Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I was working as part of a group to develop a new digital solution for separated parents to make an application for assistance organizing Child Upkeep. We would certainly introduced a personal beta of the electronic solution in December 2019, as well as were working towards presenting more customers on a steady basis.
Previous to this, the only means to apply for aid organizing Youngster Maintenance had actually been a totally telephone-based solution. Nevertheless, as a division we knew that we had to provide a digital alternative as part of our commitment to broaden our solutions and develop electronic designs based on our customers' needs.
The push to go on the internet
All was going as planned till the pandemic hit. Practically immediately, our associates in the call centres could no longer answer the phones and process applications. The department was working to get people set up to function from residence, yet a great deal of colleagues were redeployed to work on other services. So, our supervisors made the decision to make our digital service the major approach of application from that point onwards, and for the direct future.
The group had to scoot to safeguard the service and make it readily available to all candidates. The plan had actually been to increase to around 100 applications a day undergoing the system within a couple of months, and now we had to get to this phase in a matter of days. The group worked hard to secure the service so it can deal with the rise in users, all while adjusting to functioning from house themselves.
Creating a 24/7 solution
At the private beta stage we were making use of feedback from customers to progress the service-- as we opened it up better this feedback ended up being much more important. There was a clear demand for a few modifications such as 24/7 availability. The solution was initially created to just be available when the legacy backend system was available, between 8am to 8pm during the week, and also out weekends.
We had a lot of comments asking why it was not readily available after 8pm, so we built our very own backend to save the application data momentarily, until the legacy system appeared. Around 20% of customers currently complete their applications in that 'offline' time period, which reveals the advantages of reacting really quickly and taking customer comments on board.
An additional item of responses we obtained from individuals associated with them intending to verify invoice of their application. So, as part of our regular models, we provided a function that enables users to sign up for an email verification that their application has actually been gotten making use of the Gov.Notify system. Around 99% of on the internet users have actually chosen to utilize this facility, which just demonstrates how useful it has actually been as peace of mind for individuals applying for Kid Maintenance.
The effort repays
Throughout the summer season as well as into fall, the group functioned frequently to present brand-new features, with modifications deployed on a nearly once a week basis. It was a relentless pace and was testing sometimes-- for example for those people home education our kids. Having a shared goal helpful to get cash to families that need it was a truly inspiring aspect during these times.
That hard work suggested that we were able to take the product with a Government Digital Service (GDS) public beta analysis in winter. It passed with flying colours, which was a really happy moment for everybody associated with the project. We were also lately identified with a team award at an inner awards ceremony, which was a wonderful way to celebrate the means we've collaborated.
Up until now, over 59,000 individuals have actually utilized the electronic service to get Child Maintenance, which is around 80% of all applicants. The telephone systems service is still there for those that need it, however the variety of online applications remains to expand.
This isn't the end of the digital journey for this service either. We're now proceeding a new roadmap for additional family lawyer transformation of the end-to-end service, and also we'll remain to listen to individual requirements, as well as make modifications and also renovations to make it as very easy as feasible for individuals to apply for and handle their Child Upkeep setups.
It's absolutely been a tough year for everyone, however I'm glad that I'll be able to look back at when our group rose to the difficulty as well as provided for people when they needed us most.