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IRCTC is only government body to launch any digital interaction to resolve customer problems.
‘Ask Disha’ can resolve generic queries like what are the different payment methods available in IRCTC or what are the concessions on normal bookings.
The new feature is live and can be accessed on the IRCTC website.
Gone are the days when you had to wait for long hours to resolve your queries related to Indian Railways. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has launched, Ask Disha, the first AI chatbot created by a government body in the country. Disha or ’Digital Interaction to Seek Help Anytime’ can help domestic as well as foreign travellers by providing prompt assistance for queries that they may have.
It has been created jointly by IRCTC and Co-Rover Pvt Ltd
IRCTC partnered with a Bangalore-based startup, CoRover Private Limited to build ‘Ask Disha’. The company specialises in creating chatbot for travel and tourism companies with Artificial Intelligence (AI) services and machine learning capabilities.
It will soon support regional languages
Since India has more than 23 official languages, the newly launched chatbot will soon be able to converse with people using regional languages. The feature will be embedded with voice assistance. IRCTC is also planning to integrate it into its Android app version
No waiting time to resolve queries
One of the most captivating features of AI-enabled Disha includes zero waiting time for solving queries. IRCTC aims to address all queries from both domestic and foreign customers as quickly as they can. Some other features include - 24*7 availability, multi-tasking, and quickly suggesting questions.
It can’t address personal queries
IRCTC promises to enrich Disha’s knowledge in the near future but it cannot address personal queries like PNR status of a particular train. Although, it will navigate the customer to the page where the problem can be resolved.
Ask Disha is live on IRCTC’s website
Currently, the digital interaction helpdesk is available on Indian Railway’s website at the bottom in the right corner. The railway department is working to integrate it with the Android app. However, there is no news about how the iOS user will access the chatbot on that version of the app yet.