3 Steps to Accelerate Digital Transformation in the Public Sector

By Jim Green, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs and Public Policy, Salesforce

Digital transformation is nothing new in the private sector. In every industry, companies are using digital technologies such as social, mobile, and cloud computing to upend traditional business models and create new ways of meeting consumer needs in an always-on world.

The public sector also has an opportunity to use digital technologies to interact with citizens in entirely new ways.

According to a 2015 Deloitte Digital Government Transformation study, where 1,200 government officials from over 70 countries were surveyed, it was found that only 13% are at a digitally maturing stage.

It was also found that “nearly 70 percent think that they are behind the private sector in terms of digital capabilities and less than 40 percent are satisfied with how their organisation has reacted to digital trends.”

With regards to Malaysian government entities and businesses, Oxford Business Group pointed out that Malaysia has indeed seen progress in adoption and promotion of technology, “but falls behind in the infrastructure and usage section, which speaks to its relatively large size and significant rural population.”

Looking at the US, an IDC study sponsored by Salesforce stated that 80% of US adults used a smartphone in 2016, while only 45% of government employees used a smartphone and the vast majority still used a desktop computer (81%) over a laptop (70%) or tablet (26%).

Some of the biggest barriers, according to the same Deloitte study, are too many competing priorities, insufficient funding, and security concerns.

As citizens increasingly use digital technologies in their daily lives, government agencies need to undergo a digital transformation in order to meet their needs. Casey Coleman, Salesforce’s Senior Vice President of Global Government Solutions, notes that:

“The government of the future will be organised around the citizen, and no longer will the public have to navigate a complicated bureaucracy to figure out where to get service.

“Through modernising technology, government organisations will not only add functionality but also gain the trust of their customers and constituents.”

Can the same digital technologies that have transformed the private sector help public agencies improve efficiencies and better serve citizens and businesses?

We believe they can. So if it’s possible, how can Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and technology executives at public agencies start to tackle digital transformation and IT modernisation in their own organisations?

Related: Why Public Cloud Is Inherently More Secure

The Challenges and Opportunities of Digital Transformation

Public agencies face unique challenges when it comes to acquiring, implementing, and using digital tools and technologies. In a webcast, Andrew Bartels, Vice President and Principal Analyst at Forrester Research, noted four differences that dictate how technology operates in the public sector vs. the private sector: tighter budgets, rules and regulations around staffing, the need to serve a wide range of users, and regulations around contracting and disclosure of data and public information.

However, Bartels says, these challenges also present opportunities: “Agencies can begin to look at cloud solutions as the way to manage resource issues, budget issues, and the wide spectrum of usage, and still do so in a way that complies with rules and regulations.”

Another thought leader on the topic, Rusty Pickens, the Founder and Principal of 580 Strategies and former Senior Advisor for Digital Platforms at the US Department of State, said during the webcast:

“The government should not be in the business of running servers and worrying about managing contracts and operations. By migrating many of their operations to the cloud, government agencies can put these services into the hands of people who do a really good job at it, so they can get back to the business of serving citizens.”

From Citizen Frustration to Satisfaction

Some government agencies are beginning to use digital tools to improve the way they engage citizens. One good example is the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) in the US. Today, many state DMV agencies are using online tools to let citizens schedule appointments, renew driver licenses and vehicle registrations, and perform other tasks. Bartels says that “by using these technologies, many DMVs have seen citizen opinion go from low to high.”

At the local level, some cities are using digital technologies to improve the way they manage water services and other utilities for residents. Bartels notes that in his hometown in New York, the city has installed electronic water meters that collect data on water usage, so it doesn’t need to send trucks or people out to read meters.

Steps to Accelerate Digital Transformation

So just how can CIOs and IT executives at public agencies begin to tackle digital transformation and the mass migration to cloud services? They can start by taking these three important steps:

• Start small. It’s never too late to get started with digital transformation or to accelerate current efforts. As Pickens says, “it’s going to take a lot of years, and a lot of money, and a lot of concerted effort across the federal government to move all these things to the cloud.” He advises IT managers to pick a pilot project and start experimenting.
• Improve processes. Another important step for agencies embarking on digital transformation is examining their current operations and processes and looking for ways to improve them. “First, it’s important to look at the processes you have, especially those that touch citizens,” says Bartels. “Identify any gaps, performance issues, cycle times, and results that are not meeting your expectations, and look at opportunities to improve those.”
• Collaborate. Whether at the federal, state or local level, government agencies can share information and best practices on what is working for them. For example, the US federal government created a CIO Council to share challenges and solutions across agencies, Pickens says. Eventually, it created FedRAMP to certify cloud vendors pre-approved by the government, which state and local agencies can borrow from.

By using new digital tools and migrating more services to the cloud, public agencies can get back to the business of providing services to citizens and improving their interactions with the government.

Article first appeared on the Salesforce blog.

Lava is an authorised Salesforce Partner in Malaysia and has more than a decade of experience in cloud solutions which includes marketing automation, CRM implementation, change management, and consultation. We pride ourselves in not just being a CRM partner but in also understanding the needs of our customers and taking their business to the next level.