How to move to a citizen-focused engagement model

Written by Amy Rall

We know that engaged citizens play a critical role in helping make government agencies more transparent, more effective and more accountable. In fact, putting increased attention on digital government services and the citizen experience was ranked as one of the biggest changes that state chief information officers expected to continue post-pandemic.

But too often, many citizens feel disenfranchised or otherwise unheard, and part of the reason for this has historically been that they haven’t always known the most effective way to contact and interact with agencies. The onus is on government agencies to ensure communications are accessible to all—not just a select few and to meet citizens where they’re at in terms of engagement.

A major part of many digital transformation goals for such agencies is to create more inclusive engagement, open new channels of communication and create a citizen-focused engagement model. But is this truly achievable? And if so, how do you get started?

Looking at the barriers to engagement
One of the biggest barriers to creating a system that fosters citizen engagement has to do with an agency’s culture. With almost any organization, it’s all too easy to get stuck in the status quo of how something has always been done and who has always done it.

Legacy technology is another barrier. In a survey conducted by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, 48 percent of respondents said at least half of their applications need to be modernized in order to support digital transformation goals. The government sector can’t always be as agile when it comes to technology. It’s easy to get wrapped up in bureaucratic red tape or budget lines waiting for authorization to invest in new technology.

A third barrier, interagency differences, is really a combination of the previous two. There are often communication barriers between various agencies or even different departments with agencies, and cutting through these is not always an easy task. Agencies and departments are also often using different systems and solutions, which can inhibit integration.

A legacy mindset is the fourth barrier. Some of the force behind this mindset is political. Some agencies may not want to share information with other agencies. In addition, there is fear of the unknown when it comes to new technology—and ignorance about what that technology can do for them now.

What a citizen-focused engagement model looks like
Creating a citizen-focused model of engagement requires a cultural shift—it comes down to thinking about the experience of engaging with state agencies from a citizen’s perspective. This is step one, and it requires re-evaluating how the state, not just individual agencies, holistically functions to serve its citizens. How easy is it for citizens to receive services? How much do they need to know about how independent agencies function and what programs are available?

Instead, are they able to go to a single state agency, provide their information once and be given access to all programs and resources available state-wide? Local governments that want to implement a more citizen-focused model need to break down the barriers between their agencies and create a single point for those citizens to be served. Use the power of technology to securely share citizen data across agencies and then proactively outreach to the citizens. Meet the citizens where they are, make access to programs easier and provide a government that truly serves its citizens.

The change process
Shifting to a new model starts with looking at how the data that’s already available is being used. From there, one agency can begin to share it with other agencies to create a single source of truth for each citizen versus each agency having their own siloed source of data. Beginning to break down the barriers from a data perspective is crucial.

Agencies need to take advantage of technological advances and the capabilities that didn’t exist even a couple of years ago. They also need to put a plan in place for change management to address not just the logistics but the internal cultural change that will be necessary.

The next step is to find a good partner. The right partner can play a key role in helping with some of the organizational change management that needs to happen. The partner will look at how things are currently being done. Then they’ll look at what technologies are in play and how to use them across agencies.

Look for a partner with experience in both the government and commercial sectors. Finding the right-sized company is also crucial. A partner that’s too small can’t support such a massive undertaking, but a partner that’s too big may not be willing to listen to client needs. Every state is similar, but also different.

Think about Amazon’s model. It’s about bringing the customer-first mentality to the forefront. When shoppers go to Amazon, they don’t care what company is selling the product to Amazon, they care that Amazon is providing the service. They’re going to Amazon to get exactly what they need in terms of the product, delivery and customer service. Once it’s delivered, if there are issues, the customers know Amazon will take care of them.

Similarly, agencies need to think about this in terms of the customer coming first. It doesn’t matter what agency a citizen interacts with; it is the state that’s responsible, and it should be providing an excellent, well-thought-out experience for citizens.

Creating maximum benefit for citizens
For government entities, whether state or local, a major part of digital transformation goals is to create more inclusive engagement, opening new channels of communication and truly creating government for the people. Departments and divisions, even within the same department, are often using different technologies and infrastructures that don’t always integrate and enable easy sharing of information. For constituents seeking information and looking to engage with these departments, that just makes it harder.

Without change, government agencies won’t be able to serve their constituents in a meaningful way. Change is rarely easy, but it doesn’t have to be a Herculean task. Today’s technology, coupled with a strong partner, can help agencies build a more constituent-focused model.

Amy Rall serves as president of public sector at DMI. In this role she oversees the company’s entire public sector business, which includes state and local, federal civilian, federal health, Department of Defense and national security portfolios. Prior to joining DMI, Rall was the CEO of Linkware Group, which successfully delivered AI/ML and DevSecOps border management technologies for governments. She also served as the senior vice president of the homeland and critical infrastructure business unit at SAIC and Unisys and was recognized for outstanding leadership and client delivery for work supporting border management, transportation and protection of critical infrastructure. Throughout her career she has provided leadership to IT teams focused on developing mission critical systems that enable integration of key technologies including enterprise IT, biometrics, computer vision, mobile, cloud and AI/ML and across the federal government.