Chatbots at Work - A Qualitative Case Study to Analyse the Service Quality of Chatbots in the Public Sector in Austria
Chatbots at Work - A Qualitative Case Study to Analyse the Service Quality of Chatbots in the Public Sector in Austria

Author(s): Renata Kinyo, Katarina J. Auer-Zotloeterer, Christine Strauss
Subject(s): Social Sciences
Published by: Udruženje ekonomista i menadžera Balkana
Keywords: Chatbots; Public administration; Artificial intelligence; Service quality; System quality; Information quality; Case study
Summary/Abstract: Recent developments in the field of information technology and the rapid rise in artificial intelligence-based applications are increasingly leading to the implementation of chatbots. In addition to the private sector, chatbots are also being more and more used in the public sector. If public administrations ensure the characteristics of service, system, and information quality with their chatbots, the interaction between citizens and government can be improved, and thus the customer experience can be turned for the better. The study at hand provides insights into the status-quo of implemented chatbots in selected Austrian public administration websites. Methodologically Yin’s embedded multiple case study approach is used, and is carried out on four cases from public administration and five cases from the energy sector. Based on the classic SERVQAL approach a 10-layer structure has been designed to make the performed tests with the chatbots transparent and comparable. The results show for the analysed cases that the application of chatbot technology is still in its infancy, and is not yet being used: neither across the whole public sector nor at its potential functional capacity. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that there are major qualitative differences between the analysed chatbots. It was found that the currently implemented administration chat¬bots have potential for improvement in terms of their problem-solving ability, reliability, adaptability, user-friendliness, and information quality. The results of the study are in line with previous findings in the literature that cast doubt on the ability of chatbots to replace traditional administrative services. In addition, the results are of interest to public authorities and administrations because they can help to improve their digital services through measures that were proposed as concluding recommendations.

• Details
• Contents