Transforming to a citizen-centric model with intelligent automation
Despite its broad potential, many organisations have not yet initiated or even assessed the possibilities of their automation journey.
Overlooking these opportunities can lead to stagnant public services and dissatisfied citizens, whereas seizing them can propel communities forward, enhance citizen experiences and support the most vulnerable.
Overcoming the challenges
The real breakthrough comes when organisations overcome the scalability challenge, transitioning from pilot projects to widespread adoption across all operations. Expansion is not just about automating tasks; it’s about leveraging AI to break down barriers between back-office functions and frontline citizen services. By doing so, governments can deliver services more seamlessly and enhance the working environment for employees, opening up new possibilities for frictionless citizen engagement and operational excellence.
Many organisations tentatively begin their automation journey with a pilot project, experimenting with tools and processes. However, these initial efforts frequently stall, failing to progress beyond a handful of bots or processes. This stagnation can trap organisations in a cycle of perpetual testing without tangible advancement.
When automation initiatives do advance, it’s often in silos within specific departments such as finance or HR. While a department might successfully automate several processes, expanding these successes across the organisation can be challenging. The specialised knowledge of each department often fails to cross departmental boundaries, leading to a mere shift in bottlenecks rather than genuine efficiency improvements. For example, if the finance department doubles its processing capacity without similar enhancements in operations, the strain on the system does not disappear—it simply relocates.
With such opportunities and barriers, adopting a holistic view of the automation lifecycle is crucial. Managing the end-to-end processes encourages scalability and promotes synergy between departments, ensuring that efficiency gains are not just isolated successes but contribute to the organisation’s overall effectiveness.
Reaping the rewards: the benefits of intelligent automation
Enhanced employee experience: The fusion of AI and automation enables the quicker completion of tasks, reduces administrative work and streamlines service delivery. This allows employees to focus on meaningful activities while supercharging efficiency.
Seamless operations: Intelligent automation acts as a digital co-pilot, facilitating seamless and efficient operations. Tasks that once took weeks to complete can now be done in hours.
Improved service quality: Frictionless integration is not just about making tasks quicker; it’s about enhancing the quality of citizen services. It can reduce errors, improve compliance, and enhance risk management.
Responsive public services: By addressing barriers and capitalising on opportunities, governments can unlock the full potential of intelligent automation, setting the stage for a future where public services are more responsive, effective, and citizen-centric.
Elevating citizen experiences through everyday encounters
The strategic use of data and technology is poised to revolutionise service delivery, empowering organisations to centralise diverse data points, gain a profound understanding of citizens’ daily needs, supercharge efficiency, automate routine tasks, and provide personalised recommendations.
Tech-enabled care for vulnerable populations: The implementation of home sensors enables rapid detection and faster responses to emergencies, such as falls or assisting individuals with dementia.
Proactive support for at-risk individuals: By identifying citizens who may be struggling with their bills or benefits through data integration, proactive engagement becomes possible, eliminating the need to wait for crisis calls.
Streamlined services for the general public: Ensuring timely responses to the most common public concerns, such as waste collection or pothole repairs, can significantly improve the perceptions and experiences of citizens.
Achieving more with agile partnerships
At Capita, we’ve been at the forefront of empowering the public sector to enhance the citizen experience through automation, AI, and cognitive services. Our approach emphasises collaboration with our customers, marking a departure from traditional methods where solutions were developed in isolation. By co-creating with clients, we journey together through challenges and successes, ensuring that our end-to-end solutions are tailored to their needs and effectively address the complexities of their processes. This partnership model fosters a deeper understanding and implementation of automation and AI, leading to significant advancements in public service delivery and achieving the desired outcomes for citizens.
Adopting intelligent automation for citizen-centric success
In today’s fast-paced world, embracing intelligent automation is not just a competitive edge, but a necessity that governments and organisations cannot afford to overlook. To stay ahead of the game and achieve sustainable citizen-centric success, it’s important to:
Just start: The foremost advice is simple – take the first step. Automation does not require altering existing systems; it seamlessly integrates, delivering immediate benefits. You can easily adopt AI without significant upfront investment with various available models, including cost-effective pay-as-you-go options. By starting in high-impact areas, you can reap immediate gains for employees and citizens, making the initial step into AI accessible and advantageous.
Choose the right use case: Success in AI hinges on selecting the right use case. A well-chosen project can validate the value of automation within your organisation, setting a positive precedent. Conversely, a poorly selected use case can quickly shut down future opportunities. Striking the right balance from the outset is crucial, ensuring the chosen initiative delivers tangible benefits and garners support for further AI endeavours.
Focus on the journey: Embarking on AI is more than a technical rollout; it’s about nurturing a culture conducive to change, equipped with the necessary skills and engagement from those delivering services. Identifying and empowering change agents enables the application of AI in ways that resonate with organisational values and goals, ultimately benefiting end-users. Prioritising cultural readiness and skills development from the outset prevents setbacks and ensures meaningful and sustainable outcomes through AI.
For more information visit: Capita Intelligent Automation.
Heather Cover-Kus
Heather is Head of Central Government Programme at techUK, working to represent the supplier community of tech products and services to Central Government.
Ellie Huckle
Ellie joined techUK in March 2018 as a Programme Assistant to the Public Sector team and now works as a Programme Manager for the Central Government Programme.
Annie Collings
Annie joined techUK as the Programme Manager for Cyber Security and Central Government in September 2023.
Austin Earl
Austin joined techUK’s Central Government team in March 2024 to launch a workstream within education and edtech.
Ella Gago-Brookes
Ella joined techUK in November 2023 as a Markets Team Assistant, supporting the Justice and Emergency Services, Central Government and Financial Services Programmes.
Authors
Piers Cambell
Piers is an award-winning digital leader with a proven track record of building teams that drive business transformation and deliver tangible benefits. Piers has cultivated a strong collaborative approach and honed client-facing skills at the CxO level across a range of commercial sectors and governmental organisations. He currently leads the digital transformation team for Capita Public Services leveraging digital innovation to design and build the next generation of public services.