on any day and get the support they need. The example I used here was a simplified tax case, but there are numerous use cases where this solution could be utilised:

Housing Support

Visas and Immigration

Legal and Police issues

Social and Childcare

Local council planning permission

Revenue & Benefits

Complaints

Reporting of issues such as noise or pollution

Confidential Citizen Advice

International Driving Permit
Driving License renewals

This is just a sub-selection, but by offering multi-lingual, personalised services the quality and speed of support available to citizens can be greatly increased, especially when such kiosks can be utilised for all public services.

Implementing a Service Model

So how does this work? How can this be realised for public services? The only way this would truly work is if it was offered as a consumption-based service to all public bodies in a region that would like to utilise the capability. Each public body would sign on to the service in an area and this would incur a standing charge; every interaction handled by the kiosk would also carry a standard charge.

The Kiosk is offered as a service. This implies that when utilisation goes above 70% the provider then looks to expand the service. Analysing the data of the users who make use of the service can then influence the location of the service expansion, maybe another one in the same location or a kiosk nearer the predominant postcode of citizens who use the service.

The goals of many government documents are to provide the best quality and fastest reliable service to citizens; the Kiosk allows for a solution that crosses previously dividing control boundaries and services, and offers a single place of support for citizens.

The Kiosk as a public service is the first step; there is also the ability for utility companies to be included in the provision of this service, driving further revenue into the government/public services.

A Path to Adoption

The ability to build and deliver this style of service exists, and the method to launch and build this out is quite easy to map. Below is a simple plan to enable you and your organisation to begin this journey of revolutionising citizen interaction

Initiate an on-premise kiosk concept that connects to existing customer service desks, but includes video communications.

Introduce and develop machine learning and AI to support agents in the contact centre, building up a knowledge base and utilising the AI to augment customer conversations; adopting and measuring to ensure the AI is fit for purpose.

Start adopting AI as a first-line customer interaction in the kiosks.

Build on these foundations to include more of your services, before introducing additional capabilities such as language and document exchange.
Expand the tried-and-tested solution to the high street, where you can start delivering impactful changes to citizens, and allowing your staff to focus on the more complex human-based activities that cannot be automated.

I’ll admit that these steps are a simplification; but in effect, there is one initial step that can open your organisation up to the potential to deliver such services. The contact centre and how this utilises AI to augment staff interactions will be your first target; through the adoption, you can also speed up your onboarding time and improve efficiencies in call handling along with quicker resolution and the ability to utilise learnt data to improve and hone the services you provide.

Explore the Possibilities

If you are intrigued by this concept and want to explore how it could benefit your organisation, your community, or yourself, please reach out and open a discussion with our experts who can assess, design and deliver solutions to improve how services are delivered to your customers. We are always eager to hear from you and to collaborate on innovative solutions that leverage the power of technology and human connection.

Summary

The article presents a concept of using AI-powered kiosks to enhance public services and customer experiences. It argues that such kiosks can provide personalised, multilingual, and accessible solutions that complement human interactions and improve service quality and efficiency. It also outlines a simple plan to adopt this concept, starting from the contact centre and expanding to the high street and other services.

Your Thoughts?

How do you think AI-powered kiosks could benefit your organisation, your community, or yourself? What challenges or opportunities do you foresee in implementing this concept? Please do share your thoughts and feedback with me over on LinkedIn.

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