IT modernization results in increased citizen trust and cost savings

There are over 4,500 active IT projects across the U.S. federal government, with agencies spending over $100 billion on IT and cyber-related investments annually. This is no surprise, as citizens increasingly rely on digital channels and platforms to access critical government services. So, agencies need to deliver personalized, trusted digital experiences.

Modernizing IT infrastructure can result in long-term cost savings and empower the government to deliver more secure, efficient, and user-friendly experiences. To facilitate the best possible digital government experiences, federal leaders should use IT solutions and systems that connect each person with the information or service they need at the right time.

One way to begin this process is by implementing modern, user-friendly websites and replacing analog workflows. Currently, 79% of users expect their interactions with government websites to be on par with industry services. Yet 45% of government websites have not been designed to work on mobile devices, and 60% are not fully accessible to individuals who depend on assistive technologies. Furthermore, the annual paperwork load imposed on the public by executive departments and agencies exceeds 9 billion hours annually, and only two percent of government forms are digitized.

For decades, Adobe has helped the government save on costs and meet the public’s rising expectations by empowering agencies to extend their digital capabilities and create modern, connected experiences.

As such, Adobe was recently included in the Chamber of Commerce’s report “Maximizing Cost-Savings: Unleashing the Value of Federal IT Modernization” for its work modernizing the 2020 U.S. Census. The report examines the cost savings and efficiencies of IT modernization, pointing to various case studies. This, along with other Adobe-powered agency success stories, showcases the immense benefits that modernization efforts can have on agencies and the public.

Accelerating mission delivery with modernized websites

Every month, there are nearly two billion visits to federal websites, with total public interactions on these sites nearing 80 million hours. These interactions play a large part in shaping the public’s trust and opinion of the government. To forge trust, it’s essential that these digital engagements be simple, seamless, and accessible.

The government’s duty to serve all U.S. residents equally is fundamental to the mission of the U.S. Census Bureau, which is responsible for gathering, processing, and disseminating actionable insights about the U.S. population that help inform major decisions and policy changes impacting everyday citizens. Specifically, during the 2020 U.S. Census, the Bureau needed its website to be accessible and intuitive to encourage participation. An inability to fulfill these requirements would have resulted in underrepresented populations and inaccurate data in the decennial census.

“We didn’t have the infrastructure or backbone to support a modern front facing website. We had no content management system. There were no analytics,” said Stephen Buckner, former assistant director of communications at the U.S. Census Bureau.

With the necessity of smooth digital experiences top of mind, the Census Bureau partnered with Adobe to modernize its website using behavioral data to personalize digital journeys, tailor content, and provide omnichannel experiences to meet the public’s specific needs. Adobe Target, a FedRAMP-authorized solution, helped address historically high abandonment rates by enabling personalization and A/B testing for the Census.gov website, improving citizen engagement. Furthermore, the Bureau used Adobe Experience Manager to evaluate traffic and Adobe Analytics to provide a comprehensive understanding of web traffic, site utilization, and the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, all while facilitating a seamless journey and ensuring the website wouldn’t crash.

As a result, the Census Bureau was able to ensure 100% website uptime, improve the search functionality of its 5 million content pages, and offer the census in 59 different languages, ensuring that every American could participate. The bureau estimated ahead of the 2020 Census it would save at least $55 million dollars for every 1% increase in the self-response rate. Afterward, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that the Census Bureau saved an estimated $1.9 billion because of its investment in innovative technology used in the 2020 Census.

But these efforts and results should not be unique to federal agencies, as data analytics and insights can be used by all levels of government to better understand online user behavior and provide personalized experiences across websites, channels, apps, and campaigns.

The State of Illinois, for example, used Adobe Experience Cloud and Adobe Document Cloud to offer its 12 million residents a secure, consistent, and personalized website for accessing critical services and information, resulting in a 63% increase in accessibility and usability, and a 25% increase in overall website traffic. Today, Illinois can rapidly create and deploy relevant and engaging content that reflects what residents expect in today’s digital-first economy.

When government IT leaders harness data-driven insights to inform their digital tools and processes while keeping people at the center of every choice, they can deliver enhanced user experiences, and build trust between agencies and constituents.

Digital forms and e-signatures facilitate citizen trust

Citizens interact with the government in myriad ways. For agencies to truly provide the experience that the public expects and deserves, they must take a holistic look at all forms of digital interactions.

Digital transformation is essential for a flexible, hybrid work environment. According to our study looking at the impacts of digitizing paper forms, 76% of government CIOs believe going fully digital leads to happier employees who in turn are able to perform their jobs more effectively and efficiently. Additionally, the U.S. Chamber previously found digitizing government technology could generate over $1 trillion in additional economic growth worldwide.

The current administration is committed to this idea, making customer experience a key focal point in the President’s Management Agenda and Executive Order 13571. More recently, guidance for the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA) lays out various standards federal agencies should strive to meet when creating technology to ensure a smooth user experience.

In these recommendations, digitizing paper forms and accelerating the use of e-signatures are vital components to creating modern IT services. Forms are often the primary way citizens access government services, such as licensing, child welfare, grants management, and expense reports. Digitization can help agencies streamline these cumbersome processes, expedite agency productivity and improve citizen satisfaction through intuitive digital interactions.

For example, when the public was at its most vulnerable during the pandemic, the City of Seattle partnered with Adobe to facilitate e-signatures and contactless paperwork to keep the municipal courts running. Using Adobe Acrobat Sign, Seattle was able to eliminate more than 250,000 pieces of paper from their systems annually.

“Switching from paper to digital forms has made systems and information more accessible to everyone — judges, clerks, prosecutors, defense attorneys, defendants, victims, and witnesses — which benefits everyone working within the court system,” said Margaret Mahoney, senior assistant city prosecutor in the City of Seattle Attorney’s Office.

Another factor to consider is the impact that employees can have on public interactions. If government employees have productive and collaborative tools and environments, they are equipped to provide the best service possible. When Adobe partnered with Norfolk County, United Kingdom, together they were able to eliminate paper and printing costs using Adobe Acrobat Sign to switch to paperless workflows. This reduced the time to prepare legal documents from 45 to 12 minutes and saved an average of 4.5 days a month for its employees. The time saved could then be repurposed to higher-priority resident-facing interactions, boosting customer experience (CX) overall.

A robust, experience-driven approach means providing equitable access to online services in a way that is frictionless and secure. When government processes are not intuitive, it creates barriers and roadblocks between residents and the critical resources they rely on, such as housing and healthcare. To meet CX goals and facilitate trust with citizens, agencies should collaborate with trusted industry partners to modernize websites, implement secure e-signature solutions, and digitize paper-based processes.

Discover how Adobe helps improve CX in federal, state, and local government agencies. And learn more about how IT modernization can cut costs and promote innovation through the Chamber of Commerce’s insightful new report.

Jonathan Benett is an IT business and digital experience leader with 25 years of experience in IT modernization through digital transformation in the public sector. He is currently the chief of global government solutions at Adobe. In this role he is working with public sector organizations across the globe at all levels of government (federal, state, and local) to deliver their mission more effectively and efficiently through innovative technology. Prior to Adobe, Jonathan spent 10 years as a public servant in various executive leadership roles in U.S. federal government including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, preceded by 10 years of successful experience in private industry.

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