5 Ways To Ensure Effective Channel-Shift in 2015
As ominous as it may sound, public sector organisations who fail to plan effectively for channel shift will find 2015 and beyond a challenge.
That's not a statement that undermines the effectiveness of Channel Shift, far
from it. It's a call to action to help public sector organisations understand
that migrating services online is an important opportunity that demands a
re-think on how your authority does things.
And with channel-shift likely a dramatic change from your current procedures,
it's important you spend a considerable amount of time assessing the situation
before launching yourselves into the digital environment.
As Abraham Lincoln put it - “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will
spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
In other words - plan well and the job that follows will be a LOT easier!
So without further a do - here's some Zipporah top tips to help you plan for
2015 in the best possible way - to see success and not struggle.
1) Redesign your processes
Many government services rely on digitised
versions of pre-digital business processes. These are typically layered on top
of archaic IT systems, some of which are over 30 years old. Beyond the
obvious limitation this poses, this approach fails to take advantage
of the opportunities that modern IT solutions offer -
from pre-population of information to dynamic response to users selections and
effective data sharing.
It’s clear then that processes need a lot of
work. But it's important to understand why.
In short, the most subtle redesign to processes can have a big impact on
transaction speeds, the number of failed transactions and the user journey
itself - which in turn means higher and more reliable revenues, and
marginalised costs.
Promoting channel shift is key to its success. If very few residents use
online, the results which online can deliver will understandably be
limited.
As well as a business process mapping
assessment (to help you understand how efficient, quick and intuitive your
service is), you'll also need to identify what it is in the offline
process that users prefer to retain and what hesitations they have about a digital
service - to incorporate the right solutions in your digital platform. This
might include user groups or surveys, alongside assessment of analytics -
particularly useful for measuring current customer trends when visiting your
current website.
Once you've decided on core process
inclusions, it's important to gather information around individual demographic
groups and their preferred route of engagement. This will help you to build
characteristic profiles which you can measure all future processes against
- an important step if your authority aims to be one that
practices digital inclusion for all of its resident types.
2) Focus on 'working out loud'
In our 2014 'year review' we discussed some
examples of local authorities who, through implementing a policy of transparent
planning, were able to avoid potential hurdles and make better and more popular
decisions as a result.
Working out loud is an increasingly popular
practice in channel shift process, becoming in many instances essential in
making the most of user input and establishing a clear vision for channel shift.
This was demonstrated most explicitly
when Lancashire opened up a forecast
calculator to the
public - handing them the reins on where they thought the money should and
shouldn't be spent between 2015-18.
Educating residents on the tough decisions
facing councils in periods of austerity potentially lifted a good deal of
pressure that may otherwise have been faced further down the line. What's more, Lancashire was able to utilize feedback to help
them develop relevant solutions that met customers needs in the course of their
digital delivery.
Working out loud also applies to in council
sharing of information around channel shift. Early adopters should be
encouraged to share their experiences, and to inspire others to cut the
millions of pounds wasted on out-of-date service methods.
G-Cloud 6 is in the final stages of its
roll-out and if its anything like its predecessors it will prove an invaluable
resource for local authorities - helping them to make more informed and
flexible decisions around channel shift, as well helping suppliers to
understand evolving needs as they present themselves.
3) Channel-push
Promoting
channel shift is key to its success. If very few residents use online, the
results which online can deliver will understandably be limited.
Ruthless advertising of channel shift should therefore be high
on your agenda for 2015.
Whether that's actively reducing the contact
channels available to customers, or simply incentivising online - customers
need to know where your aspirations for service delivery lie, and why the web
works for them. Setting back submission dates online, passing on lower costs where fees are based on cost
recovery or simple entries into prize draws can all help to encourage digital
adoption externally.
Internally, department
managers and directors will need to drive channel-shift into the lifestyles of
staff to help overcome one of the biggest barriers to channel shift, staff
culture. Mentoring of staff by channel-shift experts, external to your organisation,
will also be essential to build the confidence of your teams.
4) Get responsive
Despite evidence of a growing use of mobile
devices as the route into digital channels, only a handful of government
digital services cater fully for the needs of mobile internet users.
Statistics suggest that access to council
websites via responsive devices is close to the 50% mark, and
2015 could be the year that this half way mark is surpassed. It's
clear then society is becoming increasingly 'on the go' and mobile is the
platform of choice for the majority - with young and lower incomes increasingly
accessing via smartphone and with tablets on the rise among the
elderly.
Mobile phone ownership is now widespread (86%
of UK adults have a mobile phone). 56% of UK adults own a mobile that is
internet-enabled, and their use to access the internet is growing.
It's no good grabbing hold of online systems
that are tailored only for desktop access.
We've all experienced the
frustration of poor functionality and readability at sites that don't
cater for the mobile market - make it difficult for your customers
and they will make it difficult for you, if they even stick around at all.
Optimise for use across any and every
platform, and failed transaction and phone calls will plummet - leaving
you with millions saved.
5) Consider 'All in one' solutions
Implementing solutions individually, rather than developing a consistent
approach to user experience across the government digital estate, is still
extremely common when compared with 'all in one' solutions which typically are
not.
Yet with 'all in one'
solutions - solutions that deliver mass channel shift to a number of core
service areas - there's a catalogue of positives that an overwhelming majority
are yet to discover.
When referring to
'All-in-ones' local authorities should consider how multiple systems integrate
and exchange. In many respects this ties into process redesign -
where opportunities to pre-populate, respond to users’ selections or
initiate effective data sharing present themselves. The consequence of
this measure is to enhance usability, efficiency and multi-tasking of systems -
which helped drive costs down and prevent workloads.
With 'all in one' the user experience of
government transactions remains consistent and easy to navigate rather than
confusing - particularly for less confident users. Familiarity drives usage,
and usage drives familiarity, so all in one should be a real consideration for
2015 and beyond.
