Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was working as part of a group to develop a brand-new electronic service for apart moms and dads to obtain aid arranging Youngster Maintenance. We 'd introduced an exclusive beta of the electronic service in December 2019, and were working towards presenting more individuals on a gradual basis.
Before this, the only method to make an application for assistance setting up Youngster Upkeep had actually been an entirely telephone-based solution. Nonetheless, as a division we understood that we needed to give an electronic alternative as part of our dedication to increase our solutions and also produce electronic designs based upon our users' requirements.
The press to go on the internet
All was going as prepared till the pandemic hit. Practically instantaneously, our colleagues in the get in touch with centres could no longer address the phones and procedure applications. The department was working to obtain people set up to function from home, however a great deal of associates were redeployed to work with other services. So, our supervisors made the decision to make our electronic service the primary approach of application from that point onwards, as well as for the direct future.
The group needed to move fast to protect the solution and also make it offered to all candidates. The strategy had actually been to ramp up to around 100 applications a day undergoing the system within a couple of months, but now we had to get to this phase in an issue of days. The team worked hard to stabilise the solution so it might manage the rise in users, all while adapting to working from house themselves.
Creating a 24/7 solution
At the exclusive beta phase we were using comments from individuals to proceed the service-- as we opened it up better this feedback came to be a lot more important. There was a clear requirement for a couple of changes such as 24/7 accessibility. The solution was originally designed to only be offered when the heritage backend system was readily available, between 8am to 8pm during the week, as well as out weekend breaks.
We had a lot of comments asking why it was not offered after 8pm, so we constructed our very own backend to store the application data temporarily, till the legacy system became available. Around 20% of individuals currently finish their applications because 'offline' amount of time, which shows the benefits of responding actually swiftly and also taking user comments aboard.
An additional piece of feedback we got from customers related to them wishing to confirm receipt of their application. So, as part of our routine iterations, we provided a function that enables users to sign up for an email confirmation that their application has been received using the Gov.Notify system. Around 99% of online users have actually picked to utilize this center, which simply demonstrates how useful it has been as peace of mind for individuals making an application for Kid Maintenance.
The hard work pays off
Throughout the summer and also right into autumn, the group worked frequently to introduce new attributes, with changes released on an almost regular basis. It was an unrelenting pace as well as was testing sometimes-- for example for those of us home education our youngsters. Having a common goal helpful to get cash to households that require it was a truly inspiring variable during these times.
That effort indicated that we were family solicitors able to take the product through a Federal government Digital Solution (GDS) public beta evaluation in winter. It passed with flying colours, which was a truly pleased minute for all of us involved in the job. We were additionally recently identified with a group award at an interior awards ceremony, which was a nice way to commemorate the way we've collaborated.
Up until now, over 59,000 people have actually utilized the digital solution to get Child Upkeep, which is around 80% of all applicants. The telephony solution is still there for those that need it, yet the number of online applications continues to grow.
This isn't completion of the digital trip for this service either. We're currently advancing a new roadmap for additional change of the end-to-end service, and we'll continue to listen to customer demands, and also make amendments and improvements to make it as simple as possible for people to look for and manage their Youngster Maintenance plans.
It's definitely been a difficult year for everyone, yet I rejoice that I'll be able to recall at when our team rose to the difficulty and also provided for people when they required us most.