Blackburn Avtars

NEW TECHNOLOGY BOOST TO COUNCIL SERVICES. New virtual technology kiosks will soon be arriving in Blackburn with Darwen to help people applying for council services. The “avatar” technology features virtual people who “speak” to clients to assist them in filling out any application forms.

1. The four new kiosks can communicate in English and in other languages with clients making the process easier for people for whom English is not their first language.
2. The kiosks will be in addition to existing customer service advisors and is part of the council’s bdirect initiative to improve service delivery using new technology.
3. The system will help reduce waiting times for clients with many being able to input their own applications for services under the guidance from the virtual receptionist.
4. The virtual character will welcome kiosk users and guide them through the process of filling out forms.
5. Once the information has been gathered it will then be forwarded to a database which will talk to the council’s IT system allowing applications for services to be processed.

Mike Antliff, CEO of the DA group said: “We are delighted to be working with the Blackburn with Darwen. The council has shown itself to be very forward thinking in their approach to e-government. This is an ideal application of the character software and one which can be readily measured. Avatars answer many of the accessibility issues raised by new technology with the ability to communicate easily across social and ethnic groups and we are looking forward to the roll out of the project later this year.”

Cotton Town tells the story of the rapid social and economic changes that occurred as Blackburn and Darwen began to expand in line with the United Kingdom textile industry. It is a vast electronic collection of material, based on the influence of the cotton trade on our communities.