City of Surrey’s Solid Waste chatbot answers residents’ waste collection questions
The city aims to enhance resident experience with the new feature
Surrey residents can pose their waste collection-related questions to the chatbot, which officially launched last month. (Diego Minor Martínez)
Garbage collection days, mattress pickups, and even how to dispose of glass jars — the City of Surrey’s new chatbot can answer them all.
The Solid Waste chatbot soft-launched in October and officially launched in early December. It answers approximately 1,200 questions a month about waste collection — almost instantly.
“We wanted to improve our customer service for our residents and make it more convenient and accessible for residents to get information on various aspects of waste collection services and our programs,” says Harry Janda, the City of Surrey’s solid waste manager.
The feature is the City of Surrey’s second artificial intelligence chatbot. The development inquiry assistant chatbot answers questions about building and renovation.
Janda says the main goal of the chatbot is to ensure residents have 24/7 access to information, so they can dispose of their items correctly and utilize the city’s programs.
While the chatbot has only been up and running for about a month, he says the Solid Waste chatbot has enhanced customer service for residents.
“It provides them with 24/7 access to the information, versus residents having to wait for the waste collection hotline to open up,” Janda says.
He adds that the City of Surrey is always looking for ways to improve services for residents, including making it easier to schedule large item pickups.
“We want to get the correct information across to our residents in a timely fashion,” Janda says. “Sometimes [residents] don’t want to wait for the correct answer — they want the answer right away.”
The chatbot is a prime example of giving residents the assistance they need with waste collections and putting items into the correct bins, instead of illegally dumping items, he says.
Illegal dumping is the unauthorized disposal of waste in locations not designated for waste disposal. Janda says the city is doing everything in its power to prevent illegal dumping.
The chatbot is expected to grow beyond the 1,200 questions per month it receives, as people become more aware of the new feature.
“We’re trying to maximize waste diversion here, and this [chatbot] will provide that assistance to do so,” Janda says.
To access the Solid Waste chatbot, visit www.surrey.ca/services-payments/waste-collection.
