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Always an answer

For residents, Gem means: easy contact, quick clarity and no being passed from pillar to post.

Residents ask their question in their own words and get a fitting answer straight away — 24/7, without searching and without detours. If a person is needed, Gem hands the conversation over warmly.

"At the City of Utrecht, residents rate the live-chat channel (with Gem) an 8.7; getting a quick answer in particular is appreciated."

— Peter-Paul Hellings, services project lead, City of Utrecht

What residents notice

Four things residents notice as soon as Gem is on the municipal website.

Always reachable

Gem is awake 24/7, including evenings, weekends and public holidays.

Precisely when the counter and phone lines are closed.

One conversation, every channel

Does the resident start on the website and want to continue via WhatsApp or phone?

With our omnichannel principle we are working towards Gem continuing the conversation on another channel, without the resident having to ask the question again.

Fewer clicks, better guidance

Gem helps to the answer as directly as possible, instead of letting residents search through pages.

No menu that leaves residents guessing which category their question fits — they simply ask in their own words.

To the right place

Does the question belong to another organisation, for example a tax partnership?

We are working towards Gem routing seamlessly. Where the question is asked doesn't matter.

Gem is designed to be accessible and complies with the web accessibility guidelines (WCAG) — whether the resident uses a screen reader, has poor eyesight or prefers to communicate in plain language. Read how we make Gem accessible.

How Gem delivers on that

The technology is one thing. Below is how we use it — together, safely and responsibly.

What happens when Gem doesn't have the answer?

Gem then guides the resident like a buddy to an employee who can help, with a warm handover (including a queue). That way residents don't have to tell their story again.

Gem is an omnichannel help for the resident: the assistant answers questions or routes to the right channel (live chat, websites and other portals).

What do residents notice of the collaboration between municipalities?

Gem is not a standalone assistant of a single municipality, but a joint, open source platform of multiple government bodies. Everywhere, residents ask the same questions about the same products and services: passport, driving licence, relocation and permits. Those answers are created and maintained centrally (according to the national Uniform Products List) and adapted locally where needed.

The result for residents: consistent, high-quality answers, no matter which participating municipality they turn to. What's more, Gem keeps getting better: because conversations at all participating municipalities contribute to central improvements, residents of every connected municipality reap the benefits of all that experience combined.

How does Gem handle personal data?

Gem is an environment in which personal data is handled safely and in accordance with privacy legislation. For many questions Gem does not need personal data, so the rule is: share no more than necessary. If personal help is needed, Gem hands the resident over to an employee safely.

How do we use AI responsibly?

Gem uses smart language technology and machine learning, and looks ahead to applications such as generative AI — in 2026 with the integration of the Dutch language model GPT-NL. The participating municipalities do this deliberately responsibly, so that residents can trust Gem.

What that means in practice

  • Open and verifiable — Gem is open source (EUPL licence), based on “public money, public code”. The technology is of and for government: transparent and traceable.
  • People stay in the picture — Gem takes care of simple questions, but does not replace the employee. For complex or sensitive questions there is always a warm handover to a person.
  • Developed together — Gem is developed further jointly, with user feedback from all participating organisations. Not a black box of a single supplier, but a shared facility.

Customer experience

What residents value most is simple: a good answer, fast. Gem is fully geared to that.

  • 84% helped correctly
  • 24/7 answers
  • Omnichannel

Join Gem

The more government bodies that join, the better we can help residents. That is where the power of Gem lies: together, one place where residents always get an answer.

Read: the power of Gem for municipalities Get in touch Keep up to date with Gem