Unleashing the Power of Intelligent Automation in the Public Sector

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Jim Walker

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments at all levels learned a valuable lesson: delivering exceptional citizen services and maintaining operations in times of crisis requires intelligent automation. As public sector organizations strive to modernize their services and enhance the citizen experience, the adoption of intelligent automation technologies is gaining momentum. By enabling public sector employees to focus on more meaningful tasks while computers handle repetitive work, the public sector can recognize the immediate value of digital transformation through hyperautomation.

Whether it’s a $24 billion budget shortfall in California or federal efforts to control spending, hyperautomation plays a vital role in the solution. One of the primary drivers behind the adoption of intelligent automation in the public sector is the need to streamline operations and reduce costs. Faced with mounting fiscal pressures, governments at all levels are seeking ways to cut expenses while maintaining the quality of services provided to citizens. Intelligent automation technologies such as robotic process automation (RPA), low-code app development, conversational AI, process mining, and intelligent document processing (IDP) offer government agencies and public sector organizations the ability to automate manual and repetitive tasks, freeing up staff time for more strategic initiatives.

WHERE CAN AUTOMATION BE ADOPTED IN THE GOVERNMENT

A great driver for adoption is the desire to enhance the overall citizen experience. In a society where we rely on digital conveniences for activities such as making restaurant reservations, booking travel, scheduling medical appointments, applying for loans, or getting an Uber, citizens expect fast and efficient service from their government. Intelligent automation can help deliver that experience. For instance, chatbots powered by natural language processing (NLP) can provide quick answers to citizen queries, while automated workflows streamline application and approval processes for permits, licenses, and other government services.

Intelligent automation can also significantly impact public health. A recent McKinsey report highlighted the availability of billions of dollars in pandemic relief funding for US public health systems. To become more resilient and equitable, these systems must adopt innovative solutions like intelligent automation. By leveraging these technologies, public health agencies can effectively track and respond to outbreaks, identify high-risk populations, and ensure the equitable distribution of critical supplies and resources. In the collaborative world, our public sector healthcare workers should focus on caring for patients, conducting research, and making informed decisions. Intelligent automation can handle tasks such as scheduling appointments, data entry, and report preparation.

Other key use cases for automation in the government include:

• Human Resources: Government agencies are streamlining HR processes such as employee onboarding, payroll processing, and benefits administration using intelligent automation solutions. For example, the United States Air Force has successfully implemented an RPA solution to automate time-consuming and error-prone HR processes, resulting in reduced processing time and improved data accuracy.

• Tax and Revenue: Treasury agencies, such as the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), face persistent challenges with fraud and underpayment. Hiring thousands of agents to manually evaluate the structured data of tax forms proves to be costly and time-consuming. However, by implementing intelligent automation solutions that leverage AI and machine learning, the IRS has successfully streamlined tax collection and auditing processes. This automation technology enables the analysis of tax returns to identify potential fraud, leading to a significant reduction in false positives and an increase in collection efficiency.

• Healthcare: Despite a 14% decline in the total Veteran population since 2008, the number of Veterans using VA benefits is increasing. Staffing at VA should focus on processing VA loans, assisting in finding the right school under the education program, identifying service-connected veterans, and providing world-class medical care. Government healthcare agencies should leverage intelligent automation to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has implemented an RPA solution to automate administrative tasks such as appointment scheduling and claims processing, freeing up staff time to focus on providing care to veterans.

• Public Safety: Law enforcement agencies utilize intelligent automation solutions to enhance public safety and reduce crime. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has implemented an intelligent automation solution that leverages AI and machine learning to analyze crime data and predict crime hotspots, enabling officers to deploy resources more effectively.

• Customer Service: Agencies across the government are using intelligent automation solutions to improve the overall citizen experience by providing faster and more efficient customer service. The City of Miami has implemented an RPA solution to automate the processing of citizen requests and inquiries, resulting in a significant reduction in response time and an increase in citizen satisfaction.

• Child Welfare: In Washington state, approximately 30,000 children receive services from the Department of Youth, Children, and Families (DCYF). With the need to process Public Disclosure Visit Requests, the DCYF previously required 40 people to monitor the queue, diverting their primary work for 30 minutes or more. Today, the process takes only 5 minutes. By transferring the repetitive, rules-based work to computer bots, the DCYF can ensure that children in Washington state benefit from efficient government processes.

Government agencies that have adopted intelligent automation solutions have witnessed significant benefits, including increased efficiency, improved accuracy, and enhanced citizen experiences. As more government agencies embrace these technologies, we can anticipate more success stories in the future.

Nevertheless, it is essential to address the challenges associated with the adoption of intelligent automation in the public sector. Similar to their private sector counterparts, government employees may mistakenly fear that automation will replace their jobs. However, automation is intended to collaborate with employees, not replace them. Citizens turn to their government for assistance, and paperwork processing is merely a means to deliver that help, not the help itself. We expect a workforce that is liberated to engage with crime victims, interview SNAP applicants, collaborate with business leaders, participate in council meetings, and evaluate the living conditions of newly adopted children. Unlike other technologies, intelligent automation provides opportunities for current employees to retrain and upskill themselves to become drivers of automation rather than victims. Agencies with robust change management plans, investments in retraining to retain staff, and a commitment to freeing people from robotic work to perform more valuable human tasks will become role models for effective and compassionate government.

The momentum behind intelligent automation in the public sector is evident. Similar to the private sector, cities, counties, states, and the federal government are adopting and experimenting with these technologies at varying rates. Roboyo showcased some of these success stories at our All Eyes on Automation event in Atlanta in April 2023. Within the universe of emerging technologies, process mining, conversational AI, RPA, intelligent document processing, and low-code are continually evolving. These vendor solutions offer tremendous capabilities and challenges. Let Roboyo be your NASA, guiding you safely and securely through the inner workspace of your enterprise, launching your intelligent automation initiatives.

NEXT LEVEL GOVERNMENT. NOW

At Roboyo, our public sector team stands ready to support you in the adoption and scaling of Intelligent Automation technologies to drive process excellence, maximize your workforce satisfaction – and take make your citizen’s experience to the next level. Please contact us for more information on how Intelligent Automation can help you automate your government processes. Let’s work together to create better government for all.

Book a meeting today.

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