Public sector falling behind on digital revolution

World statistics show that the public sector is lagging behind in the current digital revolution that’s having a significant impact on the UK business world. Digital expert Dorset Creative is urging the public sector to learn how efficiency of their everyday operations could improve by incorporating digital technologies to streamline processes. As the pace of digital adoption picks up, those that fail to adapt could face further challenges in the future.

Research conducted by Microsoft found that just 35% of public sector organisations are prepared for the increasing use of digital, with a formal strategy in place – significantly falling behind the private sector. That figure is still seen despite public sector business leaders recognising the importance of keeping pace with digital innovations, with half of them noting that their sector will be disrupted within the next two years if the use of digital systems is not embraced. Furthermore, almost 50% believe their existing business models will cease to exist within the next five years.

Nathan Revill, Director of Dorset Creative said: “For some public sector organisations, it’s easy to think any digital transformation currently taking place will only have a big impact on private businesses. But this really isn’t the case. At a time when many organisations are facing budget cuts and financial constraints, investing in digital services will support objectives and ensure public sector operations are fit for the future. Using the technology that is now on offer can help public sector organisations transform the delivery of services, better engage with their customers and service users and improve the speed at which they operate on a day to day basis – creating cost savings in the long term that will mean they can reallocate spending to other areas.”

Much like the private sector, the public sector is finding that people and businesses are increasingly expecting information to be readily available online on a 24/7 basis, is easy to find and simple to understand. Creating a mobile app or making a website responsive for mobile, for example, would make information much more accessible in today’s lifestyle and means that the organisation can spend less time responding to queries – boosting productivity.