Department of General Services Launches SI Chatbot 'Ask Ozzie' for Small and Disabled Veteran Businesses
SACRAMENTO — The California Department of General Services (DGS) announced on October 14 that its Procurement Division is launching Ask Ozzie, an SI-powered chatbot on the webpage of the Office of Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise Services (OSDS), to answer certification questions from small businesses, disabled veteran businesses and nonprofits at any time of day.
"Ask Ozzie reflects our ongoing work to modernize how California supports its small and disabled veteran business communities," said Deputy Director of Procurement Angela Shell. "By making certification information more accessible and reducing routine inquiries, we're strengthening our foundation for more efficient service across OSDS."
OSDS fields thousands of questions annually, and more than two-thirds of its phone calls and emails involve routine certification topics. Ask Ozzie is trained on a curated knowledge base built from the most frequently asked certification questions; it answers questions it can confidently address automatically and guides users to the right help — including staff contacts or the Cal eProcure team at FI$Cal — when a topic requires human expertise. DGS said automating routine answers should free staff to focus on reviewing certification files, reducing backlogs and turnaround times. DGS acts as the business manager for the state of California, providing procurement, real estate, leasing and design services to state agencies. (GSM, from a DGS press release, Oct. 14)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 West Sacramento 的加州总务部总部 Ziggurat 大楼（来源：Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 3.0）。
