Case Study: Monmouthshire County Council. Transforming Citizen Engagement with Conversational AI
The Landscape of Local Government Challenges
Local Authorities across the UK face increasing pressures to provide efficient and cost-effective services amidst tightening budgets, growing populations, and rising citizen expectations. A study by MyCleverGroup highlights that Local Authorities rank second only to utility firms in terms of citizen frustration levels. Citizens now demand services that are instant, accessible 24/7, and seamlessly integrated across multiple channels.
Logicdialog provides a solution to these challenges by offering Conversational and Generative AI platforms that enable Local Authorities to automate repetitive tasks, reduce operational costs, and optimise the citizen experience. Monmouthshire County Council’s adoption of AI exemplifies how Local Authorities can achieve these outcomes while freeing up resources to focus on their most vulnerable residents.
Empowering Monmouthshire with ‘Monty’ the Digital Assistant
About the Client
Monmouthshire County Council governs a predominantly rural and ageing population of around 100,000. Recognising the need for innovation, the Council partnered with Logicdialog to deploy a bilingual AI assistant, ‘Monty’, to streamline services and enhance digital self-service options.
The Challenge
Monmouthshire faced several key challenges:
High Contact Volumes: Over 50,000 citizen calls annually, with 54% related to waste and environmental services.
Resource Strain: Staff time was heavily consumed by repetitive enquiries, detracting from critical tasks like homelessness support.
Accessibility: The Council needed to offer efficient, round-the-clock digital services in both English and Welsh.
“Something that our Community Hub staff talk about is that Monty can deal with the missed bin collections so their time is freed up to find a homeless person a home. We need to continually drive efficiency, which Monty will enable us to do.” – Abigail Barton, Communications & Engagement Manager, Monmouthshire County Council
The Solution
Logicdialog worked closely with Monmouthshire to develop ‘Monty’, a digital assistant designed to tackle high-volume, low-value enquiries while integrating with key Council systems. The project included:
Citizen-Centric Design: Feedback sessions and a public Twitter poll to name the assistant helped foster community engagement.
Customised Conversational Journeys: Automated service lines such as waste collection, environmental services, highways, and education.
Integration with Systems: Seamless connectivity with internal platforms ensured efficient handling of citizen requests.
Bilingual Capability: Monty provided services in both English and Welsh to meet local needs.
The Results
Three years post-launch, Monty has delivered significant outcomes:
22,000 waste-related enquiries automated annually: This equates to a reduction of 83% in manual calls and emails, saving £110,000 per year in contact centre costs.
1,833 staff hours returned annually: Freed resources are redirected to high-priority cases and community support.
250,000+ interactions handled: Monty has become a trusted digital resource for Monmouthshire citizens.
“Our organisation deals with a lot of complex issues. Monty gives us the opportunity to deal with thousands more queries 24/7/365 in a cost-effective way, freeing up our front-line staff to handle the cases that require a human touch.” – Matthew Gatehouse, Head of Policy & Governance, Monmouthshire County Council
Key Takeaways
Efficiency Gains: Automating over 80% of waste-related queries significantly reduces operational strain.
Enhanced Accessibility: Monty’s bilingual capabilities ensure inclusivity for all citizens.
Cost Savings: Streamlined operations save hundreds of thousands of pounds annually.
Why Logicdialog?
Logicdialog’s expertise in AI solutions empowers Local Authorities to overcome resource constraints and meet evolving citizen needs. With proven success in councils like Monmouthshire, Logicdialog is a trusted partner for transformative digital service delivery.
Interested in learning how AI can revolutionise your council’s operations? Contact us at paul@logicdialog.ai or visit logicdialog.ai.