Service Management for Citizen Support

To improve customer service, many governmental agencies are looking to digitalize their services and procedures. TOPdesk consultants have noticed this trend as a result of the growing number of government agencies that are using TOPdesk software to support their citizens. While the desire to digitalize citizen support services exists, the reality is that many are resistant to the change. Communication problems, a plethora of information sources and a paper-dependent corporate culture ensure that the implementation of a digital tool does not always produce the desired results.
TEXT: MIRIAM DE HOOGH

Lack of communication
Communication within governmental organizations is a complex process. Due to the large diversity of incoming calls, many different departments are needed to process the calls proficiently. For example, an application for a passport requires different expertise than does a complaint about a fallen tree. Each department is specialized and has, therefore, a distinct set of rules and communication procedures. Some departments receive requests and comments by telephone, while others deal with letters. Furthermore, the various departments are often separated physically from each other. All these different aspects mean that

effective communication between departments is vital. TOPdesk consultants have noticed that internal communication within governmental organizations is often lacking or ineffective. This in turn leads to a situation where departments become isolated from one another and employees are not kept up to date on what is happening in other departments. One TOPdesk consultant came face to face with an example of this situation at a local council. After TOPdesk had been implemented in the Citizen Affairs department, it came to light that the software had already been installed within the same local council. The Environmental Management

department, to which most Citizen Affairs calls are forwarded, was using the same application with a nearly identical set-up. All calls were being recorded and processed twice in different versions of the same system. Call resolution therefore took longer than was necessary and both the status and the person responsible for the call in the other department were unclear.

Information sources
Besides communication issues, the multitude of information sources creates a challenge. Detailed information is needed for the registration and processing of incoming calls. Citizens must be identified by name, while

16 TOPDESK

addresses need to be complete and spelt correctly. Furthermore, information about citizen records, applications, procedures and policies is required. This information is often classified within different systems. A change must therefore be carried through multiple times, which certainly does not add to an organizations overall efficiency.

optimally and the digitalization will not save anyone any time. A wide variety of local councils have already employed TOPdesk to keep track of their calls. Upon closer inspection, the calls appear to be neatly entered in the application, but are often still printed out. When calls are transferred to other colleagues, it does not always happen in TOPdesk; the calls are instead printed out and placed on the relevant colleagues desk.

Post-it notes
The largest barrier to digitalization is perhaps the current corporate culture within governmental organizations. The paper culture that still exists in many local councils is striking: a large portion of work procedures are dealt with on paper. Calls are registered on notepads, many colleagues use post-it notes to communicate and booking locations is done in writing. Involving IT in relatively simple processes is considered inefficient and unnecessary.

Playing catch-up
Many governmental organizations are currently playing catch-up in the digitalization arena. The problems that they run into can often be solved with IT tools. Registering calls in a centralized system, to which multiple departments have access, will improve communication between departments. The various information sources can be linked

service restructuring process. The local council has been set up with a front office, a back office and a fieldwork office. The calls first arrive at the reception (front office), where they are categorized and sent to the correct department. The department secretary (back office) assigns the call to the correct operator, who resolves the call or sends it to a field technician (fieldwork office). The field technicians receive a work note or an automatic text message when a new incident is logged. Everyone, except for the field technicians, works in TOPdesk; the communication related to logging and processing calls is, for the most part, digital. Since every department works with the same application, it is clear to everyone who is handling a call and what the status is. The entire process has been clarified, and the communication between the departments of the local council now proceeds smoother than ever.

Calls are registered on notepads, colleagues use post-its to communicatie.

A culture like this can hinder the digitalization process. Not only may there be resistance to the introduction of IT tools, but using new systems can prove to be challenging for some. Using IT demands a new mindset; if the mindset is not adjusted, then the application will not be used together, so that changes can be introduced and monitored in one place. And while there is still talk of the beloved piece of paper, e-culture is steadily on the rise. One of the local councils that implemented TOPdesk has involved the software in their entire TOPdesk plays a large role in the rising trend of the digitalization of citizen support. Many local councils already use TOPdesk Professional for Citizen Support. Moreover, TOPdesk Enterprise 4.2 is currently being adapted to the various needs of Citizen Support organizations.

TOPDESK 17