Helping citizens at the counter

Why this matters for you

If you work at a counter, a reception desk or a helpline, you are the face of your office. Citizens often arrive confused. They may not know which form to fill, which documents to bring or where to go next. Some cannot read well. Some only speak Urdu or a regional language.

AI can help you prepare clear, simple explanations of common procedures. It can help you turn difficult official wording into words a citizen understands. But it must never be used to handle a citizen's personal case and it must never replace the official information your office gives.

Prepare before, not during

The safest way to use AI for counter work is to prepare in advance, not while a citizen is standing in front of you.

For example, you could:

• take a public notice about a service and ask a chatbot to rewrite it in simple Urdu
• make a short list of the documents needed for a common service, based on your office's official list
• prepare simple answers to the questions citizens ask most often
• write a short sign for the counter, such as office timings or where to queue

Then show what you have made to your officer. Once it is checked and approved, you can use it again and again.

The prompts to explain a topic simply, to make a plain language rewrite and to write a service FAQ can help with this.

Always start from official information

A chatbot does not know your office's procedures. If you ask it "What documents are needed for a domicile certificate?", it may give an answer that sounds right but is wrong, out of date or from another province. This is a hallucination.

So never ask a chatbot what the procedure is. Instead, give it the official procedure and ask it to explain it more simply. For example:

Here is our office's public list of documents needed for a service. Rewrite it in simple Urdu for a citizen who does not read well. Use short sentences and a numbered list. Do not add or remove any document.

Then compare the result with the official list, line by line. Check that nothing was added, dropped or changed. Fees, timings and deadlines must match the official notice exactly.

Never put a citizen's details into a chatbot

When a citizen is at your counter, do not type their name, CNIC number, phone number, application number or any detail of their case into a chatbot. This is their personal data. It is not yours to share, as module 2 explained.

Do not take photos of their documents with your phone to ask a chatbot about them. Do not read out their problem into a voice chatbot.

If you need help with a citizen's case, ask a senior colleague or your officer, not a chatbot.

When not to use AI at all

Do not use AI when:

• the citizen wants a decision. Whether they qualify, whether they will get a service or why they were refused is for the officer to decide and explain.
• the matter is sensitive. For example, a death, a dispute, a complaint against staff, a police matter, a health matter or a family matter.
• the citizen is upset or vulnerable. They need a patient person, not a screen.
• you do not have the official information. Do not let a chatbot fill the gap. Say you will find out and then ask.
• your office has not allowed it.

Speak as yourself

Even when you use a prepared explanation, speak to the citizen in your own words. Be polite and patient. If they do not understand, explain again more simply. If you do not know the answer, say so honestly and find someone who does. A correct "I will check for you" is always better than a confident wrong answer.

Try it

Find a public notice about a common service on an official website. Copy only the public text into a chatbot. Ask it to rewrite the notice in simple Urdu with short sentences and a numbered list, without adding or removing anything. Compare the result with the original notice line by line. Note anything that was added, left out or changed.

Check yourself

1. Why should you never ask a chatbot what an office procedure is?
2. What should you do instead?
3. Name two situations at the counter where you should not use AI at all.

Answers: (1) It does not know your office's procedures and may give a confident wrong answer. (2) Give it the official procedure, ask it to explain it simply, then check the result against the official text. (3) Any two of: the citizen wants a decision, the matter is sensitive, the citizen is upset or vulnerable, you do not have the official information, your office has not allowed it.