Government IT teams are always under pressure to do more with fewer resources. Never has this been more the case than over the past year, when local, state and federal agencies faced unprecedented challenges and disruptive forces.
From state and municipal efforts to expedite COVID testing and vaccination, to federal agency efforts to provide greater transparency in response to election misinformation, to the aftershocks of the SolarWinds cybersecurity breach, the past year has pushed government and public sector IT teams like never before.
In the face of these escalating challenges, government IT teams are responding by working harder than ever to close the gap between consumer and public sector user experiences. Their efforts are reflected in several sessions at this year’s Knowledge 2021 virtual conference.
“Forrester tells us that ‘80 percent of people are dissatisfied with the interaction they have with the government, compared to just 14% who are dissatisfied with commercial services that are provided in our daily lives.’”
– Bob Osborn, ServiceNow
In the “Government Keynote” session, Bob Osborn, ServiceNow’s CTO for Global Government Sector discussed how the the private sector is increasingly adopting a human-centric approach to IT, and how to bring that into the services of government agencies. The session focused on the idea of “anticipatory government” – a new way of doing work. The gap between commercial and government experiences often comes down to the fact that governments have purchased technologies which support silos of excellence within an agency. According to Osborn, the pandemic has actually helped to accelerate the digital transformation strategies the government already had in place. The goal is now to ensure that investments being made today are solving challenges for not just right now, but also the future.
In the session “How to digitize a federal government agency” US General Service Administration CIO David Shive outlines how the GSA responded to the surge of new demands brought on by the pandemic. By taking advantage of technology’s ability to make government agencies more efficient, post-COVID, the agency is moving towards a new model that emphasizes visibility into data. Using ServiceNow as a digital platform and taking advantage of low-code and no code solutions to make changes quickly, the GSA is well on its way to becoming the US Federal government’s first fully digital agency.
Other sessions worth checking out for government agencies? You could learn how US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reduced workflow errors by over 98% and scaled automation on ServiceNow across a $2 billion portfolio. Or you could check out Innovation on the Now Platform: Identify and report on agency pandemic spending to see a use case of gaining a better understanding of investment and spending not readily visible in federal agency financial systems.
Need expert advice on digital transformation for federal agencies?
Windward has a wealth of experience assisting federal agencies and public sector clients in optimizing systems and implementing ServiceNow. We can help your organization increase efficiency and deliver stronger, more reliable services to your constituents.
If you’d like to speak with one of our A-Team experts to develop a plan to better leverage your agency’s ServiceNow investment, contact us today. We’re here to help.
