The UK’s Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has seen a near 1000 per cent increase in customer interactions with its chatbots since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Data obtained via a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request issued by the Parliament Street think tank revealed a rise in customers’ interactions with bots from 512,017 in 2019-20, to 2,802,256 in FY-2020-21, and with a near doubling to 5,423,277 by 2021-22.

The figures reflect an increase of 959 per cent between FY 2019-20 to FY 2021-22. This data also marked an overall rise of 94 per cent between the two most recent financial years.

Commenting on the findings, Niall Crosby, chief executive of AG Grid, said: “Chatbots can play a crucial role in managing and filtering large volumes of customer enquiries, particularly when the request is for simple tasks like changing driver information and vehicle updates. More importantly, they can free up DVLA workers to concentrate on important tasks like handling complex queries and improving services.

Crosby continued: “Far too many organisations are still missing out on the benefits that chatbots and AI can bring by harnessing the power of data and the DVLA should be praised for implementing technology to improve customer experiences.”

While clearly chatbots have demonstrated their value throughout the pandemic, some challenges remain.

“Chatbots have a reputation for being suitable for use only for the most basic of requests, which can sometimes lead to frustration for consumers looking for more bespoke support,” Suvish Viswanathan, head of marketing at Zoho Europe, noted. “This makes it essential to provide a human interaction option when needed.”

Parliament Street's research suggested that the Covid-19 pandemic coupled with a backlog of driving test candidates, is largely to blame for the steep rise in chatbot interactions.

To deal with the increased demand, the DVLA has increased its IT budget from nearly £103m in 2020-21, to almost £110m in 2021-22.

Share Story: