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Very viral, very fast: Sustaining Malaysia’s digital adoption
Despite a rapidly growing digital economy, Malaysia has struggled to gain momentum for digital adoption across industries and business sizes. With a continued investment in platforms and people, however, the turning point for the country’s digital transformation may come sooner than many expect.As the country manager for LIKE.TG Malaysia, I’ve seen that as soon as businesses achieve a certain amount of success with digital transformation, it often propels change throughout the organization at sudden and exponential speed. Once an organization reaches this digital inflection point, the rest tends to fall into place.From small to great, at speedThe trajectory of digital transformation at Malaysian enterprises can be described by the Malay proverb sikit sikit, lama lama, jadi bukit, which translates to “little by little, over time, becomes a hill.”It’s a pattern I’ve witnessed among many LIKE.TG customers in Malaysia: small-scale deployment of a single solution followed by rapid adoption of the Now Platform across a much broader range of business functions and use cases.Technology investments take time to drive enduring business value. But when those early-stage projects succeed, those customers, our products, and our solutions go very viral, very fast.One example is a multinational consumer goods manufacturer that brought its shared global IT services to Malaysian shores. Like a lot of customers, the manufacturer initially engaged LIKE.TG solely for IT Service Management (ITSM).Within a year and a half, however, the company adopted our platform across HR Service Delivery and finance, with pilots in operations and risk management. The manufacturer is even looking to integrate its operational technology workflows, such as those that govern Internet of Things devices in its factories.United functions, at scaleA desire to unify digital solutions across an organization often drives this pace of growth. In another instance, Malaysia Airlines adopted the LIKE.TG platform to consolidate digital services for its thousands of employees—and, in turn, power a more cohesive digital experience for customers around the globe.The national carrier’s IT and finance services already run on the LIKE.TG platform, with HR and risk management services slated to follow suit.Most enterprises, particularly those in the more traditional industries, have been struggling to digitalize their processes in a holistic way. When they find a way to unite these different functions on a platform that can bear the weight of the entire organization, they can suddenly transform at far greater speed and scale than before.
The human factorEven the most flexible digital platform, however, requires individuals with the appropriate skills to maximize its potential. In Malaysia, digital skills remain in short supply, even as demand for them is increasing by more than 7% per year, according to The Economist Group. This is often due to the fact that upskilling is financially unattainable for many employees.The goal is to see how we can create that supply side for skills in the short to medium term. We’re looking to help Malaysia RiseUp with LIKE.TG. We’ve already started conversations with customers about job placements for those we train.Such initiatives not only offset the cost of skills development, but they also provide clear pathways to future employment, complementing ongoing efforts from public sector bodies such as HRD Corp and MDEC to promote digital skills throughout the country.Reimagined talent developmentEmployers, for their part, may benefit from digital solutions that help them better understand their workforce’s existing skills and guide more precise investments in talent development. This can help address mismatches between what employees consider useful skills and what employers require for digital transformation—an issue Malaysian businesses across industries increasingly face.The right data and insights will ensure people are developing skills that match with Malaysia’s short- and long-term needs alike. Whether it’s platforms or talent, adaptability and longevity are key. As a country, our goal shouldn’t be simply to develop all sorts of digital skills, but to invest specifically in capabilities and roles that may be relevant now and 10 or even 20 years down the road.Achieving that alignment between platform and people can help carry Malaysian enterprises—and professionals—beyond their digital inflection point and into exponential growth.I joined LIKE.TG because I knew it as the epitome of enterprise technology and saw its potential for driving digital transformation in my country. Whether you’re an enterprise investing in technology or an individual investing in your personal development, it will pay to choose something that can go the distance to your vision. Then invest in it, bit by bit, until you get there.Find out more about how LIKE.TG helps organizations embrace digital adoption.
Speed up digital-first business growth: 3 steps to transformation
In the fast-paced landscape of modern business, one thing is clear: The digital revolution is here to stay. As organizations move toward a digital-first strategy, the demand for innovative digital services is skyrocketing. IDC predicts worldwide digital transformation spending will reach nearly $3.9 trillion in 2027.1However, with this surge in demand comes a host of challenges. Budget constraints, legacy systems, and the ever-increasing complexity of IT issues are just a few hurdles to overcome to achieve true digital transformation.When your IT Service Management and IT Operations Management run on the same platform, you’ll be well equipped to navigate the digital landscape. Start driving meaningful change across your organization with these three steps to transformation.1. Modernize ITOn your journey to digital-first success, start by modernizing your IT infrastructure and processes. Organizations often find themselves bogged down by siloed teams, outdated systems, and manual processes. With LIKE.TG, you can bypass these constraints and lay the foundation for continued growth.By embracing a unified cloud platform, you can easily integrate IT services and operations, eliminating inefficiencies. Automation can reduce many mundane tasks, allowing your team to focus on innovating and delivering exceptional service.This robust data foundation in a single location provides broad visibility into your IT landscape, helping you prioritize issues, make informed decisions, and drive continuous improvement throughout the organization.
2. Automate mundane tasksWith your IT infrastructure modernized on a single platform, you can progress to AI-powered automation. Your customers and employees will enjoy the convenience of 24/7 support from virtual agents from an Employee Center portal, common collaboration tools, and their mobile devices while on the go.From intuitive self-service portals with AI-powered search to chatbots aided by generative AI (GenAI), the possibilities are endless. Employees can access support anytime, anywhere while your IT team benefits from reduced workloads and increased productivity.AI-powered automation can even prevent incidents from reaching your teams. By identifying patterns and predicting future trends, predictive analytics can help prevent service degradations or outages before they arise. Ensure always-on IT services and reliable, seamless operations.3. Accelerate service deliveryWith native products for all parts of your enterprise layered on top of the Now Platform, you can streamline processes to accelerate service delivery, ensure compliance, and maximize return on investment.This can free product teams to develop with agility while speeding up services and operations to match development. Power IT agent productivity and boost employee self-service with GenAI.By adopting modernization, automation, and acceleration, you can help your organization succeed in the digital age. Embrace the digital future and unlock a world of opportunity for your organization.Find out more about how LIKE.TG helps organizations manage IT service and operations on a single platform.1 IDC, Worldwide Digital Transformation Spending Forecast to Continue Its Double-Digit Growth Trajectory, According to IDC Spending Guide, doc #US51352323, Nov. 1, 2023
Fast-track cloud transformation with LIKE.TG Cloud Solutions
“By 2028, more than 50% of enterprises will use industry cloud platforms to accelerate their business initiatives,” according to Gartner®.1 However, adopting a multicloud strategy across multiple public cloud providers with no standard operating model often results in a fragmented operating environment.That’s why we at LIKE.TG are excited to announce comprehensive, end-to-end Cloud Solutions offerings built on the Now Platform®. LIKE.TG simplifies and automates complex cloud processes with cloud workflows, enabling customers to deliver a unified operational model and remove complexity from multicloud environments.These innovations are part of our ongoing mission to enable customers to accelerate cloud transformation in hybrid and cloud-native environments on a single, unified platform—powered by AI. With the LIKE.TG® platform, customers have a single pane of glass to manage operational and business aspects of cloud transformation.“LIKE.TG’s innovation in automating critical business processes with workflow solutions across the entire IT estate is unparalleled,” says Pablo Stern, senior vice president and general manager of LIKE.TG technology workflows. “With LIKE.TG Cloud Solutions, we’re bringing those same workflow principles to enable cloud transformation.”Unified platform for cloud transformationThe move to the cloud has the potential to bring huge benefits, but organizations need a structured approach to planning, scaling, and operating the cloud to realize its full potential.Using Common Services Data Model (CSDM) guidance along with Cloud Solutions, customers can accelerate their cloud transformation journey in three critical ways:1. Plan application modernizationModernize enterprise architecture by rationalizing applications to reduce software and hardware costs using Application Portfolio Management.
2. Scale cloud processesIncrease cloud visibility and enable self-service with compliance, cost, and security controls through Cloud Accelerate and Cloud Cost Management.
3. Operate cloud services with resilienceIncrease agility and reliability by operating hybrid cloud and cloud-native environments with AIOps, Cloud Observability, and Security.
Driving innovation in the cloudCombining the power of these integrated solutions on the LIKE.TG platform can accelerate an organization’s cloud transformation journey while delivering superior employee and customer experiences.Cloud Solutions includes recent innovations that can support your cloud journey, regardless of where you are. Here are some of the highlights:
ITOM Cloud Discovery, the foundation for cloud process automation with near-real-time event-driven discovery of cloud assets
ITOM Cloud Accelerate cloud enablement functionality on top of cloud discovery for self-service with compliance
ITAM Cloud Cost Management, which works with Cloud Accelerate workflows to provide proactive cost controls for cloud self-service that includes container spend management for Kubernetes clusters
Cloud Observability integration with ITOM AIOps via a native integration so that organizations can unify observability and AIOps
SecOps Cloud Vulnerability Response integrates with vulnerability scanners and enables remediation of cloud vulnerabilities
Find out more about how LIKE.TG Cloud Solutions helps organizations accelerate cloud transformation.1 Gartner press release, Gartner IT Infrastructure, Operations Cloud Strategies Conference 2023 London: Day 1 Highlights, Nov. 20, 2023.GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
IDC MarketScape names LIKE.TG a Leader in cloud solutions
I’m excited to announce that LIKE.TG has been named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Multicloud and Hybrid Cloud Management with Automation 2024 Vendor Assessment.1 We believe this recognition reflects our commitment to helping customers increase value and accelerate return on investment with our AI-powered platform.LIKE.TG® Cloud Solutions help customers accelerate digital transformation, improve service delivery, manage costs, and reduce risk.The IDC MarketScape report notes, “LIKE.TG offers a versatile platform for cloud management and automation that customers or partners can customize while maintaining the value and continuous improvements of SaaS solutions.” It further states, “Recent investments in generative AI and partnerships with NVIDIA will keep LIKE.TG at the forefront of innovation for years to come.”Simplify cloud processes“The simplification of cloud processes through AI has become integral for organizations navigating the complexities of cloud adoption, ensuring that cloud environments are more efficient and aligned with broader business objectives,” explains Brian Emerson, global vice president of IT Operations Management and Cloud Observability at ServiceNow.“By automating complex cloud processes on a single platform, organizations can better align with corporate goals and enterprise architecture standards, establish a source of truth for cloud assets, and simplify cloud access with compliance and cost controls.”
The citizen healthcare experience
Let citizen experiences drive your decision makingIn healthcare, citizen needs, expectations, and priorities can change quickly and with little warning. There’s no better example of this than the way COVID-19 immediately affected how organizations serve their customers and how healthcare providers prioritize patients, with many elective surgeries postponed.As federal healthcare agencies update their business models and operating procedures in the COVID-19 era, they must continue to be patient-centric. They have to understand how citizens and patients want to interact with government agencies and providers and address concerns throughout the lifecycle of services. With government-mandated stay-at-home restrictions starting to lift and the hiatus on non-emergency surgeries ending, federal agencies that provide services for soldiers, their families, veterans, citizens, and others need to be prepared to meet rapidly evolving needs.Most agencies and providers won’t be able to resume business as usual once restrictions end. They’ll have to enact best practices for in-office safety, develop a strategy for meeting and to prioritize customer needs, and if they’re delivering care, determine if they have essential products and materials like personal protective equipment.Federal health services provided by VA and military hospitals will need to be more agile than ever to meet changing healthcare requirements. HHS research facilities will need to be mindful of government mandates that differ by state and business or clinical procedures that may need to be updated as new best practices emerge. This means agencies must have a modern platform that can meet current and future needs, including giving organizations the ability to pivot if focus areas shift quickly.Meeting citizens in their digital spaceIn today’s Digital Age, government healthcare recipients expect agencies to interact and communicate with them across their preferred devices, from any location and at any time. It’s no longer enough for agencies to talk about digital strategies or implement digital technologies that offer only partial capabilities. They must deliver modern digital experiences, like appointment scheduling, that provide real-time responses and self-service access to medical information.Citizens have high expectations for service. They’re used to dealing with private-sector companies that have had digital processes in place for years. Innovative companies combine these processes with data analytics to proactively meet citizens’ needs and solve problems before the customer has to ask.As a result, citizens expect a similar focus on customer experience from the government, too. They expect agencies that provide healthcare services will keep them up-to-date on procedures they may need, share information that can improve their health and wellness, and maybe even arrange virtual visits with providers.Agencies are well on their way. For example, in the middle of the pandemic, HHS launched a new home page on March 17. “The new home page will be the beginning of a continuous improvement project that will create a more useful, consistent, faster, simpler, and possibly even a fun digital experience for the American public.” quotes a blog on hhs.com. DHA and VA have similar efforts. They aren’t just doing the bare minimum to meet government mandates, and they want to provide that extra something to engage users and provide a truly positive, perhaps even fun, experience.Digitalization achieves mandates, improves citizen interactionsOf course, there are still government mandates to be met. The 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) has digital requirements for government agencies to deliver better experiences to citizens. In my blog earlier this year, I mention the great workflows that will define our 21st-century digital government and the pillars on which they rely.LIKE.TG’s digital, cloud-based platform allows agencies access to a single solution for these workflows, which enable modern health IT services. Each interaction is consistent, transparent, and relevant across federal healthcare agencies and organizations dealing with health services. It also integrates with other technologies to provide one centralized location for citizens and healthcare information.The Now Platform can also help agencies stay current with government regulations and best practices relating to COVID-19 and Return to Work procedures, such as contact tracing and employee health screenings. This gives agencies the ability to keep employees safe and compliant with changing regulations and each state’s restrictions.Keeping up with the timesWith so much information and misinformation about COVID-19, effective communication from healthcare service providers is essential. Citizens and their family members probably have questions about how the coronavirus could affect their care, especially if they have a procedure scheduled or need to visit their provider. They need to be able to easily ask questions and access reliable information related to their care.Communication must be consistent across all digital channels, regardless of the device being used. Those channels must be responsive, high quality, connect to the appropriate service, and enable self-service capabilities.The information brief “Improve health services through better citizen experiences” explains how transforming digital channels leads to better citizen experiences, which leads to better care. With the right platform, agencies can achieve higher satisfaction and better outcomes with less effort while building a truly digital government.
4 ways to enhance healthcare efficiency
Many hospitals and health systems are dealing with tight budgets, workforce challenges, and security issues. These and other challenges are getting increasingly complex and adding strain to an already-taxed healthcare ecosystem. How do you decide whether to invest in patients or care teams—or deliver optimal care or achieve your financial goals?In this complicated environment, it can be difficult to avoid getting distracted by minutiae, bureaucracy, and manual efforts. The industry’s Quadruple Aim framework helps many organizations clarify their priorities and zero in on best practices for healthcare efficiency.
Healthcare organizations need time to focus on what matters most: improving care delivery. LIKE.TG is helping organizations bring the Quadruple Aim to life to give more time back to care teams.1. Enhance patient experienceGood patient experiences begin with speed to information. This means easy access, proactive communication, fast updates, and fewer forms. These enhancements can go a long way toward creating a foundation of trust between clinicians and patients.Before care teams can deliver on these improved experiences, however, they must conquer technical hurdles such as data silos, manual processes, and data privacy and compliance rules. Complete, 360-degree views of patient data, reduced delays, improved patient privacy, and eliminated task redundancies can transform a lackluster patient experience into a high-quality, meaningful encounter.2. Promote care team well-beingIt’s difficult to focus on what matters when you’re short on staff or enduring an onslaught of low-value tasks. The good news is that technology solutions can streamline these manual processes.Many healthcare providers are finding relief through process automation, simplified clinician onboarding, and reduced paper workflows. These improvements can prevent clinician burnout, improve clinician satisfaction, and add immediate value to the patient experience.3. Improve population healthTaking a macro view can help healthcare providers get in front of crises, address population-wide trends and needs, and support aging populations. This will require addressing bigger, systemic challenges such as training, communication, and flexible workflows and systems.Solutions center on connecting siloed data and disparate systems. Data-driven visibility and automated administrative workloads can help increase efficiency and improve decision-making so that care teams can provide more accurate, effective care across communities.For example, one of Europe’s largest hospitals had data scattered across multiple systems in multiple formats, making surgery coordination overly complex. With LIKE.TG, the hospital created a real-time view of data that simplified surgery coordination for 1 million yearly treatments and expedited more accurate surgery response.4. Reduce costsTransformation in healthcare will occur when we can connect positive outcomes to spending and waste. Improving efficiency requires reducing administrative tasks, making better use of data, and embracing innovative technologies such as AI.Healthcare providers are choosing technology solutions that automate manual tasks, reduce downtime, and address process inefficiencies.Improving the quality of healthcareThe healthcare industry needs to find more time, waste less effort, and drive down costs to improve the quality of care. Providers shouldn’t have to choose between investing in patients or care teams. Technologies such as hyperautomation can help them do both.Hyperautomation helps accelerate back-office administrative tasks, connect data silos, and enable hyperpersonalized experiences for patients—while reducing costs and inefficiencies. It empowers IT teams to deliver innovative, timesaving, and cost-saving solutions quickly—in days, not months.Find out more about how LIKE.TG helps healthcare organizations make the Quadruple Aim reality in our ebook: Invest in patients or care teams? Yes.
Boosting nurse retention through digital transformation in healthcare
There’s a major disconnect between the promise of digital transformation in clinical care settings and the reality of hospital systems and clinics today. Nurse retention depends on bridging this gap.Many of us remember the first wave of digital transformation in healthcare, where paper and triplicate forms gave way to electronic charting. Although electronic medical records (EMR) systems are remarkable and essential, they don’t provide a complete digital solution for care providers.Hospitals and care centers run on dozens of siloed and disconnected systems. These systems are typically not proactive and do little to automate manual tasks, work processing, and care transitions. Hyperautomated and intelligent technical platforms can solve this.The reality of clinical careNurses enter the challenging healthcare field to help provide top-notch care, solve complex cases, and support people in regaining their health. No clinical professional ever intended to spend their time in front of a computer screen for hours on end or regularly leaving the patient bedside to find an available clean, working infusion pump or orthopedic bed.Clinical care in most settings is broken, and this is an expensive problem. The most talented, licensed staff are spending a great deal of time on administrative duties. Nearly one-third (31%) of clinicians plan to exit the direct care environment because of this, according to McKinsey.As a registered nurse, informatics architect, and former hospital supervisor, I urge IT employees to shadow a nurse, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant for a day. Only then will they understand how much effort it takes to get the required work done and how little time there is for clinical care.
The heart of the issueThe frustration is not with sick patients, concerned families, or health disparities, but with the complex administrative coordination done manually through calling, faxing, and paging to get services at the bedside.Given the advancement of technology in our personal lives, nurses wonder why they can’t easily notify the dietary or facilities department about a problem with a patient tray or a broken bathroom light through their computer or workstation on wheels.They question why admission orders entered into a system can’t trigger workflows to all essential support services to ensure availability of a room, a bed, transport, pumps and monitors, welcome supplies, and staff.Solution: Enterprise service managementEnterprise service management for healthcare can simplify the clinician experience. It’s precisely what it sounds like—having all clinical, operations, support, facility, and IT services connected to the same service management system. This provides a one-stop shop for getting help, researching information, and launching work automation requests quickly.Imagine notifying connected teams with a single click on an icon when there’s a change in patient status or transition to a new location. With a few clicks, the coordination aspect of supporting a patient admission can be solved through workflow, notifications, and automation.Picture this type of intelligent automation for admissions, discharges, trips off the floor for procedures, surgery, transfers to other floors, and transfers out of the facility. With LIKE.TG Healthcare and Life Science Services Management, provider systems can offer a seamless digital experience for nurses, managing healthcare operations and administrative tasks with automated, intelligent, prebuilt processes.To simplify getting help, seeking services, or finding information, LIKE.TG has these functionalities integrated into EMR systems as well. There’s no need to leave the EMR and toggle to other systems. Everything is in one place, reducing the complexity of the process and the burden on nurses. This is what will help retain nurses.With streamlined tools to comprehensively support their practice, nurses can go back to doing what they’re passionate about: caring for patients.Find out more in our ebook: The voice of the front-line healthcare worker.
Creating better end-to-end experiences in healthcare and life sciences
COVID-19 has impacted every industry, but perhaps none more than healthcare and life sciences. From how and where healthcare is provided to the speed of developing and administering vaccines, there has been massive disruption to the way healthcare and life sciences organizations operate. But the crisis also provided unprecedented opportunities to reexamine and transform.For example, multiple COVID-19 vaccines made it to the market in only 12 months, which is almost unbelievable compared to the pre-pandemic average of eight to 10 years. Similarly, the LIKE.TG® Vaccine Administration Management solution has helped public and private sector entities vaccinate millions of people globally in record time. We continue to innovate and expand the reach of this solution.A tremendous amount of patient-centric work is taking place at ServiceNow. That's what’s behind the release of our Healthcare and Life Sciences Service Management product. Our goal is to simplify and improve the end-to-end journeys related to planning for care, delivering care, paying for services, or supporting clinical trials. Here are three ways we’re doing that:Improving the clinician and employee experienceA Stanford Medicine study found 63% of physicians say electronic medical records (EMRs) have improved patient care. But about half of the respondents say EMRs detract from their professional satisfaction and clinical effectiveness.University of Kentucky (UK) HealthCare worked with software company INRY to provide a Help button within its EMR that seamlessly integrates with the LIKE.TG IT Service Management solution. The button allows doctors and clinicians to report a software problem in a single click, minimizing the time spent on a task that doesn’t directly contribute to care.UK HealthCare also deployed a live chat window that enables a clinician to access help through a virtual agent. This reduced support desk calls by 25%. These savings can be redirected toward activities that directly affect the quality of patient care.St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital used LIKE.TG IntegrationHub and App Engine to build fast, efficient custom apps for vendor invoices, digital contract signatures, and its pharmaceutical services informatics team. As a result, the hospital saw time spent on invoicing decrease from 40-80 hours a month to only 13 hours. That’s a labor savings of about 14 weeks per year—just for the invoicing department.
Keeping health data secureMore than 29 million healthcare records were exposed in 2020, according to the HIPAA Journal. A study reported in Health IT Security found that more than half of breached organizations already knew they were vulnerable. Yet, only 23% of health organizations have adopted and deployed security technology, training, and procedures needed to manage and thwart cyberattacks, according to Fierce Healthcare.When Bupa Australia and New Zealand wanted to improve its security posture and reduce risk, the global healthcare insurance provider embraced LIKE.TG Vulnerability Response, which it refers to as “cyber hygiene” that drives down risk. The company also started using Security Incident Response, which helps identify and prioritize critical incidents and then improve the workflow, automation, and speed of remediation.Personalizing healthcare life sciences experiencesSignant Health set out to enhance its user experience after finding that 60% of patients who started a clinical trial didn’t complete it. The organization worked with Capgemini to build a solution that integrated the Now Platform with seven supporting tools.Soon after the solution went live, Signant needed to set up trials for COVID-19 vaccines. The organization created a new clinical trial startup process in only four weeks. The trials, which involved 46,000 people across six continents, had a 95% satisfaction rating.Scotland’s National Health Service (NHS Scotland) created its own workflows to schedule vaccinations, collect COVID-19 testing data, and begin contact tracing for its 6.5 million citizens using LIKE.TG Customer Service Management."Because it's low-code, we can very quickly change it to be what we want," explains Deryck Mitchelson, director of national digital and security. "We'll do things like our winter flu program, as well, and COVID boosters when they come in. It will sit at the heart of the NHS going forward."Learn more about how your healthcare or life sciences organization can improve experiences and long-term outcomes across the entire continuum of care in our Healthcare Book of Knowledge.
The future of work in federal healthcare agencies
Unique HR challenges for federal healthcare agenciesAs a human resources specialist, you’re being challenged like never before. In addition to meeting traditional demands such as quickly and efficiently attracting, hiring, and retaining quality employees, you’re also facing new challenges, including pressure to make your workforce more efficient, modernize employee processes, and work within ever-tightening budget parameters. As if that’s not enough, sudden and unexpected issues, like the Coronavirus that’s resulting in staff working from home, are constantly changing the future of work.Federal agencies like yours also face mandates to digitally transform the workforce while at the same time delivering enhanced employee experiences. The good news is that achieving these goals may be easier than you think. In fact, as your agency becomes more digitally enabled, a nice benefit is that this naturally improves experiences for staff and the customers, patients, and beneficiaries you serve.Develop your workforce of the futureYour employees are the core of your agency. Yet even with a high-quality staff, you still need to continually attract and retain employees, especially those with in-demand skillsets, to develop your workforce of the future. Implementing digital processes can help with everything from identifying the right candidates to accelerating the onboarding process to streamlining and even eliminating repetitive tasks.This helps you and your staff spend less time waiting for paperwork and filling out redundant forms. As a result, employees such as clinicians are able to focus on what really matters—treating patients, soldiers, beneficiaries, and others who rely on your healthcare services. By shifting to a digital first strategy, your agency will be able to provide services faster and enable better outcomes.As you know, creating the future government workforce requires modern processes and having the right tools in place for all staff. Moving to a cloud-based digital platform that offers digital workflows, has interoperability to work with existing systems, and is able to access data in real time can help. This type of platform, as part of a digital transformation strategic plan, gives agencies and HR leaders the digital processes, intelligence, and insights needed to improve HR operations, performance, and experiences.According to IDC, a market research, analysis, and advisory firm specializing in information technology, government agencies anticipate savings and benefits from their digital transformation strategies. By next year, 40 percent expect increased or improved employee productivity, 33 percent expect reduced operational expenditures, and 27 percent expect business process cycle-time reductions. If your agency is not implementing a comprehensive plan for digitalization, then you’re behind other organizations and not achieving the savings and other advantages that those in both the public and private sectors are realizing.Find out more about optimizing your digital workforce of the future, along with the challenges of a digital transformation, the three pillars of transformation success, and guidance to reach your goals, with this data sheet from IDC.Drive better employee experiencesA new HR and workforce productivity software category has recently emerged—the employee experience platform. The platform gives employees a single place to access a wide range of services. This category can include solutions such as the Now Platform® that’s uniquely positioned to help improve the prospect and employee experience for federal healthcare agencies.The Now Platform provides a single layer of engagement for HR functions. Employees benefit from access to multiple systems across the agency, empowering them to manage standard HR forms and functions through automated workflows. The platform also offers pre-built HR specific integration and functionality along with a self-service portal. HR departments that use the solution have seen their number of HR cases drop by 25 percent along with a 30 percent increase in efficiency in serving cases and a 37 percent increase in HR capability.Offering digital features such as self-service allows employees to access the information they need on their own with consistency, visibility, and relevancy. The result is improved employee experiences and satisfaction.According to research, employees are dealing with a proliferation of new technologies that can make their jobs more complicated. In fact, 27 percent of workers believe they waste an entire day a week on irrelevant emails and messages. Your employees want technology that simplifies their workday, not complicates it.With the right solution, you can give your employees the critical capabilities needed to improve in their jobs and have better experiences. A new paper on the employee experience platform market can help you navigate the HR and workplace technology landscape to find out which solution is right for your agency.
Helping federal agencies with healthcare solutions
Collaboration and interoperability help federal agencies improve the delivery of healthcare solutions.Federal agencies have made a lot of progress toward better meeting the needs of the citizens, beneficiaries and partners they serve. Advances in technology, updated business processes and a move to digital transformation have allowed agencies to meet their goals faster and improve the delivery of services. Yet agencies continue to struggle with new and ongoing challenges, and they still face barriers optimizing technology.Part of the problem stems from organizations using various systems. This is usually the result of agencies adding new or open-source technologies onto their legacy platforms to gain new capabilities or to solve a specific issue. Now, agencies are saddled with a variety of systems that are outdated, don’t communicate, create even more silos or support projects that are no longer funded.Agencies such as the Defense Health Agency (DHA), Health and Human Services (HHS) and Veterans Affairs (VA) don’t need an expensive and disruptive rip-and-replacement of their current systems. But they do need their disparate technologies to communicate and share information. Until that happens, their technologies will create obstacles rather than eliminate them.Intelligently connect all systemsDHA, HHS, VA and other federal healthcare service agencies are striving to improve the quality and delivery of care. They’re discovering that to be successful, the entire organization must be aligned behind the same goals and seamlessly share information. Departments can no longer work in isolation or use their own data sets to drive results. Instead, they need to collaborate with all other departments and even outside organizations, such as universities and private sector healthcare companies, to best serve their citizens.While departments may experience short-term gains by working in a silo or achieve their individual objectives quickly, reaching organization-wide goals requires collaboration. And collaboration requires interoperable technology that cooperatively shares data and information in an intelligent, coordinated way. This results in improved medical treatments and care for veterans, service members, seniors, citizens, and others.A single platform—the Now Platform® from LIKE.TG—can connect all technologies across an agency. The connectivity delivers a range of benefits to accelerate and enhance healthcare and other services. For example, interoperability allows agencies to transparently and securely share the electric health records of beneficiaries or veterans.Interoperability also enables end-to-end digital workflows, which gives agencies the ability to share best practices and other information. Agencies benefit from enhanced levels of collaboration to foster better, faster, more efficient care.A modern approach to care via a modern approach to technologyThe need for modern technologies is not new. Agencies, just like innovative businesses, rely on tech solutions to fulfill their mission. The solutions play an increasingly critical role as agencies shift toward digitalization, modernize the delivery of healthcare, and improve outcomes. For large agencies like DHA, HHS and VA, a single technology will not meet all of their vast and diverse needs. Multiple and sometimes specialized solutions are needed, and they must be able to “talk” to each other.The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the need for interoperability and information sharing. Agencies have most of their staffs working from home, and they need to connect remotely to systems to access information. To be efficient, employees should be able to access an ecosystem from a single point of entry to get all of the information they need rather than signing on to several systems.The pandemic also emphasizes the need for digital processes that can share information organization-wide and with third parties. This helps, for example, agencies and their partners to digitally share health records about beneficiaries and patients who were transferred to different care facilities due to COVID-19 or needed to receive treatment. The ability to share information eliminates the need for patients to fill out redundant forms for each treatment or transfer.LIKE.TG offers a platform and solutions to help agencies and healthcare providers eliminate pain points and solve problems through digital processes and interoperability. See a recent data sheet for the details.Digitize processes without the drawbacksAgencies realize the value of digital processes, such as the ability to quickly and transparently share information such as medical records. Agencies may have also experienced that a digital transformation can have unintended consequences, such as creating an additional administrative burden for many clinicians who need to learn new skills.The upside is that the hurdle to digitalization is temporary. Agencies and healthcare organizations will ultimately see a time savings and less admin work. They’ll also see more satisfied patients who appreciate that they don’t have to fill out similar forms every time they see a doctor. A complete electronic record, for instance, that stays with the patient results in better care because providers can see the person’s entire medical history, including when and where treatments were provided.Our infographic shows how technology is modernizing healthcare. See the latest stats and data on healthcare and digital processes.
Accruent helps clinics delivers safer, more modern healthcare equipment on the Now Platform
One of the most meaningful parts of my job working with LIKE.TG’s technology partners is watching new apps leverage the Now Platform® in-life changing ways. Nowhere is that innovation more obvious than in healthcare. Take asset management company Accruent for example. Its Connectiv Healthcare Technology Management app helps healthcare delivery organizations better manage all aspects of asset management for medical devices, facility equipment, and biomedical equipment so they can put more resources toward enhance the quality of patient care.Accruent witnessed the need for a true digital transformation within the Healthcare Technology (HTM) and Facilities (HFM) Management departments that are the backbone for the delivery of care. Much like the problems that plagued legacy IT departments, these facilities struggle to manage a growing number of connected medical devices and equipment, mitigate associated risks, ensuring compliance, and creating efficiency gains. Accruent built Connectiv entirely on the Now Platform.By leveraging LIKE.TG as a technology platform, Accruent was able to do two very important things; rely on the highly-available, secure, and trusted platform technology that powers the LIKE.TG applications. Thus, taking away the complexity of building their own platform technology stack and relying upon various technology vendors for their application availability. Additionally, they were able to monetize their application IP through several of LIKE.TG’s routes to market.“According to The Moody’s Investor’s Service analysis1, average operating margins for hospitals have fallen to an all-time low at 1.7 percent,” said Andy Ruse, Chief Revenue Officer, Accruent. “Built on the Now Platform, Connectiv delivers adaptable workflows with a modern, user-friendly experience so customers can realize deeper cost savings, increased productivity and improved efficiency.”These savings costs and productivity gains are vital to Accruent’s customers. Connectiv users have been able to improve their maintenance and parts procurement processes so that they can provide safer, more modern equipment in the best possible condition, increasing the efficiency of operations and enhancing the quality of patient care.As a result of innovations like the one that that Accruent has built on the Now Platform, we are able to transform parts of the enterprise that have been starving for innovation, stuck using out-dated technology and manual processes. Our partners represent a true “force multipler” for our customers, helping them accelerate digital transformation programs, drive business value, and even change lives.1 Modern Healthcare, Operating margins stabilize, but not-for-profit hospitals still vulnerable, 26 April, 2019 ,https://www.modernhealthcare.com/providers/operating-margins-stabilize-not-profit-hospitals-still-vulnerable
Forrester named LIKE.TG a Leader in Strategic Portfolio Management
I’m excited to announce that LIKE.TG has been named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™: Strategic Portfolio Management Tools, Q2 2024. We believe this recognition validates our industry position and continued investment in a comprehensive planning solution with AI capabilities to better align strategy and business value.Differentiating with AIThe rapid adoption of AI technology has created a clear change in the way enterprises operate and how work gets done. We believe LIKE.TG is taking the lead in this emerging area. The Forrester Wave™ report states, “LIKE.TG capitalizes on its AI capabilities to enhance core capabilities and optimize planning.”Customers can take advantage of newly introduced AI and intelligent automation functionality with Now Assist for Strategic Portfolio Management. They can use the AI-powered virtual agent in demand management or to automate laborious tasks, such as product feedback analysis.In today's ever-changing AI world, it’s crucial to have the ability to make optimal, timely decisions. LIKE.TG® Strategic Portfolio Management provides the tools to make informed decisions, allocate resources effectively, and reach organizational goals fast.Improving visibility and processesIn LIKE.TG's vendor profile, the Forrester Wave™ report states, “LIKE.TG’s vision ambitiously focuses on connecting strategy, planning, and delivery in a user-friendly environment that enables organizations to execute strategies.”Leaders can help ensure strategic alignment by managing funds, simulating investment scenarios, and using real-time analytics to anticipate trends, prioritize resources, and continuously improve outcomes.With all work aligned to enterprise goals, this centralized approach fosters synergy among knowledge workers, enhancing organizational agility and competitiveness in today's dynamic business environment.We believe the added integration of LIKE.TG Collaborative Work Management offers multifaceted benefits. It empowers teams with an all-encompassing hub for planning, visualization, and collaboration while efficiently managing business demands and resources.With seamless access to tools for capturing, assessing, and managing tasks, teams can streamline workflows, enhance communication, and boost productivity.Managing application estate effectivelyEffective digital transformation requires a laser focus on modernizing the application estate. Organizations need application portfolios that support business strategy more effectively, with reduced levels of cost and risk.The Forrester report notes about LIKE.TG, “Application portfolio management (APM) is a particular strength...”APM done well can help organizations achieve business goals with complete visibility across their application landscape. Addressing the various inventory, capability mapping, and tracking needs of our customers is critical to business delivery, and we’re proud to offer the products to support them.Delivering business outcomesBy prioritizing, planning, managing, and scaling agile portfolios and investments, organizations can expedite the delivery of innovative products and services.The Forrester report notes, “LIKE.TG doubled down on its investment in SPM, and the results show.”LIKE.TG’s approach offers alignment with organizational strategies, helping to ensure desired business results through real-time goal tracking. We know that enabling teams to manage work using any methodology also accelerates value delivery across the enterprise, fostering adaptability and innovation.Download the full, complimentary Forrester report.
3 ways to improve the healthcare patient experience and save
As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, improving the customer experience is critical. Nowhere is this more important than in the healthcare industry, where increased engagement can lead to better patient outcomes.“Pairing digital technologies with human coaching and clinical care can offer a dramatically better patient experience through personalized attention, on-demand access to support, and automated reminders,” explains a Workflow article.That approach to improving patient care focuses on prevention, which can save significant costs. Here are three other ways healthcare organizations can improve the patient experience and reap savings:1. Simplify EMR managementElectronic medical records (EMRs) were designed to reduce errors, enhance communications between providers, and improve efficiency and patient outcomes. The administration of EMR platforms is not so streamlined, however, requiring resources to optimize, maintain, and upgrade the systems.Learn how to simplify EMR management in our Taking a strategic approach to managing EMRs webinar. You’ll hear how UW Health developed and integrated a Help button into its EMR, and the effects of this innovation on the organization’s IT, patients, and clinicians.2. Increase uptimeBecause healthcare today relies on EMRs and connected devices, IT system downtime could be the difference between life and death. Watch The impact of downtime on the clinician and patient experience to glean tips to help you minimize issues and expedite remediation. Dr. Noreen Butte, physician executive at Cerner Corp., joins LIKE.TG Chief Healthcare Architect Don Tierney to discuss ways to increase uptime.3. Empower employee efficiencyA good patient experience hinges on a good employee experience. Today, that equates to equipping workers with technology that helps them easily do their jobs. “Healthcare organizations are at their best when they have happy, satisfied, engaged workers delivering the quality of service patients expect and deserve,” explains Rhonda Blatti, senior director of Employee Workflows at ServiceNow.Yet, a LIKE.TG-sponsored survey by ESI ThoughtLab found that only 21% of healthcare organizations are considered leaders in providing a digital employee experience. Clearly, there’s room for improvement.Watch our Accelerating the hybrid workforce in healthcare webinar to discover more results of the survey and steps your organization can take to empower your employees to work more efficiently and safely.
Three pillars to digital government
The 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) recently celebrated its one year anniversary. The goal of the legislation is to improve the way citizens interact with the federal government. The ability to provide a modern digital experience to citizens and employees is now a basic expectation for all federal chief information officers (CIOs).Today, trust in institutions is near historic lows, setting the stakes for successful digital transformations at an all-time high. Whether the website visitor is a farmer, veteran, educator or senior citizen, the digital experience significantly impacts how they think about the federal government.Behind every great experience is a great workflow.The great workflows that will define our 21st-century digital government rely on three pillars:
Modern Websites
Digitized Government Forms and Services
Electronic Signatures
Modern WebsitesEvery 90 days, there are 3.5 billion visits to government websites, almost half of which are from mobile devices. So, new and redesigned federal websites must meet modern standards, like those recently published by the Technology Transformation Service. A user-centric approach to technology is the key to successful digital transformations.Digitized Government Forms and ServicesPresently, the federal government spends nearly $90 billion on information technology (IT) annually, most of which just maintains existing systems. These legacy systems can be costly and inflexible. By digitizing forms and processes, agencies can not only provide more personalized services, but they can work towards decreasing costs.Electronic SignaturesThe ability to easily share, review and sign off on documentation is essential to a great workflow. So, digital signatures are critical. They drive increased efficiency, faster time to service and improved processes. Once implemented, the related savings can open the door for new digital transformation initiatives.The government’s transition from legacy and manual processes to modern digital ones is well underway.21st Century IDEA is a key component, but it is still gaining traction. Our research found that 55% of federal employees are unaware of the 21st Century IDEA and only 38% of feds told us that customer experience (CX) is their agency’s top priority.One way to turn this around is by focusing on platform as a strategy. Platforms, such as LIKE.TG®, offer tools and digital capabilities that agencies can use to speed up their modernization efforts. At the core are portals, virtual customer service agents, automation tools and pre-established cloud-based security controls.
Great experiences drive powerful employee engagement, unleashing productivity and fueling innovation.All government agencies want to deliver great experiences for their employees and customers. Poorexperiences can erode trust whereas great experiences often inspire it. CIOs know this, but they are hindered in their digital journeys by complexity, legacy systems and siloed data.We all share the same goal — simplicity. It begins with understanding how work and data flow through your agency, combined with an outside-in view of your customer interactions. Citizens should be able to interact with the government the way they want, not constrained by outdated legacy systems.The 21st Century IDEA Act is a great step in this direction, and we are just getting started.
How to modernize citizen engagement to create an excellent experience for all
Lessons learned from the City of Buffalo, GSA Centers of Excellence, and LIKE.TGThe concept of citizen engagement has been around for centuries, but the ways in which citizens want to engage are new for our modern times. Today’s citizens have high expectations. When interacting with government agencies, they want service that is similar to what they get from the companies they do business with.This means they want real-time access to information and immediate responses to their questions and concerns, as well as proactive, personalized interactions across a number of different communication channels. While a tall order, this kind of engagement is certainly achievable when you can bring together the right combination of people, technologies, and processes.A recent GovLoop webinar explored what this combination looks like in the real world. Oswaldo Mestre, director of citizen services, City of Buffalo; Brian Whittaker, acting deputy executive director, Centers of Excellence, GSA; and Chris Dilley, CTO for State and Local Government and Education, LIKE.TG, all shared insights into the struggles and successes they have experienced as they worked to transform citizen engagement. Following are a few of the lessons they learned:Know your citizenIt is important to know who you are serving. Who are they? What are their needs? How would they like to be served? You can find out by identifying the channels you have to engage customers – for example, surveys, in-person interviews, and phone calls – and then start asking questions to uncover the biggest pain points and needs. You may already have some assumptions around what needs to be addressed, but it is important to be humble and validate that those assumptions are actually true.For example, when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) talked to customers about the housing process, they were able to pinpoint an opportunity to help seniors get affordable housing. They were able to prioritize this process over other things thanks to firsthand feedback.Remember one size doesn’t fit allIt is important to understand there can be experience, language, and cultural differences within your citizen-base that can influence when, where, and how they want to engage. This means there isn’t going to be one, monolithic way to do something. You have to be prepared to offer a number of options. The key is to ensure everything is tied together on the backend, so the experience can be consistently satisfying.This means work needs to be orchestrated across applications and departments (such as IT, HR, finance, revenue, natural resources, and human services) and consolidated into a single case that can be checked, managed and updated by anyone. That way, it doesn’t matter how the interactions are done – in person, online, via a call, … – it’s easy to pull in (via APIs) and aggregate data from all these different systems and applications.For example, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) surveyed their farmers, ranchers, and producers, they uncovered a chance to streamline the farm loan process, which farmers use to make improvements to their farm operations. The farmers and ranchers actually wanted a blended experience. Many had longstanding relationships with USDA loan officers that went back generations, so it was important to maintain that personal connection. Yet they wanted to digitize some of the steps to reduce trips to the loan office and improve the overall speed and efficiency of the experience.Pay attention to employeesTrying to meet the needs of citizens is important, but so is listening and delivering on what employees want. When it is difficult for employees to do their job or deliver great service, no one is happy - poor experiences lead to low satisfaction all around. It’s not about working harder or faster, it’s about being more productive.Don’t be afraid to replace legacy tools and fragmented processes that are perpetuating complexity, limiting visibility, and stifling collaboration. If you pay attention to your employees and make changes that promote their job satisfaction and productivity, they will be able to focus on the citizens they serve. That will lead to better experiences for mission-driven employees as well as citizens.Get a championA lot of the changes we are discussing are cultural and operational, as much as they are technological, so it is important to have buy in from the top. For the City of Buffalo that meant getting the mayor on board, as well as key champions in each department. They kept everyone part of the process, with regular meetings, updates, and reports, so everyone knew about and was supportive of the changes they were implementing.Recognize every touchpoint is an engagement opportunityEvery interaction, every transaction, is a chance to deepen the relationships you have with your customers, strengthen their opinion, and increase their satisfaction. It doesn’t matter if someone is looking for answers or trying to get a hunting, fishing, business, or driver’s license, it all counts.For example, the City of Buffalo wanted to be more thoughtful around all the interactions they have with their citizens. There are many ways citizens can engage, in person or digitally, via self-service web, mobile applications, and social media channels. The City of Buffalo also has a call center that is staffed by nine contact center reps and one supervisor, almost on a 24x7 basis.They started operationalizing all the opportunities they had to listen and respond to citizens, whether they were contacting the city about a business license, garbage pick-up, or major snowstorm. They started linking information, involving other departments, and holding everyone accountable for citizen engagement, with service level agreements, to drive greater collaboration and faster resolution times.Today, the average call time for the 300,000 calls they get a year is under two minutes, with an average hold time of 35 seconds. They have started proactively using social media to provide updates around progress on events and issues that are resonating with citizens. They also look at all the data they collect from the call center each month to categorize the issues and identify hotspots (locations that have a lot of issues) that need some attention, as well as simple things they can address quickly. One day a month, they schedule a clean sweep to address the little things that have come up. They knock on doors of concerned constituents, fix potholes, and cut down trees out in the community. Since initiating this cohesive effort, which uses all the different mechanisms they have to interact with citizens, the City has seen a dramatic decrease in crime and uptick in engagement.For more insights on transforming citizen experiences, you can listen to the webinar now: “Creating excellent CX - the need for updated customer service management.”
How COVID-19 has accelerated Singapore’s digital citizen services
Singapore’s government and businesses have outpaced global peers in delivering innovative, secure digital services, including healthcare, government support services and education, to citizens.Telehealth, smart-chatbots, mobile apps and distance learning are just a few of the latest digital service offerings that Singaporeans now see as the rule rather than the exception. People are seeking personalised, predictive digital services that just ‘work better’ or fulfil their desires to self-serve.COVID-19 has only heightened demand for services that respond, act, and communicate in ways that complement the human experience. According to Accenture, three out of four Singaporeans support more digital government services, and more than 70% percent expect the Southeast Asian nation state to collaborate with global enterprises to foster more home-grown innovation.Organisations are still battling with many offline processes, but Singapore’s Government has continued to innovate and deliver new technologies to benefit citizens. Singapore’s Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG), comprising SNDGO and GovTech, is developing Smart Nation infrastructure and applications, investing millions and partnering with industries to co-create and fast-track the adoption of digital payments, e-invoicing, as well as advanced digital tools such as OneService, ActiveSG, SingPass Mobile, LifeSG and more.A big part of Singapore's digital leadership in 2020 stems from the government’s sustained investment in digital preparedness. Long-standing partnerships between government and industry have built trusted capabilities in new technologies, which drive the Smart Nation agenda. GovTech and several other government agencies are using the Now Platform® to deliver smart experiences for citizens and improve productivity for their employees.Singapore’s government also enables other organisations, industry-wide to build digital foundations, boost ICT and engineering capabilities and innovate within the fast-changing technology landscape. Fostering open conversations with industry leaders on how to help local organizations leverage digital transformation has been a catalyst for the nation’s rapid progress.
A once-in-a-generation opportunityThe pandemic, among many other changes, has also created the opportunity to rethink how we live and work.As Singapores’ economy recovers, the speed to deliver such solutions will be a key focus, with citizens’ security and privacy top of mind. Digital trust is more important than ever, particularly for services that involve personal data. Globally, citizens will increasingly expect governments to set new, national standards across industries with the mandate for connected, secure digital capabilities.With secure, cloud platforms, the possibilities to accelerate personal, secure digital services are endless and rely on enduring collaboration. Fuelling ‘tech for good’ requires common national risk and compliance standards to protect citizens and their data – and that requires continued collective thinking.Thanks to increasing availability of open government datasets, initiatives like the Developers.Data.gov.sg resource have allowed citizen developers to create more than 100 apps. In the fight against COVID-19, Singapore’s facial recognition technology, TraceTogether tokens, and contactless temperature scanners are a few of the local innovations that will likely become mainstream worldwide.Intelligent citizen experiences are simpleThe pandemic has shown just how quickly people and organizations can adjust to new ways – witness the digital transition to online learning; the global shift in many sectors to remote working; and the advances in telemedicine – changes that occurred in weeks that would otherwise have taken years.Digital experiences are table stakes. If an app can track movements of a takeout order down to the minute, then why not the processing of test results, a new passport or property taxes – and a unified payment system for all services?Underpinning these new ways of living and working are powerful cloud-based platforms – including the Now Platform – which deliver secure, compliant digital workflows with intelligent automation.
Re-imagining online citizen engagement
We’ve all been there. You need something from your local or state government agency, so you navigate to their website. But instead of finding what you need quickly, as you would with many consumer sites, the site is a mess.It’s organized by agency department, which you don’t really understand, or it’s not organized at all, with a hodgepodge of information all over the place. The search doesn’t really work, presenting search results that are nowhere near what you’re looking for. You try another tactic and go to Google to search. This presents you with pages of mostly outdated links. These links typically send you deeper into the site, with no context or navigation ability.When you do find what you’re looking for, it’s a PDF. No instructions, just a PDF that you need to fill out with your personal information and then snail-mail back. Oh wait. You also need to fill out another form and submit it to a different agency, so you need to enter all that personal data again.Ugh.Welcome to the unfortunate status quo. Many government websites were created over a decade ago and haven’t been modernized much since. They tend to follow a departmental structure, requiring users to understand departments and agencies to find what they’re looking for. Site content is frequently out of date and delivered in a variety of formats, with no context or clear instructions.On top of that, most website creation software used in the government space isn’t flexible enough to enable content creators to automatically post updates to multiple areas, which means there is typically only one way to get at certain pieces of information. For example, tax credit information for seniors, which should be available on the office of aging page, finance department page, and tax credits page, may only end up being published on the page of the agency that produced that information.It doesn’t have to be this way. There are solutions available that can enable government agencies to reliably deliver an excellent web experience for citizens. A service portal is one such solution. It enables agencies to easily offer services in a logical, structured way that doesn’t rely on citizens having to know the vagaries of a government’s departmental hierarchies. Instead, citizens can find what they are looking for and complete what they are trying to do, quickly and efficiently.Citizens simply register to use the portal, which gives them an account they can log into at any time, from anywhere, to get what they need. They can navigate to the information they are searching for—and if they get stuck, they can easily find their way out and get back on track. They can also track the status of all their requests, such as a license application or pothole report, regardless of the departments, agencies, or people involved. As a result, government agencies can provide an experience akin to ecommerce sites, delivering a consistent, engaging experience that will satisfy constituents.The service portal augments the traditional web site, providing a way for government agencies to organize and present services to vastly improve a citizen’s ability to find and access what they need. It can also take other valuable information, such as frequently asked questions (FAQs), building locations, contact information, facility hours of operation, and trash collection schedules and turn them into knowledge base articles that make them easy for a citizen to search.Machine learning tools can then be applied to continuously improve the relevancy of the results of a visitor’s search to ensure citizens are able to locate the information they’re looking for, fast. It can also be applied to more routine requests to the agency’s public information office, constituent services office, or any public call center. Using a virtual agent, or chatbot, the site can now help visitors discover answers.In this way, government agencies can create self-service capabilities like those at the core of most consumer experiences. For citizens, this will go a long way toward boosting customer satisfaction, while obviating the need to get on the phone with a civil servant. This “case-deflection” can free up the agency’s time, allowing staff to innovate instead of just keeping the lights on.By combining virtual agent or chatbot technology with well-curated knowledge bases, staff can get back valuable time to focus on their mission. This is important to enable them to have the time for those high-touch moments, where a caring employee can make all the difference in someone’s life.Next stepsLook at your department’s or agency’s website and put yourself in a citizen’s shoes. Try to apply for a service. Note the search path and obstacles you encounter. Document any paper-based or telephone-based steps in the process - this is low-hanging fruit for transforming your citizens’ digital experience. Now, consider how a top ecommerce site might present the same information and services you offer. There is your target!Want to learn more about digital transformation in citizen engagement, read how Tennessee DHS redefines the customer experience for government services.
LIKE.TG gains DOD Impact Level 4 authorization
The federal government has reached an inflection point in its digital transformation journey – with increasing security risks and costs associated with legacy systems, modernization is no longer an option, it’s an imperative. Both federal civilian and defense agencies are required to meet ongoing benchmarks to further their modernization efforts, and, as a result, they are turning to enterprise cloud providers to help them achieve this long-standing mission.LIKE.TG today announced that the LIKE.TG GovCommunityCloud obtained the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Impact Level 4 (IL4) Provisional Authority to Operate (P-ATO) in the Security Requirements Guide (SRG) for cloud computing by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). We are the seventh Software-as-a-Service solution provider to obtain this authorization, which will enable the DOD to accelerate its adoption of cloud-based solutions, helping securely move data, including unclassified and personal identifiable information, to the cloud.The DOD is making active strides to migrate its processes to highly secure cloud platforms that have the capabilities to protect mission-critical information from bad actors and expedite its digital transformation.Having recently gained a FedRAMP High authorization for our tailored solution, the DOD IL4 authorization now cements the DOD’s ability to access LIKE.TG’s best-in-class digital experiences for IT, customer and employee workflows. Through this partnership, the DOD can focus on what matters most—providing our military forces what is required to protect the security of the United States—and not worry about the backend processes that take away from that mission.LIKE.TG’s achievement of the DOD IL4 authorization furthers its commitment to the DOD by empowering defense and intelligence agencies to modernize their workflow capabilities for data with higher levels of classification. This authorization will optimize efficiency and deliver greater experiences for military and civilian personnel.
Digital government comes of age
Governments around the world have long understood the advantages of digitising their services. It’s fair to say, however, that most public sector agencies are just beginning their digital journeys.Public agencies face unique challenges compared to the private sector. Notably, they serve citizens rather than customers. This simple difference means greater pressure to deliver digital services within strict budgetary limits while protecting data and complying with regulations.In the age of digital government transformation, government departments also face immense pressure to deliver new solutions, improve agility, and provide governance at pace while their budgets shrink. When you throw in the huge complexity of many public sector organisations – to say nothing of challenges like navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and delivering Brexit in the UK – these challenges look quite imposing.So how should government agencies build and enhance the digital public services of the future?Put citizens and users firstStep one is to focus on two main constituencies: the citizens who consume government services, and the public sector teams that deliver them. Citizens want better experiences and outcomes. Increasingly, they also want to access government services in the same way they interact with consumer brands.The world is going mobile, and so government services like renewing a driver’s license or paying taxes should be mobile-first. Public sector employees also want better experiences and outcomes, whether that’s faster onboarding, streamlined communications or better access to shared data.From the user perspective, public sector IT clearly needs to be simpler, more streamlined and better integrated. Simplifying IT delivery – rather than relying on complicated systems that exist in isolation from each other – is key to delivering better, more efficient, more automated experiences at scale.Respond at speedTake the example of how Buckinghamshire Council – a local government authority in the UK – has used technology to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.When the UK government announced a national lockdown in early 2020, Buckinghamshire Council become the frontline in delivering new, critical services to support the most vulnerable citizens. They included delivering food parcels and medicines, helping isolated citizens living on their own in lockdown, and much more.The Council had to deal with a huge array of new data – both from central government, and from the hundreds of citizens who were asking for support. The key was ensuring that Council staff, community hubs and volunteers all had the right information to act on.A redesign of the Council’s operational approach, bringing together IT, HR and financial services onto the LIKE.TG platform, created a new automated database – with more than 90 fields of essential information that are managed and updated in real time.The end result was a simplified user experience that enabled the Council to respond at pace, ensuring thousands of vulnerable residents received the services they needed.Practical stepsThis example shows that improving digital service delivery doesn’t necessarily require high-profile, complex or flashy projects. In fact, huge benefits can come from practical, straightforward steps designed to simplify infrastructures and processes. Applying digital thinking to IT workflows can quickly highlight repetitive processes that can be streamlined and automated.It bears repeating that digital transformation poses unique challenges for the public sector. Moreover, the drive to implement digital technologies continues to evolve rapidly – moving beyond core IT services to include the adoption of AI, IoT and immersive technologies, for example.The key is taking a step back and viewing the IT challenge as a whole – rather than thinking about individual solutions to individual challenges. Have a clear roadmap and align your tech strategy with your organisational goals, not the other way around.Simplification and consolidation will deliver the service improvements that citizens and government employees deserve.
LIKE.TG named to U.S. Department of Defense Enterprise Software Initiative blanket purchase agreement
LIKE.TG teams with Carahsoft Technology Corp. to provide ITSM tools to governmentLIKE.TG today announced that it has been named a publisher on the Department of Defense (DoD) Enterprise Software Initiative (ESI) blanket purchase agreement (BPA) awarded to Carahsoft Technology Corp., The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®. The BPA is signed for a ten-year period of performance through July 14, 2029.Under the agreement, Carahsoft will provide asset management and cybersecurity software, software maintenance support and information technology professional services from LIKE.TG to the DoD, U.S. intelligence community and Coast Guard.
“As the DoD accelerates its digital transformation, delivering quality user experiences and yielding greater cost savings has never been more vital,” said Jonathan Alboum, principal digital strategist for the federal government, ServiceNow. “We are pleased to expand LIKE.TG’s relationship with the Defense Department and are committed to equipping all areas of the organization with the tools needed to meet their mission.”LIKE.TG’s scalable solutions are configured to meet central data reporting mandates and adhere to FedRAMP High security controls. Its automated workflow capabilities enable the DoD to seamlessly move data, including controlled unclassified and personal identifiable information, to the cloud.This BPA supports the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement and is intended to reduce the contracting and open market costs associated with the traditional procurement process, including searching for sources, developing technical documents and solicitations, negotiating contractual terms, and evaluating offers.About the DoD Enterprise Software Initiative (DoD ESI)DoD ESI is an official DoD initiative sponsored by the DoD Chief Information Officer (CIO) to lead in the establishment and management of enterprise COTS IT agreements, assets, and policies. DoD ESI lowers the total cost of ownership across the DoD, Coast Guard and Intelligence Communities for commercial software, IT hardware, and services. Additional information about the DoD ESI can be found at www.esi.mil.
Delivering on the promise of digital citizen services
65 per cent of civil servants think their existing IT infrastructure is partly to blame for holding back departments’ modernisation programmes.*The head of the Government Digital Service (GDS) has warned that departments are guilty of prioritising policy requirements over infrastructure upgrades.The man on the street just wants seamless access to services at a fair cost to the taxpayer.Can cloud-based technology platforms provide the elusive win-win?Mandated to help government work better for everyone by leading digital transformation, the GDS was set up as a centre of excellence to instil a government “digital-by-default” approach. Over the years it has navigated departmental power struggles, austerity, and periods on and off the endangered species list to transform dozens of fundamental services – making them simpler, clearer and faster.It has championed Government as a Platform (GaaP) as a new way of building digital services. It has also provided a set of common tools and guidance, and hired hundreds of people in digital roles across government. This has reversed the public sector’s traditional outsource model, leading it to become one of the biggest technology ‘in-sourcers’. As a result, many departments now boast significant in-house development skills, yet costly legacy systems persist.GaaP promotes sharing and reuse, making it cheaper and easier for service teams across government to design, assemble and build services who are currently frustrated by out-dated inflexible infrastructure and piecemeal procurement processes.This has never been more important with increased pressures including Brexit, accountability and productivity demands. Therefore it’s time to shine a spotlight on the success and failures of initiatives to date in order to move forward, which leaves GaaP at a critical crossroads.For an effective future government, policymaking and service delivery must combine to deliver better outcomes for citizens. Here, leveraging integrated platform economics through flexible, cost-effective and outcome-focused technology infrastructure will be key.How can GDS work to truly transform Whitehall into a platform fit for the digital age?Cloud-based technologies are integral to provide fast, easy, user-friendly experiences that citizens demand. The flexibility this provides enables the government to offer services consumers have come to expect in other areas of their lives. Just look to Amazon 1-click ordering, Uber, or PayPal money transfers as common examples. While research from comScore shows us that 70% of what people consume is through their mobile devices , so they want services such as applying for a drivers licence or claiming taxes to be accessed through this medium – and why shouldn’t they be?Our cloud-based platform utilises intelligent digital workflows that enable government agencies to provide faster, more effective public services with more transparency, and at lower costs. This means repetitive tasks and processes can be taken on, which frees up public sector workers to do more complex work at the same time as offer end users more personalised and self-service experiences.For example, by working with companies like LIKE.TG , departments like the DVLA are starting to implement a digital-first strategy. They now provide a myriad of services via the website, from taxing your vehicle to changing your address, all without having to call and speak to a representative.While Britain’s largest government division, the Department for Work and Pensions previously had no visibility on how they were performing, with LIKE.TG it now has end-to-end oversight of its infrastructure and services. This includes capacity management, availability management and event management. As a result, the department is being empowered to focus more on the user experience, rather than purely on system performance. This outcome should serve as a great example to other public-sector departments of what can be achieved with the right type of technology.There is still a long way to go, however. To progress in the right direction, GDS must ensure that its products and advice remain relevant. Public and private sector innovation must also be leveraged to meet the challenges that the required increasing consumerisation of government services demands – a topic I will explore further in my next post.*Source: tech.newstatesman.com
LIKE.TG welcomes Nichole Francis Reynolds to head new Global Government Relations team
With our purpose to make the world of work, work better for people, LIKE.TG is a strategic partner helping many of the world's biggest companies drive their digital transformation and create great experiences for employees and customers. As LIKE.TG has rapidly grown to more than 12,000 employees serving more than 6,200 customers worldwide, it’s important that we have a voice on the domestic and global policies that shape our business. We’re excited to share that Nichole Francis Reynolds has joined LIKE.TG as vice president of Global Government Relations.In this newly created position, Francis Reynolds, a lawyer, will lead LIKE.TG’s global government affairs, public policy, and advocacy agenda. She will be responsible for educating the public sector about LIKE.TG’s business, our technology, and contributions to our customers and our communities around the world. Francis Reynolds will report to LIKE.TG General Counsel Russell Elmer.“As we grow to a $10 billion company and beyond, helping address technology-related public policy issues important to our company, our customers and people in general is increasingly important. We are thrilled that Nichole Francis Reynolds will help build our government relations program, focusing on issues such as data privacy and governance, digital literacy and technology for good,” said Elmer. “Nichole has a stellar reputation for reaching across the aisle to help create understanding and consensus about issues that matter to everyone.”A seasoned expert in financial services, technology, tax, manufacturing, and workforce development legislation, Nichole brings a proven track record of building bi-partisan alliances and coalitions to accomplish great outcomes for government agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and communities.“LIKE.TG’s award-winning culture and reputation for growth and innovation are second to none,” said Francis Reynolds. “I couldn’t be more proud to advance LIKE.TG’s belief in the power of technology to reduce the complexity in our jobs and make work, work better for people.”
Francis Reynolds brings more than 15 years of legal, corporate, legislative, and third-party coalition-building experience to ServiceNow. Throughout her career, she has earned a reputation for her expertise in legislative processes, financial services, technology, workforce development, tax, manufacturing, and energy.Prior to joining LIKE.TG, Francis Reynolds served as VP and Head of Government and Public Affairs at the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) in Washington, D.C. Before that, she was VP of U.S. Public Policy Community Relations at Mastercard. She also spent ten years on Capitol Hill in a variety of senior leadership and advisory roles.
Highlights from the LIKE.TG Federal Forum
Last week, LIKE.TG hosted its annual Federal Forum, where federal leaders and industry partners convened for one day in Washington, D.C. to discuss how they are digitizing services for federal employees and citizens. Having joined the LIKE.TG team less than a year ago and having previously worked in the federal government, I was fortunate to hear our federal customers share their dynamic stories and learn more about the steps they are taking to accelerate their modernization journey. Here are some of the key highlights from the day:Embracing Digital Evolution: The federal government has reached an inflection point when it comes to addressing the needs of the evolving workforce and meeting the modern day demands of citizens, who expect services to be delivered at the same rate and quality as those in their everyday lives. In his opening remarks, LIKE.TG’s Brian Marvin, Vice President of Federal Sales focused on the federal government’s need to move away from a finite “digital transformation” to a “digital evolution.” In my keynote, I noted that this shift in the landscape has made it more critical than ever for federal agencies to demonstrate value for citizens – their most valuable customers. Federal agencies can demonstrate value through a four-step approach: envisioning value; creating value; validating value; and championing success.Retaining Top Talent How-To’s: To ensure the federal government is successful in its digital evolution, Sherry Van Sloun, Assistant Director of National Intelligence for Human Capital, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, highlighted the critical investment agencies should make in diverse and highly skilled talent. Van Sloun explained that for years, federal agencies prioritized mission systems over their most valuable assets: employees. However, in order to avoid unwanted skills gaps and retention challenges, federal agencies must foster strategic partnerships with private industry to create public-private talent exchanges, which enable their mobile workforce to move between jobs in both industry sectors.
Optimizing Change Management Begins at the Infrastructure Level: José Arrieta, Chief Information Officer, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) held an interesting conversation with his colleague, Perryn Ashmore, Principal Deputy Chief Information Officer and Acting Customer Experience Executive, HHS, to break down the ways they scale their relationships with industry partners to optimize change management across HHS. Arrieta said, “any level of change creates tension – a leader in a federal agency needs to accept and embrace this.” In addition, he explained that in a highly federated environment, the best way to drive change is by focusing a couple of layers below the managerial layer and instead placing a greater emphasis on infrastructure, specifically the human layer and design sessions. Arrieta emphasized that this approach – and I wholeheartedly agree – will ensure federal agencies maximize their budgets and ultimately enable them to show their mission results, such as creating programs to help citizens struggling with opioid addiction.Transforming the Employee Experience at Every Step of the Service Delivery Value Chain: One of the best ways to bolster employee experience is through greater collaboration between agency CIOs and employee experience transformation managers, according to Blair Duncan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Chief Human Capital Officer of HHS. However, current employees weren’t the only focus for the panel, which was led by Greg Horvath, Managing Director of the CIO Advisory at KPMG . Duncan told the crowd that HHS is increasingly looking at ways to strengthen the experiences for prospective candidates in addition to their current workforce.
Managing Robotics Process Automation Enterprise Capabilities: Federal civilian, defense and intelligence communities continue to integrate emerging technology to automate everyday tasks in the workplace. With this in mind, the afternoon sessions were used to showcase best practices for integrating robotics process automation (RPA), AI and machine learning to accelerate the pace of work.Chat with experts at LIKE.TG and other champions in government to learn how to address challenges and unlock your potential.
How government can meet the rising demand for digital services
The pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated digital transformation for organizations of all sizes and across all sectors. With that change, Canadians’ expectations for streamlined, simple digital services are shifting, too.Citizens are now looking for consumer-grade experiences from government. With demand for digital experiences increasing across all generations of Canadians, government has an opportunity to streamline their services for the digital age.We recently polled Canadians to better understand the overall citizen experience while accessing government services. And it’s clear there are some challenges with current processes. But many Canadians believe their experience navigating government services would be simplified if more digital choices were available, such as live chat functions and mobile-friendly options.Click the image below to see our infographic that uncovers more about the opportunities Canadians see for accessing government services and where digital workflows have the potential to transform the experience through speed and simplicity. You can also download the complete Citizen experience in Canada reportAccessibility note: The infographic is transcribed below the graphic.
Transcript of infographicCitizen experience: Unpacking access to government servicesWith the global pandemic putting digital transformation on the fast track, expectations are shifting—including for government. See how Canadians feel about access to government services and where there’s opportunity to deliver great experiences.Experiences matterA great citizen experience has a positive impact on opinions.61% of Canadians say positive experiences with public services improve their overall perception of government.And 56% of Canadians say good experiences increase the chance of future interactions with government.But accessing services can be a challenge.46% of Canadians rely on someone else to help them access public services.Why?3 in 10 need help because the process is too complicated.2 in 10 say they don’t know how to do it or where to go.Starting off on the wrong footChallenges accessing government services start early.6 in 10 Canadians have faced challenges making contact with the right government department.Why?52% say it was hard to get through to support, and phone lines were busy.25% couldn’t find the right contact information they needed.24% got bounced around to different departments.And 40% say they faced a technical challenge, including using the website or portal.Digital can make a differenceDemand for digital is here, with most Canadians preferring to access government services online and on mobile.8 in 10 Canadians think navigating government services would be simpler with more digital tools.What services would help?8 in 10 say greater use of automation or live chat functions.And 3 in 4 want mobile-friendly options.The global pandemic has shifted expectations long term.3 in 4 say the pandemic has made them more open to accessing government services digitally.And 85% want access to government services digitally after the pandemic ends.The digital customer service opportunityConsumer brands are doing a better job of customer service than government.8 in 10 believe consumer companies provide better customer service than government.4 in 10 say better customer service would have improved their recent dealings with government.Governments have an opportunity to deliver the customer service Canadians want with digital tools.84% want real-time support, such as live online chat formats or SMS text messages for real-time support.Deliver a better government digital service experience.See how LIKE.TG can help.servicenow.com/solutions/industry/gov.htmlThis online survey was facilitated by Edelman in collaboration with Angus Reid. The study was in field between March 15 and 20, 2021, in collaboration with Angus Reid. It included a nationally representative sample of 1,500 Canadian adults aged 18+, and was offered in both English and French.
Digital transformation in government and the citizen experience
There are many moving parts when it comes to the digital transformation of government and the citizen experience, and just as many questions about how to make it happen.What lessons can the government learn from the private sector in creating high-quality digital services and experiences for citizens? What role does digital identity play in delivering these services? And what factors would enable the government to simplify its digital transformation journey?We explore the answers to these questions and more in our second episode of the Canadian Leadership Exchange, where we met with Imraan Bashir, partner of cyber and digital solutions at KPMG Canada to discuss how the Canadian government can evolve the way it delivers digital services to its citizens.Imraan breaks down how digital transformation in government should not be treated as a single project to be completed by a certain date. Rather, digital transformation is the ongoing effort of improving agility and responsiveness to ensure government is able to meet the evolving needs of citizens.When it comes to improving how the government manages digital identities and the citizen experience around them, Imraan explains that the various personal attributes and documents belonging to each Canadian need to be handled in way that is privacy respecting and convenient.The Canadian government is currently evolving the way citizens use digital identities by eliminating unnecessary barriers to the experience. In provinces like Alberta and B.C., citizens can possess a digital identity and use it to access both provincial and federal services online without having to manually provide personal information.Watch the video below to learn more about how government can successfully digitize citizen services with a practical approach to digital transformation.
