Improving Access: Solutions for Public Sector Challenges

Tyler Tech Podcast Episode 106, Transcript

The Tyler Tech Podcast explores a wide range of complex, timely, and important issues facing communities and the public sector. Expect approachable tech talk mixed with insights from subject matter experts and a bit of fun. Each episode highlights the people, places, and technology making a difference. Give the podcast a listen today and subscribe.

Show Notes:

In this episode of the Tyler Tech Podcast, we conclude our special two-part series on the concept of access, focusing on how technology can help organizations break down barriers and provide access to essential services, resources, and opportunities. Four experts from Tyler Technologies share unique insights into enhancing accessibility in the public sector.

Kristine Lim, product manager in Tyler’s Data & Insights Division, discusses the importance of practical data governance and how data-driven tools can measure and improve access to public services. Daren Jackson, senior vice president of disbursements, provides a thoughtful perspective on how payment technology fosters financial access, urging governments to adopt a broader approach to problem-solving.

Urvi Pandya, general manager of Workforce Case Management, shares strategies for creating safe and accessible work environments, emphasizing the role of community collaboration in simplifying data management. Finally, industry engagement consultant Kim Martin highlights innovations in student transportation systems, demonstrating how technology can enhance service delivery for students and their families.

Be sure to subscribe to the Tyler Tech Podcast for more insights into the technologies shaping the public sector today!

We also detail our latest white paper about how artificial intelligence (AI) is empowering public sector agencies to tackle workforce shortages, modernize outdated systems, and navigate budget constraints. You can download that here: Revolutionizing the Government Workforce With AI.

Learn more about the topics discussed in this episode with these resources:

• Download: Driving Financial Equity With Technology
• Success Story: Chattanooga’s New Public Safety Vision
• Podcast: Student Transportation Tech Solutions
• Video: Introduction to Workforce Case Management
• Blog: Transforming Government Payments Through a Unified Platform
• Blog: Building Trust Through Effective Case Management
• Blog: Unified Case Management Streamlines Processes
• Blog: Harnessing Data and Insights for Community Development
• Blog: Data, Equity, and Policing

Listen to other episodes of the podcast.

Let us know what you think about the Tyler Tech Podcast in this survey.

Transcript:

Daren Jackson: My advice to governments is just to be broader in their thought process about these real people who have real challenges that are solvable. I mean, I realize there are problems in this world that are not solvable.

These are solvable if they're thoughtful and they're intentional about the way that they bring forth these solutions.

Josh Henderson: From Tyler Technologies, it’s the Tyler Tech Podcast, your go-to source for insightful conversations with thought leaders addressing key issues impacting the public sector today. I’m Josh Henderson, part of the corporate marketing team here at Tyler. We’re thrilled to have you with us. In each episode, we dive into the technologies, trends, and strategies shaping our communities, spotlighting the people and innovations driving progress in the public sector. If you enjoy our podcast, please consider subscribing, leaving us a five-star rating, and sharing it with others.

Today, we’re concluding our special two-part series on the concept of access, exploring how technology — from data-driven tools to workforce management solutions — helps organizations break down barriers and provide greater access to essential services, resources, and opportunities across the public sector.

In this episode, we continue our conversation with Tyler experts who share their valuable insights.

Senior vice president of disbursements Daren Jackson highlights how payment technology can increase financial access for underserved communities. Urvi Pandya, general manager of Workforce Case Management, shares her insights on how workforce management technology can make government services more accessible. Lastly, industry engagement consultant Kim Martin illustrates how technology can enhance student transportation systems, ensuring they operate smoothly and efficiently.

Whether you’re a government leader or a public sector professional, this episode is filled with valuable insights to wrap up our exploration of access.

So, without further ado, let’s start with Kristine Lim, a product manager in Tyler’s Data & Insights Division. Kristine shares how data governance can help governments better understand the needs of their communities, making public services more accessible and ensuring no one is left behind.

Kristine Lim: I think people can be somewhat intimidated when they hear data governance programs or, like, what is your day-to-day management process.

But really you could start simple. Like a lot of our customers that we've talked to, they do some element of data cataloging by writing in spreadsheets, writing on pieces of paper. Right? So, I think more often than not, people actually do have data programs whether they're official or not.

But I would say as a piece of advice for those who are looking to start their journey in, like, a more formalized data governance process, work with the people that are hands on doing the more manual tasks. So, for the people that are, like, needing to create this spreadsheet manually of, for example, like, attendance at a park or a local recreation center. Work with them to understand, like, what are the data points that you're asking for?

What do you need to report on federally or for statewide requirements?

And then also, like, how can we make this process better? So, I think coming from a place of curiosity first, especially when you're developing the program right off the bat.

It will put you in a better position because I think if you just create a program and kind of go with the status quo of here's a report that we think someone will need but it's not actually utilized then, you know, you waste a lot of time and a lot of energy trying to create something that is not really beneficial for your employees but also for the public. And so, I would say that that is a good place to start is work with the people who are actually going to be hands on utilizing the data to understand what is most important to build.

Josh Henderson: Start small. Go from there. That's great advice.

How can organizations be continuously improving and working towards long term efforts as opposed to just short-term efforts?

Kristine Lim: I love this question so much because the answer, I think, could be many things, but a very easy lever to pull is utilizing your own data to measure progress.

So, the solutions that we have at Tyler, built into it, there are reporting and analytics tools that allow you to visualize where you started as a baseline and then like are you improving or are you not? And just having that once again objective but not subjective feeling. As the objective here are the numbers, we see a ten percent increase in visitation, or we see a thirty percent decrease in the number of crimes that were committed in this area as an example. All of that can be tracked so that you can use that data to then, like, course correct in the middle.

And so rather than focusing on the short-term goal of, like, hey, let's just launch this program and see where we go. You have data that continues. Because the process continues.

And so that lives with your program and that allows that data to be alive as almost a I don't know if like advisor is the right word, but just as like a Reference point.

A reference point. Yeah. Absolutely. Of like how you're doing and if it makes sense to keep going. And if it doesn't make sense to keep going in that way, how you might pivot based on some of these other metadata points.

Josh Henderson: Now let's explore how creating access to financial services can have a lasting impact on communities. Daren Jackson, senior vice president of disbursements at Tyler, discusses how an empathetic approach to problem solving in government payment systems can help ensure that more individuals, especially those in underserved communities, gain access to financial support.

Daren Jackson: My advice to governments is just to be broader in their thought process about these real people who have real challenges that are solvable. I mean, I realize there's problems in this world that are not solvable.

But these are solvable if they're thoughtful and they're intentional about the way that they bring forth these solutions. So, I just think it's super important that as far as the advice I give to government is pretend you're walking in the shoes of these people that have these challenges, have a little bit of empathy, and do your part to service people and really make a difference.

Whenever I think about building solutions, it's really, it's super critical, the sustainability component of it. So, I understand that oftentimes in government, it's kind of we introduce a solution.

It slowly or for a very short term solves the pain, but it doesn't solve the long-term effect. And I think that the way I would answer that is that if a government is thoughtful in getting to the root cause of what's the true issue of the problem, I realize you have to solve something for the short term to alleviate short term pain. But then if a government is thoughtful about what caused this situation to occur and how do we make sure this situation doesn't occur again, that that's kind of one way to solve it is you're intentional about solving the short-term pain that's occurring, and then you're having a disciplined process where you're going back after you solved and alleviated the challenge, and you're reflecting on what's the why that this occurred.

And then you start and address that challenge now, today, before it occurs again. Because if you don't, if you're not thoughtful and intentional about your process, about how you ended up in a particular situation or a government or an individual, you know, you can solve it in the short term. But if you want to serve it in the long term, you have got to really be thoughtful as the way that you, you know, address it for a long sustainable approach.

Josh Henderson: Stay tuned. We'll be right back with more of the Tyler Tech Podcast.

I'm here with my colleague, Jade Champion, to discuss a crucial topic, how AI is transforming the government workforce.

Jade Champion: That's right, Josh. We just released a white paper that explores how AI is empowering public sector agencies to tackle workforce shortages, modernize outdated systems, and navigate budget constraints.

Josh Henderson: Exactly. From improving field operations to automating workflows, AI is enabling agencies to work more efficiently and deliver better services.

Jade, what are some of the standout ways AI is making an impact?

Jade Champion: AI driven solutions are enhancing decision making, streamlining document processing, and even helping agencies better allocate their budgets. It's all about future proofing government services to meet rising expectations.

Josh Henderson: Interested in learning how AI can transform your agency? Be sure to check out the episode show notes for links to helpful resources, browse our solutions at tylertech.com, or you can reach out to us directly at podcast@tylertech.com.

Jade Champion: Thanks for listening. Now let's get back to the Tyler Tech Podcast.

Josh Henderson: Next up is Urvi Pandya, general manager of Workforce Case Management at Tyler. Urvi discusses how simplifying internal processes and fostering collaboration within user communities can improve workforce efficiency. These improvements can help government agencies operate more effectively, which in turn makes it easier for them to deliver accessible, high-quality services to the public.

Urvi Pandya: If you're new especially to these areas, you may feel alone. It may just feel like a daunting task. But when you're suddenly part of a user community and you have best practices, like experienced agencies who have already mature processes, then you can kind of leverage and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Keep it simple. So, start small and then keep building on your processes and leverage our products. Again, start small.

If you have multiple offices within your agency, maybe one or two offices, get them onboarded, get them trained, and then keep building on it.

So that's the way to get started. And then how do you keep going? Well, we work with you.

As rules and regulations change, we make agencies aware of how to adjust their best practices and processes, and we keep our products and software up to date anyway. So, they're going to have automation in place already, and then we will train them on how to use it.

Everything's around the employee.

It's all about them. So that's our first persona, that’s where we make that connection with the agency employee and give them the tools and visibility and voice.

The second persona is the program managers, the disability program managers, or the equal opportunity program officers who are actually intaking processing and they own that program. And our third persona is the management, the CIOs or their leadership where what they're looking for is modern, safe, secure, scalable technology.

Cloud migration, cloud journey, security. We do a lot of business with the federal government. So, for us, FedRAMP standards, NIST standards.

A lot of these things matter. So, our tone changes as we address each persona, and we have created call it material, if you will, where we approach this persona to make them aware and help agencies get their buy-in for management. So, we speak their language when we show up in front of them and help them see the return on their investment, what they are going to gain.

Employee satisfaction always hits home. When we talk about that, that with the data and visibility they get into their agency's workforce management, human capital system. And based on that, they're going to be able to implement processes and even identify improvement ideas.

And that directly relates to relates to employee satisfaction and retention. Honestly, nobody argues with that point.

Also, there’s a lot of reporting at the management level. So, we have the single pane of glass-type enterprise dashboard that we present to them, and we show them, look, with multiple of our products, the examples I just gave, like employee labor relations type cases, grievances, harassment, reasonable accommodation, or even, discrimination complaints. Like, for one employee, you get a holistic view.

We even show them trends, improvements, or sometimes things may go a little bit downhill too. Unfortunately, these things happen. So, we help them see the trends, improvements, and how do they use that data to make decisions, policy decisions, define new strategic initiatives.

So, this is how we help them see that picture, and we've seen good success when we approach the leadership in that manner.

Josh Henderson: And our final guest today is industry engagement consultant Kim Martin. Kim has seen firsthand how technology can transform student transportation systems and shares how these innovations are improving service delivery for students and their families.

Kim Martin: If you can imagine, let's just say a mom at work, and she's feeling worried because she has to leave for work earlier than her teenage child gets on the bus. So, she's got to rely on her child to get themselves out the door. Right? This happens a lot as you can imagine. And so, there's peace of mind now with technology that the student can scan a card as they board the vehicle or depart the vehicle. That information automatically feeds to our parent application, and now they can get on with their day and have that comfort level. There the expectation is, hey, I can see my pizza being made at Domino's.

Why can't I see my child get on the bus and where they're at? And they're right. And now they absolutely can.

Those cards that the students are swiping. We had a report from a special education teacher that says we love the cards because the students we serve age out at 22, and we're preparing them for life skills. And so, this helps us prepare them for when they have to take public transit next year. That's when you go, oh, man. That's the stuff.

That's the stuff right there. Yep.

Josh Henderson: I would imagine data plays a little bit of a role in all of this.

Kim Martin: Yeah. It's really more than ever, a couple of examples when it comes to the data for our industry is compliance. Right? And, when you're always striving to provide the best, you know, transportation mode of service, all of those things, you really want to start with those measurable results.

So, you've got to have a way, of course, that's easy to enter all that information, to have a plan. And then besides the plan, there's what really happens every day. And those are the tricky things about transportation because it's always a moving target.

But for example, operations are expected to constantly audit what's going on, even bus stops. Right? Traffic and traffic patterns change, so we have to make sure these bus stops are still safe for the students.

And that's a huge thing. So, as those change and they conduct those audits, that's where that data becomes so important for them to work with, to find out how can we continue to provide the best service, where do we need to make changes and tweak things, but also where can we provide more service than we ever have before.

Without the data, we can't see that picture, really.

Josh Henderson: I hope you enjoyed these conversations with Kristine Lim, Daren Jackson, Urvi Pandya, and Kim Martin. If you'd like to learn more about how technology is enhancing access to essential services, be sure to check out our show notes for additional resources. As organizations continue to prioritize inclusive service delivery, it's clear that leveraging technology plays a critical role. From starting small with data governance to adopting modern technologies for improving access, there are many practical ways to make a meaningful impact. Tyler Technologies offers solutions designed to help public sector organizations improve access across various areas with experts ready to support you in navigating these efforts. If you're interested in learning more or have questions, we'd love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out to us at podcast@tylertech.com to connect with a subject matter expert.

And don't forget to share your thoughts on what you'd like to hear in future episodes by filling out our audience survey in the show notes. This concludes our two-part series on access.

We hope you found valuable insights that can help your organization improve accessibility and efficiency.

For Tyler Technologies, I'm Josh Henderson. Thanks for listening to the Tyler Tech Podcast.