An experience designed with the resident in mind
For Jonathan, the twin concepts of digital transformation and digital maturity go beyond technology. While there’s certainly a shift in process and mindset, these ideas should always revolve around people — both residents within the community and those who serve them. Illuminating his vision of what a truly transformed government experience would look like, he says, “We see simplified journeys, fewer handoffs, clearer communication, and self‑service options that reduce pressure on front‑line teams while improving outcomes for residents.”
For Jonathan, inclusion and accessibility are an integral part of this transformation — as are trust and transparency and a government experience that is designed with the resident in mind.
Barriers to digital transformation and how to overcome them
While this transformation has the potential to bring an almost idyllic vision of government to life, there are, as Jonathan acknowledges, specific barriers to overcome in achieving it. In his view, “budget constraints, legacy systems, skills gaps, and change fatigue” can be roadblocks to transformation. However, these obstacles can be overcome with strong leadership and a clear vision of the future. Furthermore, Jonathan believes that the implementation of modular cloud platforms, the careful delivery of service solutions, and the upskilling of teams are also paramount in effecting change.
But as Jonathan acknowledges, a lack of resources is a considerable obstacle in terms of transforming operations, particularly for smaller councils. As he says, organisations who fall into this category should “target high‑volume, high‑friction journeys first — places where small improvements deliver big wins.”
Technology, of course, plays a vital role in the government of the future; but certain emerging technologies will ultimately have a bigger impact.
“We need to focus on
AI and automation for triage, case routing, and knowledge retrieval; analytics for demand forecasting; secure cloud for resilience and scalability; and conversational interfaces that make services more intuitive.”
Jonathan Bradley
Senior Experience Partner, Granicus
Enlightening insights from our recent survey
Speaking of the knowledge gleaned from our recent Digital Maturity Quiz — a survey that captured insights from a range of Granicus audiences across the UK government and public sectors — Jonathan says, “The results were certainly enlightening.” He adds that, “When asking about the processes involved around digital transformation … less than half [of respondents] felt confident that they were able to prioritise audience growth.”
On the back of this, only half of respondents felt they had a true understanding of their community and its specific needs. When it comes to shifting their operations, a similar number of those surveyed felt they had all the tools they needed to transform their organisations. For Jonathan, “The findings highlighted that while many public sector organisations have taken steps toward digital transformation, significant gaps remain in turning data into actionable insights.” The inability to combine data sources, leverage resident feedback, and track engagement suggests that transformation efforts are still largely fragmented and reactive.
The survey also focused on the impact of digital transformation on those responsible for its delivery. For Jonathan this insight revealed that, “while many organisations have invested in skilled communications teams, structural and operational gaps remain. The lack of governance enforcement, limited cross-team collaboration, and insufficient performance analysis indicate that digital transformation is still siloed and inconsistent across local and central government.”
Laying a path to the future: Tangible tactics and strategies
Digital transformation — moving from a present full of challenge and change to a future ripe with possibility — isn’t a straightforward process. But for Jonathan, it’s a vision well worth striving for, one that offers organisations and residents “intuitive, accessible services that work the first time; joined‑up data informing policy; empowered staff using modern tools; and a culture of continuous improvement.” It is, he says, a place where “residents feel heard, supported, and able to self-serve,” all while freeing staff to focus on helping those with deeper, more complex needs.
With all of this in mind, Jonathan offers up the following actionable tips, each of which can be used to guide councils along on their journey of digital transformation. If your organisation is seeking to transform its operations, start by:
- Identifying one high‑impact customer journey, an area of your operations where a small change could make a huge difference (adult social care, for example).
- Mapping the current resident experience of this journey (i.e., channels for contact and query processing times along with common pain points).
- Setting clear success metrics for what you want to achieve by transforming your operations in this particular part of your business.
- Designing a transformed experience. This should be a collaborative effort, implementing input from staff and residents, and should always include accessibility testing.
- Measuring and replicating the success of your digital strategy.
- Scaling this success to customer journeys in other parts of your operations.
Digital transformation offers organisations a bolder vision of how they can better serve their communities. It’s an entirely new journey, but we at Granicus are here to help.
