Statistics Estonia’s virtual assistant Iti helps both users of statistics and data providers

Statistics Estonia’s customer support helps both respondents and users of statistics. Virtual assistant Iti knows among else how many people live in Estonia, what is the pay gap, average wages or the change in consumer prices. Iti also helps respondents, whose most common questions relate to using the electronic data submission environment eSTAT and filling in questionnaires. If Iti does not know the answer, it directs the question to either a consultant for respondents or users of statistics.

According to Triin Küttim, the head of the Marketing and Dissemination Department of Statistics Estonia, the number of requests for information has increased considerably. “Interest in statistics has grown over the years, which is very positive. 20 years ago, Statistics Estonia received around 1,000 requests for information in a year, mainly over the phone. Then, e-mail became the most popular form of communication, and increased the number of requests to 2,200. Since autumn 2017, it has been possible to have an online chat with a consultant on the website of Statistics Estonia (stat.ee). This communication channel raised the number of information requests to 5,000 in a year. We are convinced that Iti helps find information quicker, and our customer support can then focus on answering more complicated requests,” said Küttim.

According to Maarja Jämsa, team lead of Statistics Estonia’s client applications development, Iti has been trained for a year with questions that came in through online chats, and the virtual assistant is getting smarter with every request.

“If Iti has difficulty finding an answer, or the answer is not quite on the topic, the conversation can be directed to a consultant. Slight mishaps are to be expected from a virtual assistant and sometimes these are quite humorous. When communicating with Iti, it should be taken into account that through solving different situations, the virtual assistant will improve over time as any other machine-learning programme. It is too soon to expect Iti to know answers to all questions, but through communicating with people, Iti learns every day. So, we welcome people to contact Iti and give it feedback,” explained Jämsa.

Statistics Estonia’s Iti was developed in cooperation with Estonian start-up AlphaBlues, which is specialised in the development of virtual assistants. It took one year from the idea to its realisation.

Indrek Vainu, co-founder of AlphaBlues, said that it is exciting to see that Statistics Estonia is one of the first in the public sector to implement artificial intelligence in its everyday processes. “Iti will make it more convenient to find answers. The more Iti learns, the more value it will add to the clients of Statistics Estonia as well as to Estonia as a whole,” added Vainu.