Maximising the Effectiveness of Digital Strategies in Government Organisations

It’s been a week since we attended the DigiGov Expo, at Excel London, and what a fantastic event it was! The sessions we joined highlighted the exciting and fast-moving changes happening across government and public sector organisations as they continue their digital journeys. Here’s a roundup of some of the key sessions we attended and takeaways from the event:

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The sessions that got us talking…

1. Proactive, Personalised, and Joined-Up: The Next Generation of Government Digital Services
In a session led by Christine Bellamy, CEO of GDS, we heard her vision for truly user-centric government services. Christine emphasised the importance of understanding user needs from top to bottom and making digital services easier to navigate, particularly on mobile platforms. Her drive to simplify user interactions by removing jargon and centralising information in real-time was inspiring and certainly music to our ears when it comes to focussing on user-first digital experiences.

2. From 0-60: Haringey Council’s Rapid Digital Transformation
This session showcased Haringey Council’s impressive journey of digital transformation. Faced with budget deficits, they focused on achieving quick wins by implementing simple but effective digital solutions. A key takeaway was their shift from calling it ‘Digital Transformation’ to just ‘Digital’, recognising it as a constant evolution. Their success in reducing ‘contact us’ queries through better self-service options and streamlined APIs was a great example of how small changes can lead to significant savings.

3. Driving Transformation Through an Effective Strategy: The Pillars Needed to Achieve Success
Automation and self-service were central themes in this session, with councils targeting repetitive tasks to drive transformation. The examples of streamlining social care and council tax processes stood out, showing how technology can reduce human interactions and make services more efficient. What was particularly interesting was their assertion that technology was not a barrier for citizens – exceptions were minimal, and the benefits far outweighed the challenges.

4. Hampshire and Thames Valley Police: Using Algorithms to Risk Assess Domestic Abuse Cases (DARAT)
In this insightful session, we learned about the algorithms being used to assess domestic abuse cases – absolutely honing in on ‘Tech for Good’.  The focus was on supporting, not replacing, police officers through data-driven tools.

5. Creating a High-Performance Culture in a Complex and Rapidly Changing World
Guest speaker Matthew Syed delivered an inspiring session on fostering a growth mindset, sharing insights on leadership and team culture. His anecdotes on how Amazon runs meetings were particularly thought provoking. While this session leaned more towards personal development, there were valuable lessons for organisations on how to cultivate a high-performance culture within teams.

6. Unlocking the Future of Civil Service Recruitment: Data-Driven Innovation in Action
Of course we were all eyes on Box UK’s very own Principal Digital Product Owner: Joe Pilgrim, as he took to the stage on Day 2 to detail the collaborative partnership that led to the transformation of the Civil Service Careers website. His focus on leveraging user behaviour insights, to maximise engagement and efficiency, to create a highly intuitive, user-centric platform.  If you didn’t get to see Joe’s presentation it’s available here to download now. 

Conclusion

Overall, DigiGov Expo 2024 was an inspiring event filled with forward-thinking discussions. It was a great opportunity to hear how public sector organisations are pushing the boundaries of digital and how Box UK can continue to support these efforts through our innovative solutions.

We are already enjoying reconnecting with the fantastic people we met at the event and exploring how we can help make their digital visions a reality!

Claire Aspinall

Chief Growth Officer

Claire has a deep understanding of Public Sector having spent many years working together with clients in central and local government organisations. She ensures solutions are not only innovative but also aligned with each client’s unique needs, driving long-term success and measurable impact.