ACC keen to launch small-talk bot to ease workload

There could be a silver lining to your next injury – the computer you talk to at ACC may have mastered the art of small talk.

Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) is looking for a supplier for an artificial intelligence ‘‘chatbot’’ to answer queries ‘‘in a way that feels natural, getting ‘smarter’ over time’’.

Tender documents show that in three months of 2017, the top four reasons business customers contacted ACC were to close an account, query an invoice, set up a payment plan, or ask why they had received an invoice.

The chatbot should be able to converse on those questions, of which there were 42,000, making up 56 per cent of calls over that period.

It should also engage in general conversation, including small talk and answer frequently asked questions, according to the tender.

‘‘The digital assistant will have meaningful conversations with ACC customers assessing their responses and behaviour to provide advice and guidance to ensure [they] get the information they need.

‘‘The bot – which would work 24 hours a day, seven days a week – would reduce call centre volumes, encourage resolution of queries on first contact, direct to self-service options, and increase customer satisfaction during peak invoicing.

‘‘We want to provide the best possible experience for people when they are seeking help from ACC – often at a time which is stressful and they are vulnerable.’’

In a statement, ACC said it had been trialling a chatbot to answer basic questions this year. While it could not answer every question, the system learned more as people used it.

Overall, the feedback was encouraging, its statement said.

Once the tender for wider use of a chatbot was completed, the organisation would look at what other topics could be covered.

Dunedin ACC lawyer Warren Forster said technology could be good, but problems could arise and transparency was needed from ACC.

If a chatbot gave advice – correct or not – it was not clear if there would be a record of it, so the injured person could review the advice or ACC could check it.