Town of Carmel Enhances Transparency and Accessibility with Stella AI

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About the Town

The Town of Carmel, located in New York state, is committed to enhancing transparency and accessibility for its residents. With a focus on modernizing communication channels and improving public services, Carmel has embraced innovative technology solutions to better serve its community.

The Challenge

Carmel faced several challenges in effectively communicating with residents:

• Ineffective website search functionality limiting resident access to information
• High call volume for basic information requests
• Limited website functionality and outdated information
• Difficulty gathering resident feedback for future planning

The town needed a solution that could reduce the burden on staff while providing residents with quick, accurate answers to their questions.

The Solution

Carmel partnered with Stella to implement an AI-powered digital assistant on their town website. Key features of the Stella implementation included:

• Ability to provide instant, accurate answers, improving upon the existing website search functionality
• Natural language processing to understand and respond to a wide range of resident inquiries
• Integration with existing knowledge bases and town resources
• Ability to direct complex inquiries to appropriate town departments
• Analytics dashboard to track common questions and resident concerns

The implementation process was smooth and efficient. "Integrating Stella into our existing systems was surprisingly straightforward," noted Kevin Kernan, Confidential Executive to the Town's Supervisor. "We were up and running quickly, with minimal disruption to our daily operations."

Kernan further described their approach: "We've been on the forefront of bringing AI and other software to improve our town services. Stella has been a key part of our efforts to modernize and enhance our communication with residents."

The Results

Since implementing Stella, Carmel has seen significant improvements in resident communication and operational efficiency:

• Over 1000 resident questions answered across 650+ conversations
• Estimated 40+ hours saved for town offices
• Increased transparency and accessibility of town information
• Valuable insights into resident concerns and priorities

Kevin Kernan emphasized the impact: "At the end of the day, it's giving us a finger on the pulse of the town, what they're looking for, what they're asking about." This insight allows the town to prioritize and address resident concerns more effectively.

The town's leadership has been impressed with Stella's impact. Michael Cazzari, Town Supervisor, commented: "Stella is transforming how we interact with our community, making town resources easier to find and more transparent. Embracing AI as the next wave in technology is important to stay ahead of the curve and to ensure we're providing top-notch service to our residents."

Data-Driven Decision Making

Stella's ability to collect and analyze resident inquiries has become a valuable tool for town planning and resource allocation. As Kernan explains, "It gives us better information, collects data on the town on what is the most important issue going on. What are most people asking about?" This data-driven approach enables the town to align its services more closely with resident needs and proactively address emerging concerns.

Future Plans

Building on the success of Stella, Carmel is planning several initiatives to further enhance resident engagement:

1. Website overhaul: Integrating Stella's capabilities with a new, more informative website
2. Expanded feedback collection: Using Stella to gather resident feedback for grant writing and town planning
3. Cross-department collaboration: Working with local school districts to implement similar AI solutions
4. Continuous improvement of AI capabilities: The town is committed to refining Stella's knowledge base and conversation flow, ensuring the AI continues to meet evolving resident needs

Robert Kearns, Town Councilman, expressed enthusiasm for these plans: "As Town Councilman, I'm all for our new AI software. It's a great step forward for our community, enhancing transparency and accessibility to town resources. I'm looking forward to continue building on these advancements for the future, making sure we provide modern, efficient services that benefit all our residents."

Ryan Endacott, Founder and CEO of Stella, shared his perspective on the partnership: "We're thrilled to support Carmel as they use Stella to make local government more accessible. It's an honor to serve their communities and help strengthen the connection between towns and their residents."

With Stella AI, the Town of Carmel is setting a new standard for resident engagement in local government, paving the way for other municipalities to follow suit in the coming years.

Empowering Towns with Stella

Inspired by Carmel's success? Stella is helping municipalities across the country enhance their resident engagement and streamline operations.

With Stella, your town can:

• Improve transparency and accessibility
• Reduce staff workload
• Gain insights into resident needs
• Modernize your digital presence

Join other forward-thinking municipalities in leveraging technology for better governance.

Take the Next Step

Discover how Stella can be tailored to your town's unique needs and enhance your local government services.

Together, let's build more connected and efficient local governments.