From waste management to roads, streets, and parking, councils provide many of the services citizens rely on day-to-day. They also assist in crucial sectors such as health and social care, working hard to make their communities better places for everyone who lives there.
Unfortunately, budget constraints make it difficult. This is especially frustrating when you’re trying to provide the best possible service to those who need it but lack the time and resources to do so.
There is, however, a way for councils to make the most of their time, budgets, and the skills of their employees. We’re going to explore how intelligent automation in councils can help provide better services for citizens.
It’s no secret that councils are often hobbled by bureaucracy, with employees spending too much time on paperwork. This results in a disengaged workforce and a longer wait for those citizens needing help.
Councils recognise that manual, repetitive tasks are a waste of their workers’ valuable time. And some are already in the process of implementing intelligent automation as a result. West Lothian, for example, is introducing it for customer requests for waste collections. It’s also delegating more straightforward housing enquiries to virtual workers, as well as creating workflows for records and requests.
This means citizens will have 24/7 access to their services. It also frees up the council to focus on value-driven tasks. In fact, West Lothian has stated that there will be no job losses due to its automation. Instead, the council is upskilling its employees to handle more complex citizen issues.
By automating the more repetitive tasks, councils can speed up their processes. This will enable them to provide services faster. In turn, this will empower staff to make better use of their time on high-value tasks.
And, if this isn’t benefit enough, there are other advantages, too.
Reducing response times will help councils adhere to national government [excellence frameworks](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/262022/10-1408-lars-excellence-framework.pdf#:~:text=Local authority regulatory services exist to serve their,order to reflect the complexity of doing so.).
It will also improve the reputation of your council in the minds of constituents. This should lead to a decrease in complaints, resulting in even more time to concentrate on higher-value tasks.
The pandemic hasn’t made it any easier for councils. Now tasked with vaccine rollouts while facing huge budget gaps, cutting costs is essential.
For some, this means cutting services and jobs. For others, it means limiting the scope of projects they can undertake.
But for those that apply intelligent automation, the future looks brighter. The cost savings that improved efficiency provides could be vital for retaining services.
With budget constraints and pandemic-related challenges, councils are under pressure like never before. But intelligent automation helps you continue to provide the services communities rely on. In fact, it can help make them even better.
But, where to start? It can be difficult to identify which processes could benefit from intelligent automation. To understand its potential, it’s important to work with an experienced partner to thoroughly plan your approach.
Start your council’s journey towards intelligent automation by starting a conversation with us today.