Created using cloud-based AI chatbot builder, Chatbase, Westy is embedded across the WSHA website and acts as a virtual assistant to anyone browsing the site. With access to all the information available across the site, Westy is able to answer both simple and more complex queries from customers, ‘learning’ from each interaction to improve its answers.

Intuitive, user friendly and available 24/7, Westy is an easy and convenient way for customers to find answers to common questions. This frees up time for WSHA’s customer service team to focus on more complex tasks and enquiries.

Able to answer questions in 95 different languages, Westy is also one tool to help address customer language barriers.

A few examples of how Westy can help WSHA customers:

• Provide immediate answers about WSHA services such as repairs, how to pay rent, housing applications, and more.
• Offer additional resources and advice on issues such as dampness and mould or anti-social behaviour, sharing documents or signposting to more advice.
• Respond to queries 24/7, ensuring help is available anytime it’s needed.
• Take further action for specific issues as required, including forwarding information on specific incidents to the correct team for follow-up, ensuring urgent issues are addressed efficiently. During this process, customers can choose to provide their contact details.

The AI is monitored daily by the WSHA team, ensuring answers are correct and contextually accurate. Westy doesn’t have access to any internal information relating to specific individuals or homes.

Westy is the latest AI innovation from the Association, which established an AI working group in 2023 to make use of the developing skills of WSHA staff who were keen to try out new tools that were available to improve efficiency and customer service across the organisation.

Chief executive Brian Gannon, who heads up the AI working group, said: “We’re hugely excited to launch Westy to the public this week, providing another way for our customers to interact with us and find with the answers they need, when they need them. Customer experience is at the heart of everything we do and we’re excited about the possibilities of AI to improve even further on the efficiency of our team and the quality of our customers’ experience.”

The focus of WSHA’s AI strategy is on delivering faster, more convenient communication with customers, and minimising staff input on repetitive processing tasks. This will free staff members to deal with more complex enquiries, or those relating to individual homes, which require more time and attention. No customer data is accessible or processed by AI.