Kirkland outlines new resident tools: Ask Kirkland chatbot, short video answers and service-request app
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David Wahlberg, communications program manager for the city of Kirkland, said the city is testing a set of digital tools meant to help residents find timely information and get faster answers from staff.
"I try to help translate what city government is doing into plain language people can actually use," Wahlberg said, describing his team’s work to build communication plans and reach residents through multiple channels.
Wahlberg outlined three pilots the communications team is promoting: Ask Kirkland, a chatbot that pulls information from the city website and can be used via text or phone; REPT, a platform for short video answers from staff; and r Kirkland, the city’s service-request system.
Ask Kirkland is in pilot and can be tested by text or phone at (866) 527-5475, Wahlberg said, and staff are asking residents for feedback during the trial. He said the chatbot will return website information in a conversational format and that the pilot is intended to help the city determine whether the tool is useful to residents.
Wahlberg described REPT (representative) as a way for staff to record brief, personalized video responses to resident questions that require additional explanation or nuance. He said the city has used several of these video replies and finds them helpful when written text alone does not answer a resident’s concern.
The city’s r Kirkland service-request platform lets residents place a map pin through an app or the website to report problems such as potholes, downed limbs or other maintenance needs. Wahlberg said this helps operations locate issues more efficiently.
Wahlberg also recommended the city’s traditional channels — the weekly This Week in Kirkland newsletter, social media, the twice-yearly Kirklander mailed to city addresses and the podcast itself — as ways to "stay informed." He encouraged residents to subscribe to the newsletter and to "lend your voice" through surveys or public comment when topic-specific engagement is open.
The podcast episode noted that Conversations with Council events (no formal agenda) and regular council meetings remain options for direct public interaction with policymakers.
The city is collecting user feedback as it pilots these tools and has not yet announced a permanent launch timeline. The podcast’s next episode was scheduled for Feb. 26.
"I try to help translate what city government is doing into plain language people can actually use," Wahlberg said, describing his team’s work to build communication plans and reach residents through multiple channels.
Wahlberg outlined three pilots the communications team is promoting: Ask Kirkland, a chatbot that pulls information from the city website and can be used via text or phone; REPT, a platform for short video answers from staff; and r Kirkland, the city’s service-request system.
Ask Kirkland is in pilot and can be tested by text or phone at (866) 527-5475, Wahlberg said, and staff are asking residents for feedback during the trial. He said the chatbot will return website information in a conversational format and that the pilot is intended to help the city determine whether the tool is useful to residents.
Wahlberg described REPT (representative) as a way for staff to record brief, personalized video responses to resident questions that require additional explanation or nuance. He said the city has used several of these video replies and finds them helpful when written text alone does not answer a resident’s concern.
The city’s r Kirkland service-request platform lets residents place a map pin through an app or the website to report problems such as potholes, downed limbs or other maintenance needs. Wahlberg said this helps operations locate issues more efficiently.
Wahlberg also recommended the city’s traditional channels — the weekly This Week in Kirkland newsletter, social media, the twice-yearly Kirklander mailed to city addresses and the podcast itself — as ways to "stay informed." He encouraged residents to subscribe to the newsletter and to "lend your voice" through surveys or public comment when topic-specific engagement is open.
The podcast episode noted that Conversations with Council events (no formal agenda) and regular council meetings remain options for direct public interaction with policymakers.
The city is collecting user feedback as it pilots these tools and has not yet announced a permanent launch timeline. The podcast’s next episode was scheduled for Feb. 26.
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