WHAT IS DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN GOVERNMENT AND THE PUBLIC SECTOR?

Definition of Digital Transformation in Government

Digital transformation within a government is defined by the adoption of technology that increases efficiency, enables agility, and unlocks value for the organization and/or the community it serves.

Digital transformation can be found by replacing outdated software or legacy systems, long-standing processes, and inefficient or manual functions within a government operation.

One common example of digital transformation in government is the movement from hard copy documentation to electronic records stored in the cloud using govtech solutions.

Local government role in digital transformation

As stewards of public dollars, state and local government officials are tasked with overseeing the business of government.   To be successful in the endeavor, government stewards must establish and maintain public trust by demonstrating transparency and accountability.

With a responsibility to promote the most reliable and secure means of providing public services, state and local government staff play a critical role in evaluating options that increase efficiency and value for the organization and community.

Learn how the City of Revere, MA increased public trust and community engagement around redistricting efforts.

Benefits of local government digital transformation

There are a number of benefits state and local governments can realize through digital transformation efforts.  In particular, benefits associated with citizen engagement tactics and processes are numerous and impactful both internally and externally; here are a few:

Increased Community Engagement

State and local governments that use govtech solutions to expand community engagement opportunities benefit from a broader more representative sampling of input.   Digital tools like online surveys, virtual public meetings, SMS text messaging, and automated multilingual language closed captioning increase engagement opportunities while naturally addressing accessibility issues.

Read about how nonresponses from critical demographics limit the ability to document representation.

Accessibility, Transparency, and Accountability

In its simplest form, transparency is the best vehicle for governments to achieve an accountable and open rapport with community members.  The use of digital tools to increase transparency includes solutions like project microsites helps make information more accessible.

See how the City of Rancho Cucamonga used integrated communications to increase accessibility and transparency using a Public Portal and project microsites.

Increased Efficiency and Cost Savings

As stewards of public funds, state and local governments are responsible for ensuring a fiscally responsible and efficient process.  State and local governments avoid expensive and inefficient options by reducing the amount of time and resources required to collect and analyze data using digital solutions.  One example of this could be reducing the expenses and process time associated with exclusively relying on paper surveys that must be printed, recollected, and manually entered.

Learn how the City of Raleigh, NC was able to keep their Affordable Housing project timeline on target by using an equitable approach to community engagement.

Agile Decision-Making

State and local governments can increase their agility to collect input and respond to feedback using digital tools.   With an array of agility benefits ranging from real-time feedback, automated analysis and reporting, governments can make more informed decisions in a shorter amount of time.

Read More: How state and local governments are empowered by a unified engagement process that makes collecting, analyzing, and sharing data quick and easy.

Citizen engagement that offers integrated resident experiences

State and local governments provide external benefit to the community they serve by offering multiple ways for the community to contribute in the decision-making process.  An integrated resident experience may include numerous opportunities and access points for residents to participate in the engagement process resulting in:

• • • a broader (representative) more highly engaged sampling of the community
    • increased collaboration between community members and government
    • data driven decision-making

Govtech that digitally integrates and transforms the community member experience must therefore offer a solution that simplifies access, is user friendly, and offers a selection of synchronous and asynchronous engagement opportunities.

Real-time automated and transparent

Timeliness is often the first casualty of an inefficient government process.  As a result,  increases in delays associated with requests for information can negatively impact public trust and rapport between the government and stakeholders.

Digital transformation increases internal efficiencies and allows staff to be more proactive, transparent and responsive to stakeholders.  Govtech automation examples include benefits to both internal and external parties.  Manual process upgrades that allow real time reporting for staff and external access to transcripts/documentation for the community are two examples.

Find out how to build reports, share data, group participants, and create custom segments and weave all these elements together to tell a powerful story of engagement.

How local governments can encourage citizen empowerment through digital transformation

Digital transformation supports state and local government efforts to empower residents to be engaged in the public decision making process.

PublicInput offers a solution that eliminates silos and builds a system of record that matures with each engagement.  Thoughtfully developed through the experiences gleaned by thousands of projects executed across the US and Canada, the PublicInput platform offers a variety of tools and tactics to help local governments engage more citizens including:

• • • Online public engagement portals for residents to find projects, meetings, and information (see a live public engagement portal here)
    • Survey and interactive mapping tools
    • Synchronized project email inboxes and voicemail hotlines
    • Text message and email notifications
    • Social media comment capture and targeted promotion
    • Automated and customizable translation tools
    • A census-integrated reporting and analysis suite

PublicInput, a Fully Integrated Govtech Solution

The PublicInput platform is the only fully integrated govtech solution that uses smart technology to digitally transform state and local government approaches to citizen engagement.

With the PublicInput govtech solution, governments can listen, communicate, build momentum, collaborate (both virtually and in-person), and close the feedback loop with citizens.  Find out how your community can benefit today!