Lichfield District Council has gone live with Jadu Agent-Ex: Search, becoming the first organisation to implement Jadu’s innovative agentic AI search agent in a live setting.
This launch marks a significant milestone in the council’s ongoing goal to transform how residents find information and access online services.
The project fulfils a key commitment set out in Lichfield District Council’s Customer and Digital Access Strategy for 2023-2026, which identified the need for a more intuitive, user-friendly search experience for residents, alongside the launch of the council’s refreshed website. Data showed that around one in five residents who contact the council via phone, email, or WhatsApp could have self-serviced online if they felt more comfortable navigating the website. Lichfield has introduced Agent-Ex: Search to close that gap, enabling more residents to self-serve successfully while freeing staff to support people who require one-to-one assistance.
How Agent-Ex: Search works
Agent-Ex: Search delivers instant, accurate answers in more than 70 languages through voice and text. It draws responses directly from the council's published content, eliminating the need for lengthy lists of links or complicated navigation. Instead, the agent offers clear, real-time answers that are optimised for mobile devices and accessible to all users.
Councillor Doug Pullen, Leader of Lichfield District Council, said:
“We are proud to be the first organisation to go live with Agent-Ex: Search. Residents increasingly expect quick, conversational answers nowadays, and this technology is helping us meet that expectation.”
Simon Fletcher, Chief Executive of Lichfield District Council, said:
“The more customers who can find what they need online, the more time we can support individuals who require additional assistance. This is an important step forward for our digital service vision and a significant moment in our transformation journey.”
Vision for 2030
Lichfields' vision for 2030 is to achieve a 39% reduction in calls to their contact centre, a 383% increase in live chat usage, a 31% rise in the completion of digital forms, and over 25,000 WhatsApp interactions per year, alongside improved face-to-face support. Jadu’s Agent-Ex: Search is seen as a crucial tool in achieving that shift.
A Collaborative development journey
Lichfield District Council played a crucial role in Agent-Ex: Search’s refinement and development, alongside Jadu. The council described the development process as transparent and highly collaborative, with direct access to the engineering team that enabled them to influence the product's direction. This co-development approach gave the council greater confidence in the technology than would have been possible with an off-the-shelf purchase.
Suraj Kika, CEO of Jadu, said:
“We are now in the age of agents. People no longer want lists of links; they want quick, clear and accurate answers. Lichfield’s leadership and transparency throughout the development process have been invaluable. Their insights helped shape Agent-Ex: Search into a product that truly supports the needs of modern digital services, and we are delighted to see the positive impact it is already having on their colleagues and residents.”
Both organisations see significant opportunities ahead. The council believes Agent-Ex: Search could play an important role in UK Local Government Reorganisation for them and other local authorities by helping create a unified digital front door across merging authorities.
About Agent-Ex: Search
Agent-Ex: Search is the first product launched on Jadu’s new Agent-Ex platform, which provides a low-code foundation for creating smart, accessible agents for various digital services. It is compatible with any web content management system (CMS) and offers brand-safe responses that comply with WCAG 2.2 AA standards and global privacy regulations.
Agent-Ex: Search is now available as a cloud-based subscription service. Organisations wishing to learn more can contact Jadu at sales@jadu.net or visit jadu.net/agent-ex.
