Municipality of Gennep offers residents 24/7 service with AI
Municipalities and AI: an exciting combination for many organizations, but not for the municipality of Gennep.
The North Limburg municipality may be small, but their ambition is big. They had one clear goal: to help their residents at any time of day, through the channel of their choice. And they succeeded. Thanks to Chatbot Ellen, the municipality is digitally accessible 24/7 for its residents.
A small municipality with big ambitions
The KCC team of the municipality of Gennep consists of seven employees. A small team that is collectively responsible for answering the questions of around 18,000 residents. Before switching to Watermelon, most communication took place by phone, at the service desk, and via email. This worked fine, but the municipality noticed that residents increasingly expected digital answers as well.
And this was not just the case for younger residents: internal research showed that older residents were also increasingly seeking information online. The assumption that a digital channel would be too complex or distant for this group turned out to be incorrect. This started the search for a solution: how can residents quickly and reliably find information digitally?
Why Watermelon?
For many municipalities, AI still feels unfamiliar: safety, reliability, and control are essential. That’s exactly why the municipality of Gennep chose Watermelon. This has to do with the technology, which goes beyond traditional chatbots. At the same time, the municipality keeps full control over the information and instructions.
The platform is clear and user-friendly, making it easy for employees to manage. They can also build multiple AI Agents for both residents and internal teams, all within one environment. Gennep did not want to experiment—they wanted to genuinely innovate. Watermelon offered the certainty and flexibility needed to introduce AI step by step.
Step-by-step implementation
The municipality of Gennep started with Watermelon in September last year, and the first AI Agent went live in April this year. The team worked with weekly test sessions, refining instructions, and frequently using the interactive tester. The KCC employees were part of the test phase themselves by presenting real-life questions directly to the Agent. Over time, the Agent became increasingly smarter until it was ready to go live. Since then, Ellen has needed little instruction and continues to grow based on usage.
During development, the municipality first tested internally with employees. This allowed them to properly prepare the AI Agents for real questions. But the real advantage of Watermelon is the flexibility: whenever a group of residents indicates they want more detailed answers, the municipality can easily adjust the AI. This way, the Agent continuously learns and the answers better align with residents’ needs.
“The major advantage of Watermelon is its flexibility: as soon as a group of residents indicates they want more detailed answers, the municipality can easily adjust the AI.“
Three AI Agents, one goal: better service
Within six months, the municipality of Gennep built three fully functional AI Agents, each with a clear purpose: helping residents faster and supporting employees. The Agents handle around 150 conversations each month, 40 percent of which take place outside office hours. All conversations are fully automated, expanding the municipality’s service offering.
Ellen: AI Agent for residents
Ellen is available on the website 24/7, something the municipality experiences as a major benefit. Thanks to Ellen, residents can now ask questions outside office hours as well. She answers questions, guides residents through the website, and explains products and services. Most conversations are about common topics such as passports, relocation, waste, and appointments. Thanks to Ellen, residents receive answers faster and find information more easily.
Legal chatbot JAI: AI Agent for internal use
To make legal responses more consistent, the municipality developed an internal Agent. This Agent helps read and clarify legal texts, analyze cases, and verify interpretations. Human expertise remains essential for complex topics like the Environmental Act, but for almost all other themes, the Agent works excellently. Employees find it fast, clear, and reliable.
Tessa: the AI writing assistant
Tessa is trained on the municipal writing style, council proposals, and the DUS method. She helps employees structure texts, ensures a consistent tone of voice, and accelerates the writing process for policy documents, letters, and explanations. This way, everyone—from communication to policy—works according to the same guidelines. This approach is still under development, but the intention is to fully roll out Tessa in this way.
Impact in numbers
The AI Agents of the municipality of Gennep now clearly show results. Residents can digitally ask their questions 24/7—something that was previously impossible. The Agents handle around 150 conversations each month. The website also attracts between 10,000 and 20,000 visitors per month.
An innovative step forward
As a small municipality, Gennep has shown that innovation doesn’t have to be ‘scary’ or unreliable. By embracing AI, the organization is taking a major step in modernizing its services and showing that digital accessibility is not just for large cities.