Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was functioning as part of a team to produce an all new digital service for separated moms and dads to obtain aid organizing Youngster Maintenance. We 'd released an exclusive beta of the electronic solution in December 2019, and were working towards introducing more users on a progressive basis.
Previous to this, the only method to look for aid arranging Child Upkeep had been an entirely telephone-based solution. Nevertheless, as a department we knew that we needed to provide a digital option as part of our dedication to expand our solutions and develop electronic layouts based upon our customers' demands.
The press to go on the internet
All was going as prepared up until the pandemic hit. Virtually instantly, our colleagues in the contact centres can no more respond to the phones and process applications. The division was working to get people established to function from house, however a lot of colleagues were redeployed to service various other services. So, our directors made the decision to make our electronic service the primary method of application from that point onwards, as well as for the foreseeable future.
The group needed to move fast to safeguard the solution and also make it offered to all candidates. The strategy had actually been to ramp up to around 100 applications a day going through the system within a couple of months, today we had to get to this stage in a matter of days. The group worked hard to secure the service so it could handle the increase in customers, all while adapting to working from house themselves.
Producing a 24/7 solution
At the personal beta phase we were utilizing feedback from individuals to progress the solution-- as we opened it up better this comments came to be a lot more essential. There was a clear demand for a couple of changes such as 24/7 schedule. The service was originally designed to just be available when the heritage backend system was available, between 8am to 8pm throughout the week, and also not on weekends.
We had a lot of feedback asking why it was not readily available after 8pm, so we developed our very own backend to save the application data momentarily, until the legacy system appeared. Around 20% of customers now complete their applications in that 'offline' period, which reveals the advantages of responding truly rapidly as well as taking individual feedback on board.
An additional item of responses we received from individuals associated with them intending to validate receipt of their application. So, as part of our regular iterations, we provided a function that enables customers to enroll in an e-mail verification that their application has actually been obtained using the Gov.Notify system. Around 99% of on the internet individuals have selected to use this facility, which simply shows how helpful it has been as reassurance for people getting Child Maintenance.
The hard work settles
Throughout the summertime as well as into fall, the team functioned frequently to present brand-new functions, with adjustments released on a practically regular basis. It was a ruthless speed as well as was testing at times-- as an child maintenance example for those people home schooling our children. Having a shared goal helpful to obtain money to families that require it was a truly inspiring element throughout these times.
That effort implied that we were able to take the item through a Federal government Digital Solution (GDS) public beta evaluation in winter. It passed with flying colours, which was a truly proud moment for all of us involved in the project. We were additionally just recently identified with a group award at an internal honors ceremony, which was a wonderful method to celebrate the method we've interacted.
Up until now, over 59,000 individuals have used the digital solution to request Youngster Maintenance, which is around 80% of all applicants. The telephone systems solution is still there for those that need it, yet the variety of online applications remains to grow.
This isn't completion of the digital journey for this service either. We're now progressing a brand-new roadmap for further improvement of the end-to-end service, as well as we'll continue to pay attention to user requirements, and make changes and also improvements to make it as simple as feasible for people to look for and manage their Youngster Maintenance arrangements.
It's definitely been a challenging year for everyone, but I'm glad that I'll have the ability to look back at when our group rose to the obstacle and provided for individuals when they required us most.