The Cloud Experience: Improving Government Services

The benefits cloud applications provide are now well known: improved scalability, security, budgeting predictability, IT efficiency, hardware savings, and access to the latest technology.

But lesser known is how the cloud can enable community engagement and improve services for constituents. In fact, cloud applications are essential to meet constituent needs for modern digital services and access to information (both being public sector priorities, according to NASCIO¹ and Gartner² research).

Below, we look at fundamental questions and metrics to consider when planning and evaluating your cloud journey.

Meet Your Community Where They Are

Today’s pace of technological change has elevated the public’s expectations of its use in all aspects of their daily lives. Expectations for government services are no exception. While some governments still have paper-based processes and others have aging, on-premises software, all governments can improve their community members' experience by transitioning to a higher level of digital maturity.

Today's cloud-based government solutions are crucial to modernization. The following questions offer a starting point for thinking strategically about optimizing cloud use for community engagement:

• What are the critical resident needs and pain points to address by transitioning to a higher level of digital maturity, and can these improvements be prioritized?
• What funding, resources, and technology partnerships are needed for a successful transition to cloud-based solutions?
• What measures and strategies should be in place with any technology partner to address potential data security, privacy, and compliance questions when adopting cloud-based technologies?
• What change management strategies, capacity-building initiatives, and skill development programs can be implemented to support our employees in their service to the public?

Leverage the Cloud to Elevate Your Community's Experience

On the Tyler Tech Podcast, Russell Gainford, Tyler's senior vice president of cloud strategy and operations, discusses the evolution of digital government services and how cloud technology can enhance the resident experience.

Measure Resident Experiences

The cloud's ability to optimize internal operations and enhance community engagement is a powerful combination. Measuring the impacts of the new technology on a community is critical to gauge effectiveness and recognize opportunities for improvement. Core measurements include:

• User adoption: Measure new accounts and unique active users to understand how well residents receive solutions.
• Service usage: Monitor the number of new services used and the frequency of service access to understand user engagement.
• Payment processing: Assess the number of new saved payment methods and transactions to gauge the experience of the payment process.
• User interactions: Track the volume of new events, documents, notifications, and form submissions to measure resident engagement.

The bookends of effective strategic planning and measurements are critical in harnessing the power of technology to meet the needs of your community.

References

¹ NASCIO CIO survey. Dec. 12, 2022. https://www.nascio.org/resource-center/resources/state-cio-top-ten-policy-and-technology-priorities-for-2023/

² Gartner Press Release, Gartner Announces the Top 10 Government Technology Trends for 2023, April 17, 2023. https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-04-17-gartner-announces-the-top-10-government-technology-trends-for-2023