The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) receives approximately 100,000 written consular enquiries annually from British nationals abroad, covering issues such as lost passports or marriage overseas. Responding to these manually led to delays, with response times stretching to several days, limiting the speed and efficiency of consular support.
The solution
An AI-powered system leveraging large language models (LLMs) to automatically match user enquiries to pre-written, pre-approved response templates. The tool provides immediate guidance and relevant information, thereby enabling faster self-service. If users require further assistance, they can still submit enquiries for human review. The AI system minimises hallucinations by suggesting only vetted templates rather than generating free-text responses.
The results
Reduced written enquiries by 80% and calls by up to 50% within three months of implementation. It is projected to save the FCDO millions over five years, while maintaining accuracy and safety standards.
Details
Organisation name
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Government body
UK Government
User group
General public
Use case type
Reusable
Type of technology
Generative AI
Phase
Beta
Impact
Time savings / Improved efficiency / Better Customer experience
Consular Digital Triage
Automating consular enquiry responses
The challenge
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) receives approximately 100,000 written consular enquiries annually from British nationals abroad, covering issues such as lost passports or marriage overseas. Responding to these manually led to delays, with response times stretching to several days, limiting the speed and efficiency of consular support.
The solution
An AI-powered system leveraging large language models (LLMs) to automatically match user enquiries to pre-written, pre-approved response templates. The tool provides immediate guidance and relevant information, thereby enabling faster self-service. If users require further assistance, they can still submit enquiries for human review. The AI system minimises hallucinations by suggesting only vetted templates rather than generating free-text responses.
The results
Details
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