How to make your citizens, colleagues and you happier

You could be making do with something as basic as spreadsheets…

… or stand alone solutions which, quite frankly, usually aren't up to the task and nobody really knows how to get the “best” out of them anyway …

…or, and perhaps most likely, a “bugger's muddle” of systems which have evolved over time.

Whichever you have, they make your lives more difficult and are virtually guaranteed to let you down – and leave the enquiring citizen frustrated at your inefficient response.

What you obviously need is a highly configurable system designed to:

• Store the information you need it to
• Allow it to be shared with anyone who needs it
• Enable these people to update and add to it

…and it must be quick & easy to use with all the functionality you need.

On their own even the best technology company won't be able to give you such a system. Despite what they tell you, they don't understand the way you and your colleagues work.

Other than you, the only people who do understand this are people who work in the same or similar environments.

The trouble is, they don't have the technical skills to put together the system you need.

If only one of the best technology companies had worked with someone like you to develop such a system.

As you may have guessed by now, your perfect solution does already exist. It's HSO's Information Accelerator.

Interested but don't have time right now?

Arrange your free 30-min demo

Created by a partnership of a variety of public sector bodies, Microsoft and ourselves, Information Accelerator is the solution everyone's in desperate need of.

Here's how it deals with our citizen's enquiry:

• A citizen logs into your website.
• They find the relevant section.  For example how to get help paying your rent.
• They're shown any eligibility criteria.
• Meeting the requirements, they're shown the application form.  Because they're logged into your website, Information Accelerator knows who they are and part populates the form with the data it already has.
• The citizen completes the form and clicks to submit it.  They're immediately given confirmation this has happened – with a reference number.
• From now on Information Accelerator lets them follow the progress – of this and all other enquiries / applications they've made - from their “profile” on your website.

Meanwhile…

• You and your colleagues see all enquiries / applications made through your Information Accelerator dashboard.
• Clicking on the new one, you see all the information provided by your citizen.
• You begin to progress the enquiry using your standard business process flow - shown at the top of your screen.
• Whenever one of your colleagues needs to be involved, you simply mark them and Information Accelerator requests the information from them – along with a due date – recording when this is received.

As you're working, the enquiry's progress is automatically made available to the citizen.  For example showing them status changes from “submitted” to “in progress” and finally “approved”.

I've read enough, I'd like a no obligation, 30-minute demonstration of Information Accelerator.

But that's not all…

Responding to a Freedom of Information request, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) mistakenly published:

Personal information including surnames, initials, ranks and roles of all 9,483 serving PSNI officers and staff.

Following the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) investigation, John Edwards, UK information commissioner said:

“Throughout our investigation, we heard many harrowing stories about the impact this avoidable error has had on people’s lives – from having to move house, to cutting themselves off from family members and completely altering their daily routines because of the tangible fear of threat to life.”

How had the personal information “got out”?

The PSNI’s internal procedures and sign-off protocols for the safe disclosure of information were inadequate.

“What’s particularly troubling to note is that simple and practical-to-implement policies and procedures would have ensured this potentially life threatening incident, which has caused untold anxiety and distress to those directly affected as well as their families, friends and loved ones, did not happen in the first place.

With Information Accelerator whatever request your colleagues are responding to they only see the correct procedure.

Moreover, the system forces them to check - and confirm – they're following it.

The only good news for the PSNI was the commissioner used his discretion to apply the public sector approach when calculating their provisional fine.  This allows him to ensure public money isn't diverted from where it's most needed, so the PSNI fine was a mere £750,000.

Unless you can afford a £750,000 fine - let alone a £5.6 million one – you must see what Information Accelerator does for you