By: Katie Pusz, Copywriter, ImageSoft
Need a ride? Text an Uber. Want to check your account balance? There’s an app for that. Waiting for your car to get serviced? Catch up on those work emails.
People are busier than ever before and, in a rush to make the most of every minute, we depend on technology to help us achieve it all. Businesses are taking note of this tech-driven consumerism and are flourishing their customer satisfaction efforts by making products and services readily available through apps and the internet. This technology trend is catching fire well beyond traditional retail and service providers and is now unearthing multi-faceted opportunities for government agencies across the nation.
In Recent News…
A recent Route Fifty article speaks to this truth. It describes how government workers are encouraged to accept and lean into this technological turn of customer service as citizens and constituents demand easier and faster access to government service and data. Not only because it will make the public happier, but it will make your office shine from the inside out. After all, when traditionally-manual processes get boiled down to the click of a button, workplace efficiency and office morale rise to the top.
Efficiency aside, there is also another threat washing over many paper-centric organizations: silver tsunamis.
When Government Goes Digital
How can you tell if you need to modernize your agency’s processes? Well, if you’re still using floppy disks, storing records in filing cabinets, running obsolete hardware, or using a computer system that was built in the ‘70s, this is for you.
If you have staff that’s been going about this time-intensive process for years, needing an upgrade might not resonate right away. After all, the jobs are getting done… eventually. But the heart of the issue isn’t just getting a job done – the genuine concern is that most government agencies today can’t meet the needs of their constituents.
So, you’re at a crossroads: your inefficient processes are frustrating your staff and the public, your paper records are at risk, and you need to find a cost and time effective way to do a 180° with your current technology. Where to go from here?
Implementing Change: Technology and Staff
Despite understanding all the reasons why they need to make the switch, too many government agencies are hung up on how to implement the change. It’s understandable, considering a digital makeover sounds a bit expensive. Like many, you’re probably envisioning your staff sitting through boring lectures, struggling to maneuver complex codes, and/or watching a stampede of impatient constituents line up while your staff struggles with a new system.
If you want to go the long way around, you can. But government is a niche market that needs custom solutions for implementing efficiencies that workers and constituents can enjoy. So before you jump into general digitalization strategies, consider the electronic solution designed with only government agencies in mind.
Believe it or not, transforming your agency into a digital, efficient and (mostly) stress-free environment is as easy as a three-letter word: ECM. With OnBase’s enterprise content management system, your affordable solution will integrate with any existing software to immediately adapt and grow alongside your agency. And with a 360-degree picture of all your information, records and documents in one platform, you’ll acclimate to the easy life in no time.
Once you’ve decided to switch to OnBase, you can leave the technological implementation up to us. Your job, however, is to implement the change within your agency. Most changes are not immediately well received, and procedural overhauls are usually one of them. Before you share the news with your staff, understand their initial anxieties, address them, and reassure everyone that “increasing efficiency” does not mean making staff cuts – everyone’s job is safe and will only get better. Remember that attitudes trickle down, so encourage your agency’s leaders to corral support, positivity and encouragement every chance they can. We’ve heard that a little cake never hurts.
Is your agency half way to paper-on-demand, plastered in paper, or somewhere in between? Is that where you want your agency to be, or are you working toward a more efficient environment?