The secret to delivering the best citizen services and advancing your mission

State and local governments face a perplexing challenge. Year after year, they are asked to deliver more value and better services to citizens; however, change is slow, and recruiting skilled talent can be an uphill battle. To keep up with the demand for key technology projects and nuts and bolts system maintenance, agencies often turn to staff augmentation, resulting in a piecemeal group that lacks accountability or team cohesion for success.

Imagine the alternative: having the freedom to focus on your agency’s mission – rather than managing a team of contractors learning the ropes – and delivering the best possible services to citizens.

The problem with staff augmentation contracts

Attempts at staff augmentation – hiring contractors to fill vacant roles – rarely succeed. Without a shared vision or accountability framework tying teams together, IT managers spend excessive time vetting the qualifications of contract staff who may be juggling multiple clients and managing people rather than delivering optimal outcomes. True success requires a partner who is ‘in the boat with you.’

Partnerships built for the mission

The solution lies in managed services partnerships. Forward-thinking Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies are discovering the transformative power of managed services partnerships that create accountability and lift government employees out of the weeds of day-to-day IT management.

Consider, for example, a single mother relying on child support payments to make ends meet. Traditional methods of receiving support would require her to drive to a child support office or endure lengthy wait times on overloaded call center lines – resulting in unnecessary burdens for both customers and employees. With the right managed services agreement, a partner like CGI, could deliver both the modern solutions to deliver better citizen services and streamlined processes for improved employee satisfaction.

Alleviating the technical burden governments face frees up client resources to concentrate on advancing program outcomes and optimizing operations rather than wrestling with disparate systems and legacy technologies. Choosing a managed services partner who can manage complex multi-vendor technology landscapes can give teams more time to focus on their missions rather than their technology headaches.

Through the lens of a managed services partnership, consider now the same single mother using her mobile device to receive payment notifications, check status updates, or communicate with her caseworker. This improved digital experience is made possible through partnership and continuous innovation.

Partnerships built on trust

Keeping pace with technology is a perpetual challenge for HHS agencies strapped for resources. Rather than an obstacle, innovation should flow easily through a trusted managed services partnership. This allows program leaders to stay laser-focused on their agency’s mission and public needs, backed by a strategic ally providing the latest tools to enrich that service.

In my experience as a managed services partner to HHS clients, I’ve witnessed the transformative power of partnerships built on trust. When seeking a partner, it’s crucial to identify key functions and attributes that contribute to success. Here are insights on what to look for in a partner:

• Prioritize data for insights – a successful partner prioritizes data utilization to gain valuable insights and elevates citizen experiences by leveraging data-driven decision-making
   
• Domain and program expertise – applies relevant domain and program expertise to integrate seamlessly and brings industry knowledge to the public sector, ensuring innovation and efficiency
   
• Accountability and collaboration – establish a vision and accountability framework and foster collaboration, ensuring a partner is ‘in the boat with you’ rather than a detached entity
   

The bottom line

State and local governments operate in profoundly challenging resource environments and are expected to deliver improved citizen services each year. As this pressure mounts, managed services partnerships provide immediate technology skills and accountability while serving as catalysts for long-range modernization.

Managed services partnerships allow state and local governments to partner for the future, even when budgets seem stuck in neutral. As CGI's Executive guide to managed services outlines, the rising tide of digital innovation has buoyed citizen expectations for seamless, personalized, and convenient interactions across multiple channels.

Learn more on how CGI can partner with you to navigate uncertainty with managed services.