Case Study: Timaru District Council achieves 24/7 automated, faster customer service and lower costs with Squiz's AI chatbot 'Tim'

Timaru District Council - Customer Case Study

Timaru District Council, a local government district in New Zealand’s South Island, needed a low‑cost way to meet rising customer expectations for self‑service and reduce queues at counters and on calls. The Council partnered with Squiz, leveraging Squiz Matrix CMS together with Google’s Dialogflow AI to create an online, automated customer service channel.

Squiz delivered a 24/7 chatbot called “Tim,” developed in four weeks using existing website content; the Customer Services team updates Tim’s script based on analytics. Since launch Tim has handled more than 21,000 enquiries, answers 80% of queries, provides responses about 26 seconds faster than browsing the site, manages multiple conversations simultaneously, and achieved a 77% “helpful” rating—freeing staff to focus on complex enquiries and offering scope for future expansion.

Timaru District Council

Justin Bagust

Chief Information Officer