B-Bot is our chatbot who can help you find information, report and apply for things on our website.
B-Bot can help with a range of services including:
- waste and recycling
- Council Tax
- births, deaths and marriages
- roads, travel and parking
- libraries
- street care
B-Bot is still learning, and will be able to answer questions about more services in the future.
How to use B-Bot
You can start chatting to B-Bot by selecting the 'B-Bot - Can I help?' icon on our webpages.
B-Bot will show a list of some of the topics it can help you with to get started. Select the option you need help with, and B-Bot will respond with an answer or some follow-up suggestions.
You can also chat to B-Bot using phrases such as:
- How do I order a new bin?
- How can I apply for a Council Tax discount?
- I want to report a pothole.
- I need to register a birth.
- What time does the library open?
You can restart your conversation at any time by asking B-Bot to "start over".
You can also minimise or close the chat using the icons in the top right of the chat window. Your conversation history stays in the chat window until you close the chat.
Artificial intelligence
For some enquiries B-Bot will use artificial intelligence (AI) to provide you with an answer. Any answers generated by B-Bot using AI may not always be completely accurate, and you should always check important information on our webpages.
By using B-Bot you acknowledge and understand that any AI-generated answers may include mistakes.
Privacy
If you chat with B-Bot, we may collect and store:
- chat conversations
- completed surveys
- automatic information, such as your IP address, operating system, type of browser and geographic location
Depending on your enquiry, B-Bot may ask for things such as your postcode, house number, or other details in order to give you a response. For example, this might be so it can provide you with your bin collection days.
We won't collect any information from you that isn't needed for B-Bot to perform its intended function. Any extra personal information you do choose to submit to the chatbot is done so at your own risk.
For some topics, B-Bot will transfer you to a customer service advisor to continue your chat. The advisor may ask you for more details, such as your name and address, so they can assist you. This information may be shared with other council services if needed, to help resolve your enquiry.
See our B-Bot privacy notice for full details.
Feedback
At the end of your conversation with B-Bot you can rate your experience of using the chatbot. This will help to improve B-Bot in the future. You can also leave us feedback about the chatbot, including telling us if you had any problems or if B-Bot answered incorrectly.