The City of Doral, a vibrant community in the heart of Miami-Dade County, has experienced remarkable growth since its incorporation in 2003. Strategically located near Miami International Airport and Downtown Miami, Doral has become a thriving hub for businesses and residents. With a diverse population of over 81,000 and more than 100,000 workers commuting daily, the city is committed to providing exceptional services to its citizens.
Central to this commitment is the Building Department, which offers services such as plan reviews, permit issuance, inspections, and contractor registrations, ensuring safety and compliance in construction projects throughout the city. This department has embraced technology to improve operations, providing residents and contractors with online tools for managing permits, inspections, and licensing.
As Doral evolves, the Building Department continuously adapts to meet the community's needs. It uses digital solutions like the Citizen Self-Service Portal, online chat support, and detailed FAQs and submittal guides to make services accessible. This digital-first approach, combined with responsive in-person assistance, supports the city's growth while enhancing the experience for residents and businesses.
Centralizing Operations for Enhanced Responsiveness
Before integrating Velaro, the City of Doral struggled to handle customer interactions efficiently. Each department maintained its own FAQ section, lacking a unified portal, which led to significant inefficiencies. As the city grew rapidly, the volume of inquiries overwhelmed staff capacity, leaving many phone calls and emails unanswered. The absence of a comprehensive system to manage these interactions compounded the issue.
Their goal was to centralize customer service functions, manage repetitive questions effectively, and provide timely responses, including during after-hours when customers often had questions.
Despite the growing demands, management wanted to maintain a "small town feel" with personalized interactions, which became increasingly challenging as inquiries surged. The complexity of existing systems further complicated matters. For example, reserving a tennis court required navigating through 17 clicks, highlighting the need for a more streamlined approach.
The city also struggled to keep citizens informed about current announcements and updates efficiently. They needed a solution to deliver timely information without relying solely on constant website updates, ensuring residents always had access to the most current information.
"We did not have any kind of customer service relationship manager or portal or anything other than each department had really created their own sort of FAQ section in their respective departments. The volume just exceeded staff capacity."
Transforming Customer Service with Velaro’s AI-Powered Solutions
To address growing customer service challenges, the City of Doral implemented Velaro's chat and customer engagement platform, initially in the Building Department. Velaro was chosen for its intuitive interface, quick implementation, and affordability.
The rollout began with live chat capabilities, allowing staff to respond to questions more efficiently. An AI-powered chatbot was later added to handle common questions and provide direct links to information, especially during off-hours.
Velaro's integration significantly improved the City of Doral's resident engagement and support capabilities. The primary goal was to manage the high volume of inquiries efficiently and enhance responsiveness to customer needs, both during and outside of operating hours.
Velaro’s integration provided the City of Doral with a unified view of their customer interactions and simplified support processes, enabling staff to create and manage cases directly within the Velaro interface.
"The integration with our systems was critical. Velaro allows us to track and manage inquiries efficiently, whether the customer is pre-existing or new. This capability has been very important for us."
Velaro’s Impact on Doral’s Customer Engagement
The implementation of Velaro's solution, particularly the bot, led to significant improvements in the City of Doral's customer service:
- Dramatic Increase in Engagements: Engagements tripled from 253 in 2022 to 750 in 2023 after chatbot implementation, indicating higher user interaction.
- Improved Information Accessibility: Users could find information quickly through direct links provided by the chatbot, reducing the need for staff intervention.
- Enhanced Insight into User Needs: The system provided valuable feedback on where users were struggling, allowing the city to refine and update information accordingly.
- Extended Service Hours: The new chatbot enabled 24/7 response capability, addressing inquiries even outside of regular operating hours.
- Ease of Maintenance: Staff found it simple to update and refine bot responses based on user feedback and FAQs.
- Personalized Communication: The system allowed for tailored responses to specific user issues, improving problem resolution.
- Potential for Proactive Engagement: The chat system offered opportunities for proactive invitations to assist users before they encounter issues
While some missed chats still occur, Jane noted that this often results from users finding the information they need and closing the chat. The system's metrics help track these interactions, providing further insights for improvement.
Velaro's chatbot implementation has significantly improved the City of Doral's ability to manage online communications, providing timely and relevant support to residents, businesses, and visitors. This chatbot solution marks a significant step in modernizing Doral's municipal services and digital offerings, blending the personal touch of a small town with the demands of a growing city.
The success seen in the Building Department highlights the potential for broader application across other city services. As Doral expands, this technology positions the city to meet increasing customer service demands while maintaining high-quality interactions with residents.
