Seoul City "Resolve Tap Water Phone Complaints with 'Digital ARS'"

Anyone Using Smartphones Can Apply for Civil Complaints Without Waiting on Call

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] The Seoul Metropolitan Government (Waterworks Headquarters) announced that starting from the 11th, it will launch a ‘Digital ARS (Automatic Response System)’ to provide citizens with more convenient tap water civil complaint services.

The ‘Digital ARS’ is a mobile-only service that allows customers to resolve desired tasks by looking at their smartphone screens without having to wait while listening to voice guidance or connecting to a counselor. It is available 24/7, 365 days a year without any consultation time restrictions.

Seoul’s waterworks civil complaints can be resolved through ▲Internet Cyber Customer Center (homepage) ▲KakaoTalk chat robot (chatbot) ‘ArisuTalk’ ▲Mobile Arisu (application) ▲telephone consultation, but the highest proportion of applications is made through ‘telephone consultation.’

In Seoul, waterworks telephone complaints reach an average of 1.21 million cases annually (average from 2020 to 2022). During moving seasons, many calls are made for water bill moving settlements, causing inconvenience due to long waiting times for phone connections.

It is expected that waterworks civil complaints can be handled without waiting through Digital ARS. By calling the representative number of the jurisdictional waterworks office on a smartphone and selecting number 1 on the keypad according to the guidance, users are connected to Digital ARS. There is no need to install a separate application (app), making it convenient to use.

When the Call Gate Launcher is installed on the smartphone, it runs automatically. For iOS devices (iPhone) users or those without the launcher installed, the service can be accessed by connecting to the internet address (URL) sent via text message.

Users can switch to consultation by phone connection at any time during the process, and the entered information is delivered to the consultation staff for faster service.

The main screen features 12 frequently used menus so that users can easily find the desired tasks at a glance. It supports almost all civil complaint applications and processing, including ▲water bill moving settlement ▲water and sewage bill inquiry and payment ▲dedicated account guidance ▲automatic payment and 35 types of civil complaint applications ▲name changes.

Additionally, the service allows users to take photos of the required supporting documents on their smartphones and send them immediately. This is expected to enhance citizen convenience by reducing the hassle of visiting the waterworks office or sending documents by mail or fax.

Yoo Yeonsik, head of the Seoul Waterworks Headquarters, said, “Through Digital ARS service and ArisuTalk, we expect citizens to use tap water-related civil complaint services more conveniently,” and added, “Seoul will continue to make every effort to promptly resolve citizen inconveniences related to tap water.”