Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I was functioning as part of a team to produce a brand-new digital solution for apart moms and dads to look for help arranging Kid Maintenance. We would certainly released an exclusive beta of the digital service in December 2019, and were working towards introducing more users on a progressive basis.
Previous to this, the only method to look for aid arranging Child Maintenance had actually been a completely telephone-based solution. Nonetheless, as a division we understood that we needed to supply an electronic choice as part of our commitment to expand our services and develop electronic layouts based upon our individuals' needs.
The push to go online
All was going as planned till the pandemic hit. Virtually instantly, our colleagues in the call centres can no longer answer the phones and procedure applications. The department was working to obtain individuals set up to work from residence, however a great deal of colleagues were redeployed to work with various other services. So, our supervisors decided to make our digital solution the primary method of application from that factor onwards, as well as for the foreseeable future.
The group had to scoot to protect the service and also make it offered to all applicants. The plan had actually been to increase to around 100 applications a day going through the system within a couple of months, and now we had to reach this stage in an issue of days. The team strove to stabilise the solution so it could manage the boost in customers, all while adapting to working from house themselves.
Creating a 24/7 solution
At the private beta stage we were making use of comments from customers to advance the solution-- as we opened it up even more this responses became a lot more important. There was a clear demand for a few modifications such as 24/7 schedule. The service was at first designed to only be readily available when the legacy backend system was offered, in between 8am to 8pm during the week, as well as family lawyer out weekend breaks.
We had a lot of comments asking why it was not readily available after 8pm, so we built our own backend to keep the application information temporarily, up until the heritage system appeared. Around 20% of users now complete their applications because 'offline' amount of time, which shows the benefits of reacting truly promptly and taking user responses on board.
Another piece of feedback we received from users associated with them intending to validate invoice of their application. So, as part of our regular iterations, we delivered a function that enables users to enroll in an email confirmation that their application has been received using the Gov.Notify system. Around 99% of online users have chosen to use this center, which simply demonstrates how valuable it has actually been as confidence for individuals obtaining Kid Maintenance.
The hard work pays off
Throughout the summer and right into fall, the group worked continuously to introduce new attributes, with adjustments released on a nearly regular basis. It was a relentless pace and also was testing at times-- for example for those of us home education our kids. Having a shared goal helpful to get money to family members that require it was a really motivating variable throughout these times.
That hard work suggested that we had the ability to take the product through a Federal government Digital Service (GDS) public beta analysis in winter months. It passed with flying colours, which was a truly proud minute for everyone involved in the job. We were also lately identified with a team honor at an internal honors ceremony, which was a wonderful method to commemorate the method we have actually collaborated.
So far, over 59,000 individuals have made use of the digital solution to obtain Child Upkeep, which is around 80% of all candidates. The telephone solution is still there for those that need it, yet the number of online applications remains to expand.
This isn't the end of the electronic trip for this service either. We're currently progressing a brand-new roadmap for more change of the end-to-end service, and we'll remain to pay attention to individual demands, and make changes and also improvements to make it as simple as feasible for people to get and manage their Kid Upkeep arrangements.
It's definitely been a tough year for all of us, but I'm glad that I'll have the ability to recall at when our team rose to the challenge as well as delivered for individuals when they required us most.