The digital age is definitely here, as evidenced by almost every aspect of daily life. Order food, review a restaurant, make reservations, plan a trip, buy a dog treat, book a trip to Mars – okay, we are not quite there yet, but you get the idea. While we can even buy insurance and submit claims online, it is important to remember these daily tasks we now take for granted are only part of the consumer sector.

The public sector is one that could benefit significantly from embracing digital transformation, but there are a lot of challenges unique to government agencies that often get in the way. For example, many software tools don’t offer the flexibility needed to handle the complexity of documents that many departments need to produce regularly. Many agencies also face privacy and security concerns that make it difficult to find solutions to meet all of their needs comprehensively.

However, a document automation and customer communications management (CCM) solution like Experlogix Document Automation can help eradicate delays in areas like case management by taking advantage of built-in automation features. They can help simplify document production by eliminating manual processes, and enabling users to create documents in different formats at the same time – all while addressing complex and demanding functionality challenges that are specific to government departments. You don’t have to sacrifice security either. Experlogix follows data security standards like NIST and OWASP, as well as meeting requirements for SOC2 compliance, to make sure we can meet the information security needs of our global client base.

Here is a quick example.

Let’s say your neighbors, Jenny and Todd, also good friends, are Millennials who are considering adopting. According to the National Adoption Center, more than 101,000 children are waiting for permanent homes in the U.S. A wait for an infant can take years, although fostering a child and then adopting expedites the process. Both processes require a substantial number of forms and documents which could be expedited by a good document automation and CCM platform.

When you and Jenny have lunch, she often cites the amount of time-consuming paperwork and phone calls required to initiate an adoption plan. If they adopt from scratch, rather than fostering first, they will be required to go through the process of home-study requirements with a social worker. This is a series of meetings, at the end of which Jenny would have to submit a written synopsis about herself and her life experiences.

To Jenny, this process is outdated. She doesn’t mind meeting in person but is not happy to have to go through the process from 30 years ago. Jenny wonders why there are no automated online processes. For example, she could submit her life experience essay online via a web-based Smart Form and then schedule a meeting with the social worker best suited to her requirements, such as age of the child and country of origin, which would require additional forms that could be generated automatically based on the information she entered.

Integrating a document automation solution to a CRM or case management solution would also streamline and facilitate the government worker’s job, in this case, the social worker. He or she would have access to centralized information and could more quickly locate a case and all the details tied to Jenny, for example. There would be no repeated or incorrect information from different workers unfamiliar with her case. Jenny could likewise contact her social worker without the hassle of leaving messages, and even track her case progress online.

By using a document automation and CCM solution for case management, local government agencies do themselves and their constituents a huge favor. We aren’t on Mars yet, but our corner of Earth will benefit from the added personalization, efficiency and transparency that come from digitization.

To learn more about how governments can improve their document and customer communication processes, follow us on LinkedIn.