Govt looks to tech to cut £4bn wasted on paper work
The Government is banking on technology as well as business expertise to transform public services, modernise government, and accelerate national renewal across the UK by tackling the age-old issue of long phone queues, repeated form-filling, and endless paperwork.
A new unit, dubbed CustomerFirst, is being set up within the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT), led by Tristan Thomas, formerly of l, with Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy, as first co-chair.
Ministers claim there is a potential £4bn saving to be made by moving service processing online, rather than phone, post or in person, although the Government is opening itself up for criticism from groups that represent those unable to carry out online transactions.
Bringing together civil service operators alongside leading private sector specialists, it will test ways to tackle delays and frustrations by partnering with departments to rewire the government services on which millions rely.
CustomerFirst will look to build services that make use of AI and modern solutions to mirror the customer services operations in the best of the private sector – from modern banking and online shopping to utilities. At energy firm Octopus, for example, generative AI tools assist in drafting 35% of all customer emails, slashing wait times and receiving customer satisfaction ratings of 70%.
It will aim to help employees delivering services, not just end customers – ensuring dedicated customer service staff have the right tools to do their job well. The division will also aim to deliver savings for taxpayers through end‑to‑end reform and smarter use of technology by departments.
Minister for digital government Ian Murray said: “Too often people are put off from interacting with the services they need by the frustration that comes with waiting on hold, filling in endless forms, and jumping through hoop after hoop.
“A culture of ‘computer says no’ is not good enough, and this roadmap sets out the wide range of brilliant work happening across government to improve public services and citizens’ interaction with them.
Alongside that we’re launching CustomerFirst – taking bold steps in how we redesign services so they meet the demands of modern life – fast, simple, and stress-free.
The Government is looking for senior and experienced talent who want to be part of this change. Expressions of interest are now open for experts in service design, solutions architecture, and product management.
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