Oahu residents can now get instant answers to the most frequently asked questions when they visit the City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services website. Akamai, the chatbot, can answer more than 100 questions primarily geared toward motor vehicle and personal ID services via voice or text.

What You Need To Know

  • Visit the Dept. of Customer Services website and access Akamai by clicking on the yellow “Ask CSD” button at the bottom right of the site

  • Users can then either select topics (blue buttons) that will provide information or type in or verbally ask (click on microphone icon) questions

The department responds to more than 1,000 calls daily, ranging from knowing where to obtain a driver’s license to registering a motor vehicle to replacing a lost ID card. The more Akamai is used, the smarter the chat and voice recognition features will become, and capabilities — such as conversing in multiple languages —  will be added as needs arise.

“The main benefits of our chatbot is its ability to make the task of finding information about our services as quick and simple as possible,” said Nola Miyasaki, director of the City’s Department of Customer Services. “It takes the burden of looking for information off the shoulders of our customers and allows us to better serve them into the future.”