Transformation accelerated in government means trust accelerated

The 2023 ServiceNow Federal Forum brought together nearly 1,800 U.S. government professionals and industry partners to discuss the successes and challenges of modernizing the business of government. Alongside the year’s theme of “Transformation Accelerated,” a secondary theme emerged across the various talks: trust.

Only two in 10 citizens report they trust the government, according to Pew Research. That’s why building trust in government is a goal of the Biden administration. Trust has been low throughout the last three administrations, indicating that dramatic steps need to be taken.

Moving the trust needle

During the Federal Forum, attendees heard how innovative approaches to citizen service moved the trust needle for a variety of agencies. For example, at one agency, requesting a housing repair used to require numerous phone calls and emails, a lot of paperwork, and sometimes an in-person visit.

With ServiceNow, the agency was able to create an app that allows constituents to submit an issue online. That request is immediately turned into a case and routed to the most appropriate office and available technician to handle it.

The whole process is transparent, with everyone able to see where the request stands. The efficiency in repairs has improved morale among constituents and the employees who perform maintenance work.

Service departments—including HR, IT, and safety—support the workforce so they can carry out another agency’s mission. But each group had different processes and tools for communicating and interacting with employees.

ServiceNow enabled the agency to standardize processes on a single platform to create automated workflows for requesting services and getting support, regardless of the department.

These examples speak to how the consistency and visibility offered by digital solutions can help build trust that systems are working in the best interests of the people they serve.

Embracing new technologies

To transform experiences, agencies are tapping into key technology trends. More than a mandate, zero trust is seen as the logical way to deliver user-centered services. Discussion during the Federal Digital Transformation panel highlighted the old “trust but verify” model, which put the onus for security on end users. If they clicked a phishing link, a security breach was their fault.

Zero trust, on the other hand, puts the obligation squarely on the shoulders of organizations equipped to handle that responsibility. This helps them follow the directives outlined in the National Cybersecurity Strategy.

Citizen development, the ability for nontechnical business users to create applications, helps organizations meet the continuously growing demand for new digital solutions. There simply are not enough traditional developers to create all the technology solutions users need.

By empowering more people to build basic digital workflows, highly trained developers are freed to focus on more complex, mission-centric applications. While singing the praises of citizen development, multiple speakers warned that application sprawl is a warranted fear, but one that can be combated with practical governance built into the process.

Automating repetitive tasks

Speakers throughout the event stated that anything that can be automated should be automated. They repeatedly extolled the benefits of automation for federal employees, despite the fear that machines will take our jobs.

Removing mundane, manual tasks allows for higher-level thinking and work, which in turn leads to increased job satisfaction. Upskilling was cited as a key focus for every agency to help employees understand how to use automated technologies and the data they produce to advance agency missions.

The insights provided at the 2023 Federal Forum showed that transformation must be driven by the desire to improve trust among constituents and employees. With a human-centered approach to automation, technology can inspire a new appreciation for the services government provides, building a new experience with citizens.

Explore all the discussions around transformation and trust in the 2023 Federal Forum on-demand library. And find out more about how ServiceNow helps accelerate transformation and trust in government.

© 2023 ServiceNow, Inc. All rights reserved. ServiceNow, the ServiceNow logo, Now, and other ServiceNow marks are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of ServiceNow, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other company names, product names, and logos may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.