Andy Beamon, vice president of strategic innovation for citizen services at Maximus' federal business arm, said intelligent virtual assistants have the potential to personalize, accelerate and streamline customer deliveries.
Artificial intelligence-powered IVAs allow government agencies to accommodate inquiries and various requests of citizens 24/7 without the need for a complete staff, Beamon wrote in a piece published Friday by GCN.
Beamon said these IVAs combine conversational AI with government technologies to provide more personalized customer experiences.
"Conversational AI improves service delivery, increases government workforce effectiveness and enhances the relationship between citizens and government," he said.
According to Beamon, IVAs also have the potential to boost efficiencies while surpassing the limitations of basic technologies. The virtual assistants also allow agencies to automate service deliveries and supplement the work being done by live, human agents.
Beamon said he expects that live agents would only need to answer 20 percent of citizen service requests by 2022, through the help of IVAs.
"With increased use of IVAs and enhanced legacy systems, agencies can bring citizen services delivery up to consumer expectations and open up a new technology roadmap for the public sector," Beamon noted.