"A wave of contact center transformations is building, propelled by the recognized potential of AI and generative AI to automate and enhance operations. However, we urge our clients to look beyond the simple implementation of individual products like text and voice AI agents," says Katarzyna Dorsey, CEO of Yosh.AI. "True value lies in a holistic understanding of where AI can deliver the greatest impact, identifying specific AI solutions that not only optimize costs but also elevate team productivity. This data-driven insight should form the bedrock of both the transformation strategy and the development of tailored AI products, ensuring a truly transformative and impactful outcome."

Working closely with the council's IT team, Yosh.AI identified several 'quick win' scenarios by using the Google Cloud generative AI platform. For example, out of every 100,000 people who contact the council's Customer Service Center about adult social care, only 5,000 qualify for the service. To provide a faster and more helpful experience — benefiting residents and relieving pressure on the Customer Service Center — Yosh.AI developed an online chatbot that engages residents in real-time conversations to determine eligibility. Additionally, a chatbot assistant is in the works to provide Customer Advisors with suggested responses and other insights to deliver faster, more accurate answers.

Another gen AI agent aims to reduce the time council employees spend searching for information, such as Adult Social care teams quick access through a chatbot to request policy process guides, legislation, and other important documents.

Laird attributes the versatility and speed of the council's AI initiative to Yosh.AI's expertise in solutions that support both voice and text conversations, alongside Google Cloud's fast-evolving generative AI ecosystem. This includes Google Cloud Dialogflow, a platform used for building conversational agents, and Vertex AI, which helps develop and scale machine learning models. Yosh.AI also utilizes Google Cloud generative AI models within Gemini to enhance chatbot performance.

Dialogflow is also central to the Contact Center as a Service (CCAI Platform) used at the council's Customer Service Centre while Dialogflow focuses on creating virtual agents, CCAI Platform extends this with features such as Agent Assist, which will soon help council staff by providing real-time transcription, suggested responses, and other AI-powered insights during calls.

Laird sees chatbots as having enormous potential beyond frontline, resident-facing services. Thanks to the insights gathered during the council's early AI deployments, this data-driven approach allows the council to strategically target areas for improvement, optimizing both resources and service delivery.

West Sussex County Council now has text and voice AI agents for residents, while several internal teams are already using 14 unique gen AI agents that have improved efficiency through faster and better document search.

Looking to the future, Laird anticipates the use of avatars to make chatbots more accessible and engaging, whether preparing staff for training at the council's Fire and Rescue Station or supporting reception staff at libraries and community centers. "With Google Cloud and Yosh.AI, we have a versatile AI platform to improve resident services, identify opportunities for efficiency, and stretch our budget further across the organization," says Laird.

West Sussex County Council opted for a comprehensive Google contact center platform, enabling them to leverage a suite of integrated AI products. This unified ecosystem not only streamlines implementation through pre-existing interoperability but also accelerates results and reduces expenditure.