How will technology help the government to boost productivity?

The growing influence of technology is changing the landscape of work. People are inclined to do more with less. Like all other sectors, the government is also seeking the potential benefits of this technological boom. It’s the right time to open the doors for public sector innovation. Councils are the governing bodies to manage citizens of a nation. The UK councils deliver around 80% of the public services to the people. As expected, this channel shift will help the councils to overcome the challenges of spending cuts, lower productivity, higher citizen expectations and service delivery.

To support the public sector innovation, the UK government has set up a dedicated GovTech Catalyst team and allotted a £20 million fund for the tech companies to come up with smart solutions. This step will boost the development of advanced digital solutions. These modern solutions will address the service optimisation concerns of local government. And, it will lead them to a perfect platform balancing the budget and revenues. It’s a great opportunity for the councils and companies to emerge as leaders.

iTouchVision, as a bespoke cloud-based solution provider, has been successful over years in accelerating the public sector innovation. Our dedicated local government software and mobile applications reform and restructure the service delivery models with the 3-steps strategy:

The shift towards the cloud platform is quite evident. Considering the plethora of benefits offered; it is a no-brainer to embrace this change. In fact, the government at all levels has realised the power of cloud computing. iTouchVision’s bespoke solution has been helping the public-sector organisations to harness the cloud capabilities and increase the productivity. The idea is to free up the staff from the clutches of device-bound, time-consuming, repetitive, inefficient and disorganized work. And, empower them to raise the standard of their work.

The platform promotes effortless administration. It aims to streamline the service request handling, citizen communication, data management and workforce monitoring in a hassle-free manner. The focus is on using the information and doing the actual work rather than getting stuck in learning and investing in complex systems. The back-office staff, field workforce, and the multiple departments of the councils are on the same page when it comes to sharing and synchronising the data. A single and centralised data source is useful in decision-making, predictive analytics, accurate reports, easy accessibility and paperless storage.

The councils find it quite challenging to track their moving workforce. There is no way to ensure an efficient outcome. They spend a lot on fuel, manpower, paper, and tools while delivering services to the public. Thus, it is important to make sure that the workforce yields high productivity. Our workforce application called MobileWorker has been acknowledged by the council staff. The app is their companion to carry out their daily tasks. MobileWorker facilitates optimal route planning, automated task scheduling, worker safety, offline updates, team communication and data synchronisation.

These mobile working applications provide greater visibility and coordination features. For example, Forest Heath District Council and St Edmundsbury Borough Council used such technological advancements and saved £300,000 in a year. The use of better geographical data helped to optimise the routes for refuse collection and cleaning. And, they could deliver improved services. The MobileWorker platform is an ideal fit to manage the workforce in real-time.

The taxpayers have high expectations from their councils. It is tough for the councils to meet these expectations within the financial limits. The millennial generation is very fond of the Internet and its facilities. Nobody likes to wait for ages to get an answer or get messed up among various departments to report an issue. The UK government was quick enough to welcome the change in customer service in the early 2000’s. Since then, the customer service has evolved to get better, faster, and simpler.

The ‘Digital by Default’ initiative itself speaks about the significance of the transformation. iTouchVision’s platform is aligned to the government’s digital goals. It makes the councils ready to take their customer service to a new level. The ‘My Council Services’ platform is a one-stop solution to simplify mobile healthcare & leisure, waste collection, bookings and appointments, service request reporting for graffiti, parking, anti-social behavior, street issues, fly-tipping, abandoned vehicle, missed bin, etc., and pay for different services by their own.

The concept of ‘self-service’ is far from being new. But, with time, it has become more evident and acceptable to the masses. iTouchVision’s mobile application and online channel uphold the self-service facility. It is a user-friendly application branded with the council’s theme. The app is available to its citizens for all types of transactions and reporting. The citizens are able to manage their account and be self-sufficient in any decisions. It reduces the cost of front-office and direct interactions and avoids any confusion.

The complete suite of application offers a multitude of advantages like improved service delivery as citizens are able to report the issues with evidence and exact location, request & avail services and pay online without waiting, and communicate with the councils as per their convenience. It also increases the first-time resolution rate by around 87% and enhances the customer satisfaction by 92%. Also, the contact centre solution effectively manages customer information, direct calls, history, preferences, and automate the notifications on a timely basis.   

The only static thing is the change. One of the biggest benefits of the cloud technology is scalability. There is no upfront cost. The councils can contract or expand the solution and storage as per their needs. The ‘pay-as-you-go’ model is a better deal than investing a huge heap. It is a tough nut to crack to manage the ever-changing technology, new rules, and policies, dynamics of citizen needs and new services. But, the cloud platform enables the councils to manage everything without any disturbance.

Choosing the right service provider plays a key role in public sector innovation. The service provider takes care of the crucial factors of the cloud platform. For instance, the iTouchVision team delivers a 24×7 support for any technical updates, new features, regular maintenance, virtual servers, continuous testing and solving the issues on priority. That’s why; our council clients feel happy to associate with us. There are no rigorous IT tasks for the council executives. Rather, they are more focused to deliver their services to the citizens.

iTouchVision’s solution provides a systematic approach to accommodate any new changes. The councils can request new changes, features and functionalities to leverage maximum out of this technology. As compared to the in-house systems that require IT experts to be available, the cloud platform puts the responsibility of managing the data and keeping the system up-to-date on the service provider. This reduces the burden and the operational expenses. Thus, it is a cost-effective solution to meet the ends.

Cloud adoption for the councils is a quick process. Since it requires no specialised hardware or software, it is easier to get started. Once implemented, the process can begin as soon as the executives are trained well. For example, our service delivery experts offer a well-designed training procedure for all the users. They make sure that the users don’t face any problem. Even after that, they are available round the clock for any questions. The council leaders need to plan and strategise the implementation according to the requirements, use of data, budget, and willingness to accept the change.

Think out of the box!

There are many strong reasons for the councils to reorganise their current systems. On the other side, the tech firms like iTouchVision are developing the solutions that will give a heads up to the public sector innovation. So, it is a win-win situation for the councils and the companies to excel and become a global attraction. Also, the citizens will experience a whole new realm of improved and consolidated services at their fingertips. Connect with our transformation specialists for detailed information.