City of Midland Rolls Out Ask Jacky 2.0

Tribune News Service — The city of Midland has announced the launch of the second version of its Ask Jacky virtual assistant program that originally debuted in July 2024 alongside SeeClickFix.

Dubbed Ask Jacky 2.0, the service is touted as an improved version based on feedback and continual improvements on the original version.

“(Ask Jacky has) been doing really well,” Chief of Staff Taylor Novak told the Reporter-Telegram, adding that she likes to “conceptualize” Ask Jacky as a “her.”

“All of the feedback, at least anecdotally, is that it’s reduced people having to search on the website,” Novak said.

Novak says that some of the most frequently asked questions on Ask Jacky include “How do I pay my water bill?,” “How do I start a business in Midland?” and “How do I report (a service request) like a pothole?”

Ask Jacky is designed so that a person can immediately be directed to the most relevant information without having to scour the city of Midland website.

The main new addition to this version of Ask Jacky is the ability to perform vocal “communication” with the service via phone or the website. All of these functions will be available in English and Spanish, with both languages being tailored by the service to help overcome any language barriers.

“In Ask Jacky 2.0, we’ve seen a lot of advancement in its AI capabilities as well, but (we also have) more language options, more translation options, as well as the voice capability for Jacky to actually have a voice and be able to interact with citizens and customers via that voice function as well,” Novak said. “I think the biggest that we’ve learned is that people can ask questions in a million different ways, and so ensuring we get the right answer to them despite how they might ask the question has been, even for AI, a challenge to really understand the human element of things. And that’s why our teams are so important behind the scenes, to really decipher that and tell the system (accordingly).”

With phone interactions, if a caller calls specific city phone lines, Jacky will serve as an automated call representative by answering specific questions, routing callers to services or processing requests to callback. Callers will be alerted in advance that they will be interacting with Jacky with the phrase “You can speak to Jacky.”

Meanwhile with website interactions, site browsers (both mobile and desktop) will be able to perform voice interactions with Ask Jacky, receiving hands-free Q&A and guided steps, akin to a help bot. Additionally, the website will be updated with an icon featuring the program’s mascot “Jacky” on the bottom right of select department pages. If clicked, it will allow site browsers to interact with Ask Jacky without going to its dedicated page.

The city cites this improved version of Ask Jacky as an additional way to reduce call wait times and email volume by helping to resolve common requests up front. The city believes it will enhance transparency and communication by giving residents a 24/7 service option.

The city also reports that it is continuously looking to find new ways to improve the service, primarily by looking at customer feedback, including thumbs-up-and-down and reviews. Regardless of the future, though, Novak assures that the human element of the city’s customer service will never go away.

“We still have a City Hall receptionist who is here to answer the calls during business hours,” she said. “So, we’re still about that human element; we’re just more about how can we work efficiently for everyone here and really get to the nitty-gritty of those complex issues for everyone and provide that higher level of customer service.”

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