https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Commentaries


Commentary

Five ways to automate government workflow

Five ways to automate government workflow

Chris Byers, CEO of data management company Formstack, explains how digital forms can improve governments' efficiency and customer experiences.
  • Written by contributor
  • 18th July 2018

By Chris Byers

State and local governments are under constant scrutiny to provide consistent and responsive customer experiences to every citizen—after all, government exists to serve the governed. However, because government agencies are regularly asked to do more with less, officials are increasingly looking to technology to help stretch tax dollars further and give their staff some much needed assistance.

According to Formstack’s recent report, “The State of Workflow Automation in 2018,” 55 percent of managers are spending 8 hours—one full work day—or more per week on administrative tasks, rather than the strategic, high-value initiatives that citizens want.

Furthermore, according to the Office of Management and Budget, government paperwork and information collection costs the federal government alone more than $116 billion per year.

Online forms and data capture can make state and local government dramatically more effective. Here are just a few areas in which digital forms can improve efficiency and customer experiences:
 

Public assistance

Local and state government organizations are responsible for running public assistance programs that offer aid (such as financial assistance or health benefits) to people in need. Online forms increase the application and review process, while protecting user identities. Here’s how:

  • Online applications that give residents a quick and easy way to request assistance

  • Data encryption that prevents unauthorized users from accessing public assistance program data

  • WCAG and Section 508 compliance that ensures your online government forms are accessible to users with disabilities

Hiring

Keeping government positions filled is essential to the success of important programs and community efforts. While the hiring process can be cumbersome for organizations with limited resources, the right tools can ease the pain. To this end, online forms have several beneficial offerings:

  • Professional online forms for hiring requests, government job applications, interview feedback, and more

  • A file upload field that allows applicants to easily attach resumes and cover letters to their online applications

  • An approvals feature that automatically routes new applications to the hiring manager for candidate review

Citizen Engagement

Building relationships with citizens or residents is an important, but unspoken, government task. Most government organizations engage with the people they serve through community surveys, such as an environmental issues survey or a trash removal survey. Workflow automation and online forms can make communication more effective with these features:

  • Mobile-friendly government forms that are easily accessible and meet citizens where they are (on their smartphones!)

  • Email marketing integrations that allow you to automatically add survey respondents to an email list for further engagement

  • Customizable submission reports that you can use to analyze survey feedback

Permit management

From building and zoning permits to transportation permits to large gathering permits, government organizations are flooded with permit applications that must be reviewed. Look for these features to streamline permit processing:

  • Online permit applications (such as a handicap parking permit form or an application for building permit form) that can be embedded or shared on your organization’s website

  • Electronic signatures that allow you to get proper acknowledgement and authorization on permit applications

  • Automated submission notifications that alert you of new permit application submissions in real time for prompt follow-up

Grant processing

The government funds recovery initiatives, innovative research, and other projects that provide a public service or stimulate the economy. Improve your grant processing with these features:

  • Online government grant application forms that allow citizens and organizations to provide complete and accurate details on their grant requests

  • A workflow automation feature that can significantly streamline grant processing by letting you and your staff easily review, edit, and comment on grant applications

  • Notification emails that alert you whenever someone submits a new grant request

With the availability of online workflow management solutions, there’s simply no reason to continue spending valuable hours on repetitive tasks. As we head further into 2018, it’s time to focus on aligning goals with the workflow automation tools that can empower city officials to create more efficiency and save more time and money.

 

Chris Byers is the CEO of data management company Formstack.

Tags: Smart Cities & Technology Commentaries Commentary

Most Recent


  • Amid tech labor shortage, outsourcing digital services could provide relief
    The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated tech and digitization globally, forever changing the way local governments conduct daily business, along with the expectations of constituents. Over the last two years, smart city plans have increased in popularity; services like tax bill payments and licensing have mostly shifted into the digital realm; and town offices evolved into comprehensive […]
  • procurement IT
    The beauty of the beast: Why the pandemic & cybersecurity might actually improve procurement and IT collaboration
    For well over decade, IT managers have listed cybersecurity as their number one concern. Both the CompTIA Public Technology Institute (PTI) and the National Association of State Information Officers (NASCIO) have been tracking top trends in IT management, policy, governance and operational issues as they relate to state and local government. Only recently has “procurement” […]
  • public health
    Building the public health workforce of tomorrow
    Since the first case of COVID-19 hit the United States, public health units across the country have been working non-stop to contain this deadly disease. In the two years since the first lockdowns, we’ve all seen these professionals work diligently to help educate the public about the risks, give tips on how to prevent getting […]
  • Reno launches first-ever municipal blockchain app to track public transactions
    Much has been said in the last week about the ongoing meltdown of cryptocurrency, driven by an uncertain economic outlook and rapidly increasing inflation. Over the last seven months, Bitcoin, for example, has dropped to $21,000 from its $64,000 high. But while crypto markets might be in retreat at least for the moment, the underlying technology […]

Related Content

  • North Texas alliance partners with Marketplace.city on smart government solutions
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery
  • Today’s infrastructure needs greater than roads and bridges - It’s time to face our digital connectiveness

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Seamless Cooperative Experience Saves Indiana City Exponentially in Time and Money dlvr.it/SSxp95

27th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

10 best large cities for fishing dlvr.it/SSxbSZ

27th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Generational differences present an opportunity to reinvent public sector service delivery dlvr.it/SSxbN7

27th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Report: Local and state governments are facing a retention crisis; the worst could be yet to come dlvr.it/SSnmS7

24th June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid an unprecedented increase in federal spending, cities and counties stand to benefit from partnerships dlvr.it/SSkGBn

23rd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Governments using technology to harness data and improve decision-making dlvr.it/SSk3H0

23rd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Infrastructure highlighted by city leaders as top priority in analysis of 60 mayoral addresses dlvr.it/SSgBck

22nd June 2022
AmerCityCounty

Oklahoma City puts the focus on employees when implementing changes in office technology dlvr.it/SSfyns

22nd June 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X