Governments are not famous for embracing new technologies and being innovative, and most of them are still dealing with a lot of bureaucracy and outdated tech that doesn’t really do them a lot of favor in terms of efficiency.
However, more and more government officials are finally realizing that new tech innovations can significantly improve their efficiency and help them deliver better services to citizens. They are increasingly embracing numerous digital solutions that help them completely transform the way they operate.
Here are some of the tech innovations that many governments are starting to implement. If you’re working in the government sector, you should seriously consider following these trends as well.
IoT for Cities of the Future
IoT is changing the game in the public sector and has the potential to drive government efficiency by changing how governments collect data and information. By implementing various sensors in street lights, traffic cameras, cars, and electricity grids, they can easily gather a lot of important information (which is actually collected automatically by the sensors) for improving infrastructure.
Governments also have an opportunity to implement road sensors that can help them seamlessly manage traffic, as well as smart meters that can provide them with real-time information necessary for taking steps for saving energy.
Sustainability, public safety, and public transportation are also some of the many areas where IoT can be implemented with the goal of connecting cities and helping government officials improve their service delivery.
Security
Security concerns are present in every industry and all their verticals these days since cybersecurity attacks don’t seem to be slowing down. The threats are continually evolving, making governments take more and more precautions to protect their citizens and keep their sensitive data and infrastructure safe and secure.
However, governments are moving beyond defense and are starting to use various cybersecurity tech innovations for cyber threat detection. There are plenty of digital solutions that send instant alerts whenever a hacker tries to access a government’s network. With such tech solutions, governments can successfully prevent intrusion and any kind of data stealing and potential misuse.
Data Gathering and Analysis for Better Insights
Gone are the times when gathering and analyzing data required a lot of time and having various experts at hand, as there are now hundreds of tech solutions designed for significantly simplifying the process by automating data collection and providing real-time reports and analytics.
Governments can now gather important data on literally everything, from various business operations and performance to weather and traffic patterns, and even various potential causes of certain types of disease that may occur in particular areas.
New technological innovations can help them gather huge amounts of critical real-time data for gaining a better insight into key issues. Moreover, social media provides them with a great way to collect essential data and communicate with citizens on a regular basis, effectively meeting their needs.
Automation and AI
Automation is completely changing the way businesses work, saving them huge amounts of time and money and helping them focus on their core competencies. Government sectors are increasingly beginning to realize the power of automation, embracing various types of software that help them increase efficiency and productivity and focus more on their citizens.
They are implementing AI solutions that can analyze large amounts of data in seconds and provide them with better insights for enhancing their operations and creating outstanding citizen experiences. According to an AI in government analysis conducted by Deloitte, AI could free up 30% of the government workforce’s time within five to seven years.
The most popular application of AI in government has to do with chatbots. AI-powered chatbots implemented in call centers and government platforms enable citizens to get the information they need 24/7 and quickly solve any issue they may have.
The best text-to-speech chatbot platform that is currently gaining a lot of popularity with government officials is SnatchBot. It’s an omnichannel chatbot-building platform that uses a state-of-the-art NLP which enables bots to carry out intelligent conversations and learn from them.
Bots built on SnatchBot help governments improve their efficiency and build strong relationships with citizens. Not only is creating chatbots on SnatchBot entirely free, but there are also pre-built templates in the platform’s Bot Store, so there’s no need for any coding skills to build and deploy a chatbot.
Paperless Bureaucracy
When you think of a government agency, you probably cannot help but think of all the paperwork. Governments have massive amounts of paperwork to deal with on a daily basis, but that’s exactly what makes them inefficient.
This is why they are rapidly shifting towards paperless bureaucracy and implementing various tech solutions to handle almost all of their daily operations. Digitizing their operations helps them complete their tasks incredibly faster and focus all their free time on providing better service delivery.
Moreover, switching to paperless forms eliminates the risk of human error, especially when the software solutions they use are automated. It prevents them from dealing with incomplete and inaccurate information, which helps them not only improve their business but also all their interactions with citizens.
Tech Platforms
Governments providing their citizens with an opportunity to visit their digital platforms 24/7 and access the needed information greatly improve citizen experience. According to an Accenture survey on digital government, more than 66% of public service leaders believe that a personalized citizen experience is a top-three priority.
With digital government platforms at their fingertips, citizens can easily file their taxes, make doctor’s appointments, check out their medical records, change their address, renew their license plates and much more. With just a few simple clicks, they can get the help they need without having to leave the comfort of their home and wait in long lines.
Not only does this make citizens infinitely happier, but it also frees up plenty of time for government officials, enabling them to focus on much bigger issues.
From connecting cities with IoT, gathering and analyzing essential data, and protecting government and citizen information from cybersecurity threats to switching to paperless bureaucracy, automating their operations with AI and providing citizens with helpful digital platforms available 24/7, governments are taking huge steps towards a better future. These and many more tech innovations will only continue to grow in significance and change the world as we know it.