“Where can I get tested?”, “What do I do when I get the results?”, “When do I need a test?”, “How long will my test be valid?”, “Where can I apply for vaccination?” – this is just a tiny sample of the vast number of questions that our chatbot – the Communication Assistant – readily answers. Not only does it explain the current situation and the relevant measures, but as it replicates the tone of an easy everyday conversation between two persons, it provides useful additional information while answering the users’ questions. Moreover, it highlights any related relevant agenda or something that even may have not occurred to the user in the first place. Such dynamic two-way communication comes absolutely natural to us humans and does not overwhelm the users with irrelevant data; on the contrary, it saves time.

The Communication Assistant is located on the city’s home page at www.nitra.sk. It will appear as a pop-up webchat window as soon as you open the page. The solution is operated from the Microsoft Azure cloud infrastructure, which enabled fast and smooth deployment.