DORA Chatbot provides help on Dept of Revenue website

2018 FILE: The Truman Building in Jefferson City houses state offices including the Missouri Department of Revenue and the Office of Administration.
2018 FILE: The Truman Building in Jefferson City houses state offices including the Missouri Department of Revenue and the Office of Administration.

Visitors to the Missouri Department of Revenue's website can now get help from a chatbot - the first of its kind to be used by a state agency in Missouri on its public website, intended to reduce the call volume to the department's call centers.

The chatbot - a computer program designed to simulate conversation with a person - is named DORA, which stands for Department of Revenue Answers, and it's intended to offer 24/7 customer assistance with common taxation, motor vehicle and driver licensing questions the department receives, according to a news release.

DORA is also programmed to serve as a map, a guide that can direct customers to other online Revenue Department services, such as the tax return status tracker.

The ability to answer customer-specific questions is not presently in the chatbot's proverbial backpack of skills. "For example, DORA cannot tell a customer the status of their refund or the expiration date of their driver license," according to the department's news release.

However, as the boots of technological progress march on, "DORA's capabilities will continue to expand and improve over time, thanks to the power of artificial intelligence," the department added.

Revenue Department Director Ken Zellers said the department's call centers received more than 1.7 million calls in fiscal year 2018.

"DORA will help bring that number down while providing customers with something they want and are increasingly coming to expect: a self-service, electronic communications option," Zellers added.

One caveat: "By interacting with DORA, customers agree not to provide any sensitive or personal data, such as their Social Security number, date of birth or bank account information," according to the department's news release.

DORA is available at dor.mo.gov.

Calling the customer service numbers listed at the department's website did not immediately offer options in languages other than English, and DORA also appeared to offer its services only in English. However, "The Department of Revenue does have staff available to provide translation services to customers as needed," said Michelle Hirschman, a public information officer and communications manager for the department.