Flemish government agencies that are digitizing do so primarily to internal workings to strengthen and the customer focus to increase.
There is no specific guide or roadmap for achieving these strategic objectives. As an IT partner to customer-focused government organizations, we offer our perspective on the Key drivers of digital transformation in government.
Working Smarter
Don't just automatically adopt your current way of working. Analyze first your current way of working and think about what could be improved. Simplify processes by eliminating steps in operational processes if they add little or no value.
A description of the new, improved way of working is an excellent starting point for a digitization project.
Perhaps there are different departments within your organization that perform similar tasks? If so, it’s a good idea to standardize any differences in work procedures as much as possible. Automation is much more efficient if your operational processes are coordinated in advance (i.e., business alignment).
Repetitive administrative tasks are also candidates for automation. Examples include the ability to automatically generate documents such as reports, statements, certificates, and agreements. Standard email messages that you currently send manually can be set to send automatically. Stop wasting your organization’s valuable time by having employees manually transfer data to another application. Explore the possibilities to enable software applications to exchange data automatically.
Understanding the Customer Better
It’s difficult to fully understand a citizen’s or a business’s situation if you don’t have a complete and up-to-date picture of their current affairs. Perhaps customer information is scattered across different applications, and you currently have to view multiple applications side by side to piece together the various parts of the puzzle?
Therefore, bring all the key information that various departments have about the “customer,” consolidated into a single overview. That is the foundation for customer-focused service, because without a A 360° view of the customer, processes, and files it is impossible to function as a single, collaborative organization.
Customer-Focused Service
Citizens and businesses expect the same level of service from government agencies as they are accustomed to receiving from commercial companies. More and more service providers are available 24/7 through their websites and other digital channels. It is becoming increasingly difficult to explain why a government agency does not have a digital service desk can be used to start a new application or to check the status of an ongoing case.
Digital is the (new) normal.
One collaborative organization
Silo mentality is the enemy of customer-centricity. In government organizations characterized by silos, there is a risk that citizens will be sent from pillar to post. Customer-centric government organizations adopt the “no wrong door” principle. This means they ensure that citizens can no longer end up at the wrong place, because they can receive assistance through any communication channel. Instead of redirecting the “customer,” the inquiry is routed internally to the appropriate handler, who then provides feedback to the “customer.”.
In order to function as a single, collaborative organization, it is essential that there be a a way in which information about citizens, businesses, cases, and processes is shared across the organization.
You can break down an application that consists of multiple sections into several parts and then assign the different parts to different staff members. You can then compile the responses to the various parts and provide consolidated feedback to the citizen.
Data-Driven Policy
In a digital work environment, your employees generate operational data as they perform their work. This data on how the organization operates is a valuable asset for management. From now on, always check your gut feelings against the facts. Business intelligence tools provide you with the necessary insight into raw operational data. Assess the impact of management decisions. You’ll be able to continuously strive for improvement by evaluating your operations and making adjustments where necessary.
Proactive Service
Thanks to technology, the government is also able to evolve into a proactive service. This can be done by matching citizens and businesses with products and services based on their profiles. Consider, for example, a specific support measure that is highly targeted toward businesses with a certain profile. Today, government agencies wait for those businesses to apply for support, while some business owners may not even be aware that such a support measure exists. It is perfectly possible to automatically notify these businesses that they are eligible for support and may submit an application. When it comes to proactivity in government services, we still expect numerous new and innovative possibilities stemming from developments in the field of artificial intelligence.
