The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) says its new AI-powered phone system is significantly reducing call handling time for its contact centres.
The agency now uses an interactive voice response system based on natural language processing, built with Google Dialogflow and delivered via Content Guru’s platform. Instead of navigating complex touch-tone menus, callers simply describe their issue verbally, and the system interprets intent to route or respond.
The AI can:
According to DVLA transparency documents, this has cut initial call navigation time from about 3 minutes to 90 seconds for roughly 900,000 monthly callers. It also improves routing accuracy, automatically directs around 20,000 calls per month to advisers, and generates better data on call types for training and service improvement.
The DVLA says the old multi-layered keypad menu system was slower and less accurate, whereas the AI-based approach improves both efficiency and user experience, while still relying on human staff for more complex issues.
