Digital Transformation: Best Practices for Effective Constituent Engagement MARKET TRENDS REPORT
Executive Summary Digital constituent engagement has long been a goal at all levels of government, and many agencies have seen success with initiatives ranging from automated street repair requests to applying for unemployment to paying taxes. But everything changed with COVID-19. Forced to stay home, constituents began expecting even more from digital government services. That mindset seems to be sticking. Despite office reopenings, constituents still want to be able to easily access resources and conduct business with government from any device at any time. But governments also benefit from digitization. Digital services reduce the burden on IT staff, cutting costs and improving efficiency. The data gleaned from digital interactions can help improve collaboration among departments and enable greater analysis that can improve services, personalized delivery and greater efficiencies. Progress has been made, but digital maturity remains relatively low governmentwide. Often, existing infrastructure can’t easily accommodate the switch from in-person to hybrid or fully digital services delivery, and data is often scattered among multiple repositories. Agencies are ready for the next step: using data and analytics to benefit both constituents and their own operations. To learn more about how public-sector agencies can make real progress toward digital constituent services and digital government in general, GovLoop teamed with Tableau, whose data analytics platform is widely used to help agencies analyze and understand data and make strategic decisions.
The top government digital services are: • Accessing real-time public information services • Making payments for taxes, rates, fines or penalties • Filing tax returns, assessments or submissions
2
MARKET TRENDS REPORT
By The Numbers
2
60%
17
25%
44%
46%
80%
75%
The rank of digital government in technology priorities for state and local governments in 2020, up from 4 in 2019
countries have digital identity initiatives, including enabling the public to access government services online and issuing digital ID cards
of people don’t feel confident about their ability to access local government services
of government organizations are still at the initial or developing stage of digital maturity
of constituents choose to access government services digitally using a variety of technology
of Gen Z’ers don’t feel they can communicate with their local government in the way they would prefer
of U.S. citizens believe government’s use of technology to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic was effective
of government officials say their organization is moving toward providing more services online
DIGITAL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: TRANSFORMATION: BEST BEST PRACTICES PRACTICES FOR FOR EFFECTIVE EFFECTIVE CONSTITUENT CONSTITUENT ENGAGEMENT ENGAGEMENT
3
Satisfying Constituent Preferences Requires Digital Transformation Challenge: A Shaky Foundation Migrating from in-person services to hybrid or fully digital services delivery in response to constituent demand requires overcoming many challenges, including: • Finding the data. Applications tend to create data in multiple places, and those data sources aren’t always connected. The data itself also can be formatted differently in different locations, making it difficult to connect it in a way that tells a unified story. • Harnessing the data. Every phone call, application, request and action the government or its constituents perform generates data. The key is finding a way to efficiently separate valuable data from the rest to make it useful. For example, simply putting all of the data on a dashboard or website won’t do the trick; it is too much for anybody to wade through. Think about crime statistics: Constituents want to know what’s happening in their local communities and how it compares to what’s happening in other areas of the county or state. This requires analyzing reams of data, but the right data — not irrelevant or extraneous data.
• Overcoming legacy roadblocks. Agencies often must work with a combination of legacy systems and more modern systems. This can create infrastructure roadblocks that make providing digital capabilities to constituents difficult or impossible. The only way to fix the problem is by digitally transforming as many processes and systems as possible. Digital transformation is a critical first step that makes digital constituent engagement possible. For instance, without the backend digital infrastructure, constituents would not be able to access government services with a handheld smart device and quickly complete a task.
Solution: Data-Driven Services Keeping up-to-date with COVID vaccination data in the region, finding answers to passport questions quickly or renewing library books — constituents want to do it all digitally. Making these scenarios and others like them possible comes down to two things: good data and effective analytics. “Analytics is becoming an extremely important way for agencies to truly understand the level of service they are providing,” said Graham Stroman, a Vice President in Tableau’s government and education division. It’s just as important as a tool to provide transparency back to constituents on how services are being provided and government is performing, he added. Incorporating analytics into the digital service model requires being able to connect to all relevant data sources — whether on premise or in the cloud — and to prepare them for analysis through cleaning and curating. Analysts can then create and publish visualizations and dashboards. This allows constituents to view and interact with the data and get
4
updates and alerts. Additionally, it enables other government agencies to share and collaborate, creating cross-agency services that benefit constituents. For example, a state that wanted to improve service used this method to analyze contact center trends. The analysis uncovered a subset of people who called the contact center dozens of times every Monday to request a password reset. This information led to further analysis and a decision to implement a different type of authentication that did not rely on remembering passwords. Data analytics can be used to improve digital customer service in other ways. For example, a US State DMV has erected kiosks statewide and encourages constituents to use them for transactions that don’t require in-person visits. By analyzing each kiosk’s activity, the state can easily determine which are overused and which are underused, and redistribute the kiosks to improve customer wait times (see case study, below).
MARKET TRENDS REPORT
Best Practices in Data-Driven Services Think of data analytics like a command center for major decisions. An analytics platform is basically an inventory of decisions that can be made based on the data you collect. By thinking of data analytics as a command center— one place where data from multiple sources is available to be analyzed and visualized — decision-makers can better understand every angle of a potential decision. “There should be a command center for every set of major decisions that needs to be made,” says Anthony Young, a Senior Manager, Solutions Engineering, at Tableau.
Don’t assume that everyone will embrace the digital switch right away. While it’s inevitable that agencies will need to transform, it’s not easy for everybody to change their mindsets. That goes for both government employees and constituents, especially those who are older and are not digital natives. On the government side, employees appreciate notice, training and patience. For constituent services, agencies should have a section of Frequently Asked Questions accompanying every service, along with a help-desk number people can call for assistance from a live agent. These steps will become less important over time, but they are critical to facilitating the acceptance of doing things digitally today.
Foster trust by implementing strong governance. Data governance is a combination of controls, roles and repeatable processes that creates trust and confidence in data and analytics. It provides the guidelines and structure needed to properly protect data and content, but also provides the permissions and access needed for a selfservice environment to be successful. A successful program is collaborative, resulting in a clear understanding of where data comes from and who owns what. It also results in known processes to follow when data changes are required.
Build security into the process. To ensure that data governance also addresses security and privacy concerns, choose a data analytics platform will enable you to determine exactly who can see specific types of data and to configure authentication and network security. This often happens through roles and permissions, which dictate who can access data, the actions those users can perform on the data, who can add comments and who can connect to specific data sources.
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: BEST PRACTICES FOR EFFECTIVE CONSTITUENT ENGAGEMENT
5
Case Study: Analytics Help a DMV Drive Better Performance A State DMV found itself at a crossroads just before the pandemic arrived and disrupted everything. At the time, they were looking to use analytics to modernize and transform call center performance. They were also dealing with a surge in work related to the REAL ID mandate, which requires millions of people to apply for new driver’s licenses. As luck would have it, the two challenges intersected perfectly, and analytics with Tableau was the common thread. To make it easier for call center agents to manage REAL ID work, the agency decided to offload other work through the use of chatbots. Using Tableau’s analytics, they identified common and straightforward questions that could be handled through automation, rather than taking up call center agents’ time. Once the chatbots were trained, the percentage of calls agents handled quickly dropped by double digits.
Additionally, the DMV used Tableau to track the performance of its kiosks, which constituents use to conduct simple transactions. These kiosks are vital because they reduce the demand on the department’s main facilities and phone lines, allowing agents to focus on more complex transactions, such as REAL ID. With the insights Tableau provided, the DMV decreased wait times, increased appointment times and increased kiosk use overall. Operations flourished because of a successful transition to a modernized, data-driven set of processes, making it possible to put REAL ID in the hands of state residents well in advance of the 2023 deadline for making the switch.
HOW TABL EAU HEL P S Tableau’s visual analytics platform is a business intelligence tool that has helped agencies in all 50 states with data prep, analysis, governance, collaboration and insights. During the pandemic, 37 states used Tableau to analyze critical data, keeping constituents informed. Offerings include: • Tableau Prep Builder: Provides a visual and direct way to combine, shape and clean data, and automate data prep flows
• Tableau Server: Allows users to organize, edit, share and collaborate on Tableau dashboards • Tableau Online: The Tableau analytics platform, fully hosted in the cloud • Tableau Mobile: Allows users to securely access and monitor important dashboards and key performance indicators anytime, from anywhere For more information: www.tableau.com
• Tableau Desktop: Provides unlimited data exploration through an intuitive interface, allowing users to build visualizations with dragand-drop capabilities, use artificial intelligencedriven statistical modeling, and ask questions using natural language
6
MARKET TRENDS REPORT
Conclusion Survey after survey finds that most constituents want to engage with agencies digitally for everything from applying for permits to requesting street repairs. At the same time, many constituents don’t think government digital services are quite there yet, with many citing access difficulties and the desire to engage with agencies using multiple methods. Agencies understand the importance of getting digital constituent engagement right, and are determined to do what it takes to make it happen. Those that haven’t undergone a full digital transformation understand that it’s the first step, setting the stage for what happens next: finding a way to gather and analyze relevant data sources from multiple places. Combined with a strong visual analytics platform, agencies can see patterns and solve complex problems. “Data is becoming a bigger and bigger issue for all agencies as they further modernize their systems,” Stroman said. “That analytics is more and more critical as a way for agencies to truly understand the level of service they are providing, and as a way to provide insight to constituents on how government is performing.”
A B OU T TAB LEAU
ABOUT CARA HS O F T
A B O UT G OV LO O P
Tableau helps people see and understand data. Tableau’s self-service analytics platform empowers people of any skill level to work with data. From individuals and non-profits to government agencies and the Fortune 500, tens of thousands of customers around the world rely on Tableau’s advanced analytics capabilities to make impactful, data-driven decisions.
Carahsoft is the trusted government IT solutions provider, combining technological expertise with a thorough understanding of the government procurement process to help public sector organizations select and implement the best solution at the best possible value. As a topranked GSA Schedule Contract holder, Carahsoft is the largest government partner, serving as the master government aggregator for many of its best-of-breed vendors and driving value for an extensive ecosystem of IT manufacturers, resellers, system integrators, and consulting partners.
GovLoop’s mission is to “connect government to improve government.” We aim to inspire public-sector professionals by serving as the knowledge network for government. GovLoop connects more than 300,000 members, fostering crossgovernment collaboration, solving common problems and advancing government careers. GovLoop is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a team of dedicated professionals who share a commitment to connect and improve government.
For more information please visit www.tableau.com
For more information please visit www.carahsoft.com/.
For more information about this report, please reach out to info@ govloop.com.
DIGITAL DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION: TRANSFORMATION: BEST BEST PRACTICES PRACTICES FOR FOR EFFECTIVE EFFECTIVE CONSTITUENT CONSTITUENT ENGAGEMENT ENGAGEMENT
7
1152 15th St. NW Suite 800 Washington, DC 20005 P: (202) 407-7421 | F: (202) 407-7501 www.govloop.com @GovLoop