Bot Express Launches New Service "Sugoi Operator" for Automated AI Phone Reception in Local Governments. AI to Automate Resident Phone Inquiries 24/7, Multilingually

Bot Express Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kazuki Nakajima; hereinafter referred to as Bot Express), which provides the smartphone city hall "GovTech Express" that most residents can use immediately, will begin offering the AI phone reception service for local governments, "Sugoi Operator," on July 1, 2026.

"Sugoi Operator" is a service where AI handles resident phone calls and responds to reception tasks such as counter and facility reservations through natural conversation. It supports reception 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in multiple languages, and helps build a reception system that minimizes resident wait times even during peak call periods. Verification will begin with multiple local governments nationwide in July, with phased public release for residents starting in September.

To commemorate this announcement, an online experience demonstration by Representative Director and Head of Development, Kazuki Nakajima, will be held on July 10, 2026 (Fri) at 2:00 PM. The demonstration will introduce the overview and application image of "Sugoi Operator."

1. Goals of the New Service "Sugoi Operator"

Bot Express has developed "GovTech Express," a system that allows administrative procedures such as reservations and applications to be completed on smartphones, initiated through official LINE accounts operated by local governments, and has provided it to over 350 local governments nationwide. Its feature is that residents can access administrative services from LINE, which they use daily, without needing to download new apps or receive complex operational instructions. In recent years, in addition to LINE, they have also supported applications via web forms, expanding the entry points for residents to access administrative services.

"Sugoi Operator," announced this time, is a new service that eliminates the need for phone support by staff and operators. An AI operator with conversational abilities comparable to humans will respond to resident phone calls. The services handled will include all tasks previously performed by humans over the phone, such as reservations, procedures, and Q&A.

While local governments are increasingly moving administrative procedures online via LINE and the web, many phone reservations and inquiries still remain. For residents who are hesitant about smartphone or web operations, the phone is a familiar entry point to administrative services. On the other hand, for foreign residents who are not confident in communicating in Japanese, making administrative procedures by phone is not easy. For local governments, maintaining a multilingual phone support system at all times is a significant burden. Furthermore, during the initial period of service opening or peak seasons, calls become concentrated, leading to residents being kept waiting or impacting the regular duties of staff. A system based on phone support also has limitations for night and holiday reception, restricting the times and methods available for residents to use administrative services.

Bot Express aims to create an environment where everyone can easily connect to administrative services, regardless of language, time, or digital operation concerns, by redesigning the phone, a familiar contact point for residents, through AI. With multilingual support, 24/7 reception, and simultaneous communication for over 50 lines, it will support both improved resident convenience and reduced staff workload.

2. Six Features of "Sugoi Operator"

1. AI handles reservations consistently with conversational abilities comparable to human operators.

The AI will listen to the resident's desired date and time and purpose, and handle everything from offering available slots to registering reservations, and changing/canceling reservations.

2. Supports multiple simultaneous calls beyond fixed seating capacity, handling peak call concentration.

Even during periods of concentrated calls, such as immediately after service opening or during busy seasons, calls will not be busy (in a state of being congested), so residents will not be kept waiting.

3. Reception available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, including nights and holidays.

Responds to calls outside of business hours, nights, and holidays, creating an environment where residents can make reservations at their convenience.

4. Multilingual support allowing foreign residents to converse in their native language.

Supports multilingual phone support, creating an environment where foreign residents who are not confident in Japanese communication can consult and make procedures in their native language. Window configurations can be tailored to local government operations, such as assigning different languages to different numbers.

5. Lower running costs than human operators.

No unnecessary cost burden for maintaining fixed seats. Billing is based on usage, leading to expected reductions in running costs.

6. Management screen requires no instruction manual.

Provides a management screen that staff can operate without reading an instruction manual. Reception content can be set according to the local government's operations without specialized knowledge.

"Sugoi Operator" can be connected with "GovTech Express." For local governments already implementing "GovTech Express," "Sugoi Operator" will read the reservation slot information for facilities and counters that are currently accepted via LINE or web forms and guide residents on availability over the phone. It will also create an environment where reservations made by phone can be easily confirmed and managed alongside reservations made via LINE or web forms.

*Local governments not implementing "GovTech Express" can also implement "Sugoi Operator" alone.

3. Local Governments Conducting Demonstration Experiments

Demonstration experiments for "Sugoi Operator" will be conducted in collaboration with multiple local governments nationwide, including Shibuya Ward, Mutsu City in Aomori Prefecture, and Nagato City in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The effectiveness of AI utilization in phone reception operations will be verified with local governments facing different administrative challenges, such as urban areas, large population municipalities, aging populations, depopulated areas, regional cities, municipalities actively using facility reservations, and areas with a high number of foreign residents.

4. About Implementing "Sugoi Operator"

A verification environment within the local government will be provided to interested municipalities. Municipalities interested in implementation or internal verification should inquire after reviewing the following.

Service Name: Smartphone City Hall "Sugoi Operator"

Service Start Date: Beta version to be provided starting July 1, 2026. Phased public release for residents scheduled to begin after September 2026.

Target: Local governments, government agencies

Pricing: Individual quote

Trial: Free of charge. Expected duration of approximately 1 month.

Contact Information:

For local governments already implementing GovTech Express: Respective Partner Success Manager

For local governments not yet implementing GovTech Express: Sales Representative (sales@bot-express.com)

5. Online Seminar Information

[Seminar Name] Smartphone City Hall "Sugoi Operator" Experience Demonstration

[Date and Time] July 10, 2026 (Fri) 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM *Applications accepted until the start time.

[Venue] Online (Viewing URL will be shared with applicants after registration)

[Target Audience] Local government employees (regardless of GovTech Express implementation status)

[Application Method] Please apply using your preferred method from the following.

Official LINE Account: https://lin.ee/XssrclA

Web Form: https://form.bot-express.com/event

Email: sales@bot-express.com

TEL: 050-1791-9464

FAX: 050-3852-4529 (Please use the FAX transmission sheet)

FAX Transmission Sheet Download https://bot-express.box.com/s/vt6kldlieduv2nfe36r7iahqbej0g5j0

*For details, please see the following.

https://note.bot-express.com/n/nf41690dea3d0

6. System Mechanism and Security

Reservation information received by phone will be stored on GovTech Express. GovTech Express adopts Salesforce as its platform. Salesforce is registered with "ISMAP," a system for evaluating and registering cloud services that meet the security requirements demanded by the Japanese government. Reservation information is stored only in Salesforce's data centers.

<Bot Express>

[Company Name] Bot Express Co., Ltd.

[Date of Establishment] February 1, 2019

[Capital] 100 million yen

[Address] 23F, Kamiyacho Trust Tower, 4-1-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-6923

[Representative] Kazuki Nakajima, Representative Director

[Business Description] Provision of the conversational application exclusively for government and public offices, "GovTech Express."

[Implementing Municipalities] As of April 2026, over 350 organizations including municipalities, prefectures, and ministries have implemented it. (National Tax Agency, Gunma Prefecture, Shihoro Town Hokkaido, Yuzawa City Akita Prefecture, Shonai Town Yamagata Prefecture, Shibuya Ward, Nerima Ward, Setagaya Ward, Zama City Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanazawa City, Uozu City Toyama Prefecture, Toyota City Aichi Prefecture, Kobe City, Okayama City, Hiroshima City, Nagato City Yamaguchi Prefecture, Kochi City, Koga City Fukuoka Prefecture, Yonabaru Town Okinawa Prefecture, etc.)

[Inquiries] Via email (hello@bot-express.com) or through the inquiry form on the official website.