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060 WebChat. AI‑based Citizen Assistance Service


Added by:   OECD analyst
Added on:   29 Oct 2026
Updated by:   OECD analyst
Updated on:   29 Oct 2026

The 060 webchat is an artificial‑intelligence virtual assistant that provides public information to citizens 24 hours a day through the web, allowing users to resolve frequent questions immediately. It also offers the possibility of being assisted by a human agent during limited service hours for those enquiries that require more detailed information.

Name in original language

WebChat 060. Asistente Virtual de Atención a la Ciudadanía

Initiative overview

It seeks to address common issues in citizen services, such as long waiting times, the saturation of traditional channels (telephone or offices), and the difficulty of accessing clear and up‑to‑date information on public procedures and services. It offers a 24/7 conversational channel that allows citizens to access information autonomously, instantly, and from any device, reducing the volume of repetitive enquiries handled by human agents and improving the overall experience. Originally, it enabled access to the 060 citizen assistance service of the General State Administration (AGE) for citizens residing outside Spain, as they were unable to access it through the national short‑code number. The main objectives are to facilitate access to public information, improve the efficiency of citizen services, and optimise the Administration’s resources through the automation of frequent queries.

It also aims to provide a coherent experience aligned with the 060 service, ensure compliance with data protection regulations, and allow complex enquiries to be escalated to human agents when necessary, combining automation with personalised assistance. It is based on a modular and scalable architecture, which facilitates its maintenance, expansion, and consolidation within the Administration’s digital services. It has the capability to extend the assistant to new channels, such as WhatsApp. In addition, the traceability of conversations enables continuous improvement of the model by refining intents, responses, and conversational flows.

Results, outcomes and impacts

To date, the initiative has served to alleviate pressure on traditional in-person and telephone channels. The figure of 150,000 annual conversations indicates substantial use, but the impacts extend well beyond mere volume. The assistant has enabled citizens to resolve enquiries outside of standard office hours (8:00 AM to 7:00 PM), reducing demand during peak telephone periods. At the end of each conversation, the user is asked for a rating (usually from 1 to 5 stars). This learning process will support the development of new services, such as the “060 Bot”, which will further enhance usability, accuracy rates, and the overall contribution to the digitalisation strategy for accessing public information.

Other relevant details

Challenges and lessons learned: The main risk here is the scarcity of structured and representative data: when launching the service, there is a "gap" in real data about how citizens ask questions (the jargon they use), which can lead to incorrect responses or constant "Sorry, I didn't understand" messages. The fragmentation of information is another risk, as it resides in departmental silos; sometimes there are not enough historical records of previous chats to cover all possible procedures. To mitigate this risk, the system sometimes offers a transfer to a human agent for complex queries to avoid user frustration. The webchat experience has represented an important milestone in the evolution of usable language models, enabling the appropriate adaptation of the Administration’s technical language towards a form that aligns with the common language used by citizens.

About the policy initiative


Category:

  • AI policy initiatives, programmes and projects

Initiative type:

  • AI use cases/projects in the public sector

Status:

  • Active

Start Year:

  • 2021

Target Sectors:


OECD AI Principles:

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Other relevant urls:

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