Have you ever seen a rowing team where everyone is trying to paddle in a different direction? My guess would be “no” because rowing teams are well-oiled machines. If each member were to go off on their own and paddle willy-nilly, the boat wouldn’t get anywhere. Like rowboats, most processes usually succeed when everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal. If the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, nothing gets done.
When it comes to implementing new digital solutions, it’s important that an entire organization is on board. ImageSoft offers digital solutions in the Government, Justice, and Insurance spaces among many others. Many customers ask if there are any benefits to getting a state-wide technology solution rather than on a department-by-department basis. Over the past 25 years, we’ve come to realize that doing something state-wide can make the most sense (depending on your situation). Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why a state-wide technology solution might be the way to go.
Cost-Effectiveness
At the end of the day, state governments are always looking to get the most bang for their buck. Budgets are limited, and they want to ensure they’re spending it wisely. A state-wide technology solution is extremely cost-effective. Rather than paying to support multiple subscriptions or pricing plans, the state can pay one company and have everything covered.
Digital solutions implemented across the state can save hundreds of thousands of dollars while providing more value than the current piecemeal model. ImageSoft solutions are extremely scalable, so we are able to develop a roadmap that works for each state. Custom solution options ensure that Governments are paying for exactly what they need, and nothing they don’t. Choosing one comprehensive digital solution will save time and money in the long run, putting grants and budgets to the best use possible.
Better Collaboration
Any iPhone user knows the struggle of being in a group chat with someone who doesn’t have an iPhone. If you’re not an Apple user, iPhones allow for iMessaging, a unique format available only on iPhones. It comes with special options like reacting to messages, sending via the internet, audio messages, naming the group chat, and building custom avatars. Android and other non-Apple phones don’t have these capabilities, making group chats a bit more cluttered and confusing. Sending messages to all iPhones is seamless and allows every party to use the special features. Digital solutions can be looked at the same way.
When districts are trying to communicate using several methods or solutions, wires can easily get crossed. Some districts might have no idea what another is talking about because each software varies greatly. Implementing a state-wide technology solution avoids confusion and makes communication seamless by putting everyone in the same “group chat” (if you will). Reports are all in the same formats, all file types are consistent, documents can be read and edited across the state, etc. State-wide technology solutions are powerful collaboration tools that keep things organized and moving in the same direction.
Improve Efficiency
Let’s say you’re working in a factory making boots. There are dozens of giant conveyor belts that each work to complete one aspect of the boot. The problem is the conveyor belts are not connected to each other. An employee has to run back and forth to move the boot to the next step of the process. The machines might be able to crank out pieces in seconds, but there’s a hold-up during the transition.
If your state is working with dozens of digital solutions, there is guaranteed to be hold-ups during the transitions! If you can merge all systems into one big system, efficiency will skyrocket. There won’t be any awkward phases of slow down, and your processes can flow from Point A to Point G without stopping at every point in between.
ImageSoft solutions work seamlessly together and can be customized to meet your needs. Rather than allow your state to be a factory of chaos with individual machines all over the floor, implement a state-wide technology solution that does it all. The fewer transitions required in a solution, the more productive it becomes. Efficiency is a key part of any successful business, and digital solutions can be the perfect way to get there.
Unify The Organization
One of the benefits of state-wide technology solutions people overlook is the sense of unity and community it brings. You and your friends can get together for “book club” and each read a different novel. It’s nice to be together, but you’re all off doing your own thing. If you instead convince your friends to all read the same book, you become a true club who can discuss the story and share the experience of reading it. For Justice, Government, and Insurance organizations, we may not be reading books, but the same idea applies.
If you are a state Government but each district has control over its own digital solutions, are you truly working together? By allowing multiple products in the same state, you are asking for an argument about who is right and who is best. When you bring the entire state under a single digital solution, everyone is on an even playing field and you can work together. State-wide technology solutions ensure that all areas of the state have the same resources available to them.
Create Ease of Use Through Uniformity
Cross-training is a methodology used in organizations that involves teaching employees tasks from multiple departments or job roles. This allows said employee to a) understand tasks that are outside their department, b) complete additional tasks as needed, and c) transition to another job role seamlessly.
As you might imagine, the more similar job roles are to one another, the easier cross-training is. Likewise, if each department utilizes completely different digital solutions, training an employee to be proficient in all of them will take many hours. State-wide technology solutions eliminate this problem by ensuring that all job roles use the same software. An employee can easily move between job roles or departments without having to master a brand-new technology. There’s less training involved, and processes are uniform regardless of the department.
In addition, state-wide technology solutions create uniformity in reporting and communication. Departments will have access to the same type of data and can send it in similar report formats. This avoids confusion and miscommunication which can prevent some major problems. When everyone in a Government organization is working uniformly, a process tends to move from start to finish in a much more organized and efficient way. We’ve all had a workplace with convoluted processes that take forever to get through. If everyone is on the same boat, getting to the end goal is a piece of cake.
As you can see, there are many benefits that come with implementing a digital solution state-wide. Many states fear doing so will be “too much too soon,” but there are options to ease your way into the transition. Many state Governments determine a few departments to start the process with based on their needs, tasks, and tech prowess. These departments can troubleshoot from the start and are typically used as the trial run for solutions. As each department implements the new technology successfully, Governments can expand further into the state, easing their way into a true state-wide launch.
Each department can utilize features specific to them while staying under one umbrella solution that keeps things running smoothly. The transition might be intimidating, but when state Government leaders work together, implementing new state-wide technology solutions is generally easy, stress-free, and immediately effective!
Learn more about solutions for Government at https://imagesoftinc.com/government/.