Platanias.bot. An innovative 24X365 digital assistant service of the Municipality!

Chatbots come to create another communication channel, in addition to existing traditional channels, such as call centers, automated voice portals, websites, ticketing systems, etc. Their main advantage is that they can be quite smart, they simulate human conversation, they are already “installed” on users’ mobile phones as they run on top of existing written communication software, such as facebook messenger, they can remember data, options and preferences and will in the future be able to perform transactions. All this from a single interface in natural language, which is already available on users’ mobile phones. Chatbots can act as an alternative means of service for citizens and people generally dealing with an organisation or business.
Chatbots are programs on computers or mobile devices that mimic speech and conversation with humans, use speech processing techniques, decision trees and artificial intelligence, and can answer questions and serve their interlocutor according to the purpose for which they were created.

For example, without a chatbot, the user can take the browser directly to meteo.gr, then type and go to the weather forecasts according to the city of interest. With the chatbot, the user can chat to ask about current conditions or request a weather forecast and the bot will answer the question.
Platanias.bot is based on Crowdpolicy’s botakis.com technology and is in pilot mode. In its full version it will have the following features:

• Provision of administrative information (such as opening hours etc.).
• Provision of information of tourist interest (access points, routes, etc.).
• Provision of information of cultural interest.
• weather.
• Integration of a form for citizens to submit proposals and ideas.
• Appropriate graphic presentation.
• Local routes
• Providing information from external databases and third-party platforms such as Restaurants, Pharmacies, Weather.
• Points of tourist and cultural interest (Points of interest).
• Information from wikipedia in relation to wider local issues.
• Search based on geo-information (proximity) of the nearest points to be selected.

You can test the platanias bot from your computer or from your mobile phone through the Municipality’s website at facebook .