Breckland Council has launched a new service via the Amazon Alexa smart speaker for residents to find out more about local council services.
The new functionality for Amazon’s voice activated app is the first to be delivered by a Norfolk local authority.
Breckland highlighted the capacity to enquire about bin collections. After enabling the new Alexa skill, residents initially will be able to ask their smart speaker when their bin collection day is, what waste items can go in their recycling bins and how to order garden waste bins.
It said it has plans to expand the functionality of the skill over the coming months, with the app using AI to learn new answers as users ask more questions.
The council also plans to roll out a similar tool to non-Amazon smart speakers in due course.
Embracing technologies
Cllr Alison Webb, executive member for customer and corporate services, commented: "Our new Alexa chatbot embraces the latest technologies to make it easier for Breckland residents to access key service information 24/7.
“This is a very exciting development and is another step towards making the council and its service information available wherever and whenever people need us."
