Residents are now able to interact with an improved and more inclusive online resource as Derby City Council launches an upgraded version of its digital helper, Darcie this week [17 March].
Introduced to answer citizens' queries more efficiently, Darcie has undergone significant behind-the-scenes improvements.
The latest generative AI capabilities mean the digital helper now understands more complex questions and can respond with more detailed answers on a range of Council services, including Council Tax, bins, fostering and registration services.
Darcie can also now answer queries about adult social care in more detail for the first time.
In 2023, Derby City Council introduced two digital helpers, Darcie for the council’s customer service centre, and Ali for Derby Homes’ housing enquiries on their respective websites.
Since their launch, Darcie and Ali have handled more than 1.8m million routine enquiries, resolving 44% of enquiries without input from staff – freeing them to focus on more complex cases.
Darcie is like a super-smart robot that is trained in the Council’s services, information and advice, and continues to learn from experience. The more Darcie learns, the better they get at understanding and generating answers to queries that feel natural and helpful.
Darcie now supports the 9 most common languages after English that are spoken by residents, based on Council data. These are:
- Arabic
- Czech
- Pashto
- Polish
- Punjabi
- Romanian
- Slovak
- Somali
- Urdu
A more advanced version of phone Darcie is set to follow in the coming weeks, and residents are encouraged to visit the Council’s website, try out Darcie, and provide feedback on their experiences, to help guide future improvements.
Giving feedback is simple. Darcie has Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down buttons for residents to rate a translation or how well the digital helper answered a question. Pressing the Thumbs Down button will open up a text box for more detailed comments.
The Council is also planning focused sessions with representatives from community, language, and disability groups to ensure Darcie meets diverse needs.
Councillor Hardyal Dhindsa, Cabinet Member for Digital and Organisational Transformation at Derby City Council said:
We want to use technology to make a positive difference, and our goal is to make things as easy and user-friendly as possible for residents. The feedback from the testing phase has been good, and now we want to hear more from residents about their experiences before we move forward with the next phase.
Derby is at the forefront of this technology and, given the lack of precedents, we don’t expect perfection right away. It’s important that we take the time to learn and refine our approach.
Darcie is an important part in helping us make sure all residents can easily get the information and support they need. Remember, Darcie is available 24/7 on web and phone and can answer queries at evenings, weekends and holidays. There is always the option to talk to a human advisor if needed during normal office hours.
I urge all citizens to try Darcie and let us know how we can improve this tool further.