NEW ROCHELLE, NY (December 3, 2024) — The City of New Rochelle announced Monday the launch of “Rochelle”, an advanced, AI-powered chatbot for the City’s website www.newrochelleny.com. This innovative, and multilingual, customer service tool will make it easier than ever for residents, businesses, and visitors to find the information and services they need 24/7/365, streamlining access to vital resources.
“Rochelle” simulates the experience of a live customer service session, combining the power of site search and artificial intelligence (AI), to deliver quality experiences. By understanding natural language queries and analyzing search patterns, the tool offers intelligent suggestions, refines searches based on user intent, and highlights the most relevant content on the website.
Users can type queries as they would in conversation, and “Rochelle” will provide direct links to commonly used services such as bill payments and permit applications. The tool is fully optimized for use on smartphones and tablets.
What they are saying:
City Manager Wilfredo Melendez: “Our goal is to ensure that residents can quickly and easily find the information they need, whether they’re looking for City services, applications, job opportunities, or upcoming events. This AI integration is part of our ongoing commitment to innovation as well as exceptional service to our community.”
Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert “Launching ‘Rochelle’ aligns with our City’s broader goals of increased accessibility, connectivity and resident engagement. We invite the public to explore the tool and provide feedback to ensure it continues to meets the needs of our community.”
Information Technology Executive Director Robert Bongiorni: “The self-service opportunity ‘Rochelle’ provides is state-of-the-art, offering 24/7/365 assistance to our residents and visitors. And, the back end data will show how the community is engaging with our website, which will be used to improve content, navigation, and civic experiences.
