Aberdeen is a city in Scotland with a population of 196,000. Recent Scottish legislature expanded the number of people eligible to receive handicap parking permits. Now met with 260 applications monthly, Aberdeen staff were inundated. City leaders turned to their already successful partnership with Granicus govService for help.
Aberdeen
City Council, U.K.
How a City Processes Parking Permits 63% Faster With govService
Overview
Custom
Forms
125
260
Applications Monthly
Digital service can handle increased demands.
63%
Faster
Staff reduced the process from 12 weeks to 4 weeks.
Hours Saved Weekly
Staff have time to focus on other work.
govService can tailor forms or provide a pre-built form for faster implementation.
13+
Must-have Granicus solution
See how Granicus govService can help you improve service and save time.
Like many other cities, Aberdeen was using an outside technology vendor to assist with handicap parking permit applications. But the City’s process still required residents to fill out a paper form to apply for a permit. Staff then scanned, emailed, and retyped the forms into an electronic system. They used a separate spreadsheet to track the status of each application.
Applicants for the parking permit were unable to upload files or the required proof of disability. Instead, applicants would need to mail in the documents separately.
Recent legislature expanded the number of people eligible to receive handicap parking permits. The backlog of applications quickly grew unmanageable. With the goal of reducing their backlog from 12 weeks to 4 weeks, City staff needed to change their processes quickly.
260 Monthly Applications Create Backlog
govService
Aberdeen had tight time and budget requirements for the parking permit application, so they turned to Granicus for help. Granicus had previously partnered with Aberdeen to develop 125 custom online forms in govService. For this project, Aberdeen found their solution in a premium pre-built form from the govService MyServices library. With best practices and user experiences central to its design, the Handicap Parking Permit MyService is an end-to-end solution that enables a fully digital application process.
It offers customers tailored advice at each point of contact, from checking eligibility for the permit to taking payment. Simultaneously, it provides a simple back-office workflow to process applications. The whole application can be completed online.
Users who have previously signed up for an account with Aberdeen City Council see their profile information automatically populate the application for a smooth user experience. Information is retained as users move through the form to avoid repeating questions. Users can check the status of their application and complete any extra stages at any time by logging into their account.
One Pre-Built Form, One Fluid Digital Experience
Previously, one staff member spent five hours a week checking an applicant’s eligibility for a permit, while an occupational therapist spent almost eight hours a week processing paper forms and chasing any information missed in the original paper application. With govService’s ability to confirm eligibility before an application is submitted, paper processing has become unnecessary. Staff are now free to focus on other work, recovering 13 hours of staff time weekly.
The fresh, intuitive system makes training easy. Long-time staff members received training to make the transition from the old system to govService painless. New staff can hit the ground running as well.
Lastly, govService MyService forms are periodically updated with feedback and kept in accordance with Department for Transport requirements. Aberdeen staff save initial development time if another law passes and time required to maintain the process.
Digital Services Save 13+ Hours Weekly
How wrexham county council improved citizen experience through integrated communications & service delivery
Overview
The county council knew the first step to improve the citizen experience was to modernise the way they communicated bin removal services. To ensure citizens received relevant, timely and automated communications, Wrexham implemented Granicus’s govDelivery email, mobile message, and social media platform. Now, they have the sophisticated marketing automation and audience segmentation required to deliver personalised waste and recycling bin collection reminders to over 12,000 residents. Targeted email messages from the county empower residents to take the correct action at the right moment.
These reminders — delivered alongside educational messages about what can and can’t be recycled — are positively impacting local recycling rates. For example, more customers know what can and can’t be recycled; the number of bins not being collected due to contamination has decreased by 27% since implementing govDelivery.
With Firmstep, the county’s digital customer services solution, integrated with govDelivery, their communication platform, the customer experience is seamless.
How does it work? When a customer visits the Wrexham website and enters their address in a form, Firmstep automatically looks up the customer’s collection day and calendar, then sends the information into GovDelivery, which automatically signs the customer up for their bin reminder emails. After that, the customer receives relevant, timely, and automated information about their bin collections. This combination has improved sign-up rates and ensured Wrexham reaches more citizens.
How the Firmstep + GovDelivery integration streamlines service
Satisfaction Rate
Citizens love the online experience they are receiving
93%
Increasing by 500 new accounts per month
18K
Self-Service Accounts
Bin Reminders
Increasing by 800 subscribers per month
The result of targeted, proactive communications
Reduction in Calls
48%
Must-have Granicus product
Could your citizens benefit from seamless and integrated digital experiences? Get in touch with us today to learn more about how Granicus can help!
See It Live
Situation
Solution
Results
Background
Like many local governments in California, the team at the Napa County Election Division has many critical duties in support of local, state, and federal elections. They also must help ensure all required government officials disclose their financial interests.
Designated filing officers must accurately track, manage, and deliver documents related to the disclosure of government employee and elected official Statement of Economic Interest, known as Form 700 in California. The process is regulated by the State of California’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).
Staff at the Election Division have their own goals to increase efficiency and make sure officials file on time. Napa County’s recently updated strategic plan has a priority goal of making government more transparent.
A Mandate for Transparency & Efficiency
Situation
Solution
The DisclosureDocs implementation team worked closely with Napa County staff to meet their tight deadline. After their kickoff meeting in January 2019, they migrated files, trained staff, and then deployed. In the end, they were able to implement DisclosureDocs by their deadline of April 2.
From Manual to Automatic
See It Live
63%