Reimagining the customer experience: How AI is transforming child support services

Generative AI is slowly redefining how government agencies support families in need 

Where convenience and speed are the norm, the experience of navigating government services often lags. For those interacting with child support services, the stakes are personal, urgent, and often complicated. Phone, paper mail, and disconnected systems feel anything but supportive.  

For some agencies, though, that experience is changing. Artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, is changing how state and county child support agencies serve families. AI is enhancing and augmenting customer support staff by streamlining interactions, increasing accessibility, and ensuring that every caller receives accurate, empathetic assistance. 

It’s not about menu-driven or even-rules based chatbots. It’s about a smarter, more human-centered way of connecting with the people who rely on these services. 

Related: Case study: Missouri DSS enhances customer experience with new child support portal 
 
The new front door: AI-powered interaction 
For decades, child support programs have relied on IVRs (interactive voice response systems) and clunky chatbots to manage incoming inquiries. While useful for routing calls or addressing frequently asked questions, these tools can feel impersonal and rigid. They often force users to navigate a maze of menus and rephrase questions just to get a response.

Generative AI introduces a new way to get things done. Integrated into IVRs and chat systems, this technology allows for more natural, free-form conversation. Users can ask questions in their own words: “When will my next payment arrive?” or “How do I update my address?” and receive accurate, context-aware responses. Generative AI creates a more intuitive and natural experience while reducing the cognitive burden for users under stress.

Convenience and availability also translates to improved service. For working parents who can’t call during office hours, the systems are available 24/7. For non-English speakers who need support in their language, the promise of always-on, multilingual, AI-enabled assistance is transformational. 

Related: Video: Transforming business solutions with Generative AI
 
Augmenting the human touch 
Understandably, a persistent anxiety surrounding AI in the public sector is the fear of staff displacement. This fear is more prevalent in child support services, where case workers and support staff are much more than just customer service agents. They are often problem-solvers, advocates, and emotional anchors to complicated situations and residents needing support. 

The goal of AI in this domain is not to replace these vital team members, but to support them.

Through tools like “agent assist,” AI can “listen” in real-time to calls and provide relevant case information to customer service agents, suggest next best actions, or flag sentiment indicators to guide more empathetic responses. With this support, agents can focus on human connections while the AI handles information retrieval and repetitive tasks. This hybrid approach ensures that automation enhances quality without eroding trust.

One example: Conduent’s GenAI-powered assistant, Conni, integrates with secure customer relationship systems. Deployed within a closed environment using Microsoft Azure OpenAI services, Conni maintains rigorous security protocols while learning and adapting to the specific needs of each program. It offers a level of customization that off-the-shelf AI tools simply can’t match. This capability demonstrates the potential to incorporate these types of AI services for child support programs. 

Related: ExpertPay® Child Support Payments Platform 
 
Saving time, money, and improving outcomes 
The operational benefits of generative AI are equally compelling. By deflecting routine inquiries and encouraging self-service, agencies reduce wait times and lighten the load on contact centers. This, in turn, leads to lower costs and higher satisfaction for both callers and staff. 

Moreover, AI tools introduce a level of consistency and reliability that manual systems struggle to match. Every interaction is logged, every response traceable. Predictive analytics can help agencies identify patterns: missed payments, service gaps, or high-frustration points, and take proactive measures to improve engagement.  

All of these features support the ultimate goal: helping families receive the support they are owed, with dignity and minimal friction. 
 
The road ahead: A responsible, human-centered AI
If there is a guiding philosophy behind this transformation, it is this: AI is a powerful and enabling tool, not a substitute for human service.

In child support, the context is too personal, the consequences too serious, to leave entirely to machines. At Conduent and across the public sector, the push is toward responsible AI. One that is transparent, secure, and designed to support the workforce, not undermine it.

We are already seeing what this future looks like: virtual assistants like Conni embedded in secure, closed systems and hybrid support models where AI enhances every interaction.

The result is more than efficiency. It’s a reimagined customer experience.