West Dunbartonshire Council has won an award for innovation for their missed bin chatbot at an awards ceremony last night.

The local authority was shortlisted in July for the Service Innovation and Improvement Award at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) Excellence Awards.

Last night the council was presented with the award after it was announced they won for their online chatbot that helps residents whose bin collection was missed.

The recognition has been given as a celebration of the council's commitment to delivering 'high-quality, accessible services through digital innovation'.

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The chatbot works by guiding residents to log a missed collection through a series of questions before sharing the information with the service action.

This service is available 24/7 on the West Dunbartonshire Council website and allows people to track the progress of the work including real-time information about when the teams will recollect.

The council says the introduction of the chatbot has enhanced customer support and improved response times for residents reporting missed collections.

Laurence Slavin, chief officer of Resources said: “We are thrilled to have won and I am delighted the collaborative work across multiple service teams to develop and implement the chatbot has been recognised.

"Our online chatbot is a great example of how we are harnessing digital solutions to improve engagement with our residents and enhance our services.

"Being recognised for this award reflects our commitment to delivering fast, efficient, and accessible services that put residents first and we’re looking forward to exploring new ways of improving that experience.” 

Gail McFarlane, chief cfficer of Roads and Neighbourhoods, said: "The chatbot has been a fantastic tool to help us improve efficiency in our service.

"The chatbot streamlines contact from residents to employees and we’ve seen a significant improvement in our responsiveness and efficiency in collecting missed bins.

"This award is a great achievement and everyone involved should be proud of the impact the chatbot has made in West Dunbartonshire.” 

The council plans to further develop the chatbot’s capabilities expanding the range of services offered online.