{"id":1870,"date":"2022-02-21T20:51:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T20:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=1870"},"modified":"2023-10-26T20:23:39","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T20:23:39","slug":"digital-transformation-egovernment-connecting-public-services-citizen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/eu\/blog\/digital-transformation-egovernment-connecting-public-services-citizen\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Transformation & e-Government: Connect Public Services & Citizens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The world we live in today is a new one, and we need to work out how to adapt processes, systems, and services to that new world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public sector organisations need to adapt to the digital \u2018new normal\u2019 to give citizens what they want<\/a>. Building and maintaining trust is essential in public services. Connecting with citizens in a transparent, convenient, and frictionless way is key to achieving that trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like the private sector, the public sector faced dramatic changes during the pandemic. Familiar routines changed, and digital services became more important than ever. As well as meeting citizens\u2019 heightened expectations, there were new employee needs to consider. Things like flexible working became new must-haves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the sector’s greatest challenges was a lack of connection between systems. Legacy systems, siloed services, and lack of consistency around data in certain departments were obvious issues. According to the UK National Audit Office (NAO), the public sector doesn\u2019t have the same business operational focus that the private sector does. This has led to a lack of understanding of digital and data strategies<\/a> in government leadership. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scalable, digital public services<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re settling into a new world with new ways of working. Public sector organisations have a unique opportunity to embrace change. But there are unique challenges to face to avoid falling back into old habits and processes. To better serve citizens, public sector organisations have to take action to overcome those challenges. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting the right balance<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a tricky balance for public sector organisations. They are expected to provide excellent citizen services while providing value to the taxpayer. To balance the best possible service within budget constraints and taxpayer scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not always easy, is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trying to get the balance right and please citizens, stakeholders, and partners is so important. Public sector organisations need to streamline processes, increase efficiency, encourage innovation and have a long-term vision of success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s worth looking at the long-term value of any investment. Investing in small, basic, custom solutions might seem the best option for solving immediate problems. But this would no doubt end up more costly as you need to keep adding more and more custom solutions to \u2018fill the gaps\u2019. Searching for and investing in the most effective long-term solution would offer much more ROI, therefore ending up much more cost-effective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meeting heightened expectations<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the world was forced to change during the global health crisis, the public is used to digital service delivery and expects great digital customer service regardless of whether they are dealing with the public or private sector<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unique technical challenges<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the public sector, there are many outdated legacy systems. Not only does this raise issues in the money it costs to maintain and update, it usually means difficulty in providing a joined-up service and responding to challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using old, ineffective, costly, and time-consuming technology can mean poor service delivery to citizens. And not only that, it’s more of a strain on finances. Public sector organisations cannot continue with the same in-house systems for those reasons. Systems need to be future-proof, agile, and with low maintenance costs. Investing in innovation and using low-code\/no-code cloud platforms can help achieve this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital transformation helps the public sector face these challenges<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Public sector organisations are facing an urgent battle to make sure they\u2019re keeping up with the digital needs of citizens. They need to aim for the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n