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From Manual to Marvelous: Transforming Legacy Case Management with Automation

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The use of automation and technology has been increasing in the public sector, including government agencies, in recent years. The adoption of automation, including automated workflows, has been driven by the need to improve efficiency, reduce errors, and provide better services to the public.

Many government agencies in Europe use automated workflows implemented within their government case management software. The adoption of automation and technology is increasing in the public sector, including regulatory agencies where Canalix has vast experience with digitalisation, as a way to improve efficiency, reduce errors, and provide better services to the public.

The exact extent of usage of automated workflows by regulatory agencies in Europe varies from country to country and from agency to agency. However, the trend is towards increased use of technology and automation.

Traditional case management systems without automation vs CMS with automated workflows

A regulatory case management system with automated workflow can provide many benefits over a traditional regulatory case management system. The main difference between a traditional case management system and a CMS with automated workflow is the level of automation and the efficiency of the process. An automated workflow can streamline the process and reduce errors, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the case management system.

An example: how adopting an automated workflow solution can improve the efficiency of inspection management software?

For example, regulatory agencies use a traditional case management system to manage the complete life cycle of a case, including case initiation, documentation, investigation, and closure. But when it comes to automating repetitive tasks, the traditional has a visible disadvantage to automation.

A regulatory case management system with automated workflow for inspections, on the other hand, is a system that includes an automated workflow process. An automated workflow is a set of predefined steps for each case. The workflow can be customised to fit the needs of the regulatory agency and can include tasks such as case initiation, documentation, investigation, and closure.

What are the problems of government agencies with traditional case management software?

There are several issues that regulators who use traditional case management systems without automated workflows may face, including:

  • Inefficiency: Traditional case management systems can be time-consuming and manual, leading to inefficiency and increased workload for regulators.
  • Lack of consistency: Without an automated workflow, there may be inconsistencies in how cases are managed, leading to errors and inefficiencies.
  • Difficulty in tracking cases: Traditional case management systems can make it difficult to track cases’ status and access relevant information.
  • Limited reporting capabilities: Traditional case management systems often need more reporting capabilities, making it difficult for regulators to access the data and information they need to make informed decisions.
  • Difficulty in collaboration: Traditional case management systems can make it difficult for regulators to collaborate with other agencies and organisations, which can hinder the efficiency and effectiveness of the regulatory process.

Overall, traditional case management systems without automated workflows can lead to inefficiency, lack of consistency, difficulty tracking cases, limited reporting capabilities, and difficulty in collaboration. These issues can be addressed by implementing an automated workflow within the case management system, which can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the regulatory process.

Can you implement an automated inspection workflow within a legacy case management system?

Implementing an automated inspection workflow within a legacy case management system is possible. However, the specifics of the implementation will depend on the capabilities of the legacy system.

In some cases, a legacy case management system may have limited functionality and may need help to support the full automation of the inspection process. In these situations, it may be necessary to integrate the legacy system with other technologies or to upgrade to a more modern system that can support automation.

However, suppose the legacy system is capable of supporting automation. In that case, implementing an automated workflow can typically be done by configuring the system to support the desired steps in the inspection process. That may include integrating the system with other technologies, such as document management systems or data management systems, to streamline the process and ensure that all relevant information is captured and stored in a central repository.

To implement an automated workflow solution within existing case management system or to adopt a new, more modern case management system with built-in automation?

The better option depends on the specific needs and resources of the regulatory agency. Here are some factors that our experts advised one of our clients who is a regulatory agency within the UK:

  1. Legacy system capabilities: If the legacy system supports the automation of the inspection process, it may be more cost-effective and efficient to implement an automated workflow solution within the existing system.
  2. Investment costs: Implementing an automated workflow solution within a legacy system may be less expensive than adopting a new, more modern case management system. However, the long-term costs of maintaining and integrating the legacy system with other technologies must also be considered.
  3. Ease of use: A new, more modern case management system may be easier to use and may have better user interfaces than a legacy system, which can make the automation of the inspection process more efficient.
  4. Data compatibility: If the legacy system cannot support the automation of the inspection process, it may be necessary to extract data from the legacy system and transfer it to a new system, which can be a time-consuming and complex process.
  5. Future needs: The regulatory agency must consider its future needs and the scalability of the case management system, as well as its ability to integrate with other technologies and systems.

In conclusion, the better option between implementing an automated workflow solution within a legacy case management system or adopting a new, more modern one depends on the regulatory agency’s specific needs and resources. Both options have advantages and disadvantages, and the decision should be based on a thorough evaluation of the agency’s specific requirements and resources.

Is it possible to implement automated workflows within government CMS with a phased approach?

One of the most common questions we receive from leads and new customers is if our workflow automation services and solutions can be adopted stage-by-stage by public sector organisations. And the answer is yes; it is possible to implement an automated workflow solution within a case management system phase-by-phase, starting with the easiest workflow to automate. This approach allows the government agency to adopt automation gradually. 

More specifically, our experience with regulatory agencies is that the phased approach helps them reduce the implementation’s risk and impact and ensure that the new processes are properly tested and refined before expanding to other areas of the inspection management process.

An example of a phased approach to inspection automation workflow adoption:

Phase 1: Automate the initiation process: In this phase, the agency can automate the process of creating a new inspection case file, assigning inspectors, and notifying stakeholders. This helps ensure that inspections are initiated on time and that the right people are notified.

Phase 2: Automate documentation: In this phase, the agency can automate the process of capturing inspection findings, generating reports, and storing documents. This helps ensure that all relevant information is captured and stored in a centralised repository.

Phase 3: Automate the investigation process: In this phase, the agency can automate the process of identifying potential issues, generating recommendations, and resolving problems. This helps ensure that inspections are thoroughly investigated and that potential issues are addressed.

Phase 4: Automate the closure process: In this phase, the agency can automate the process of finalising reports, notifying stakeholders, and archiving case files. This helps ensure that inspections are properly closed and that all relevant information is stored for future reference.

Phase 5: Integration with other systems: In this phase, the agency can integrate the automated inspection management system with other systems, such as GIS, licensing databases, and enforcement systems, to create a unified view of all inspection activities. Cross agency coordination of inspection and e enforcement activities to lessen the impact on the inspectee is also a common procedure we suggest to our public sector costumers.

Overall, this phased approach allows our clients from the regulatory sector to gradually adopt automation and to ensure that the new processes are properly tested, their functions is aligned with the existing inspection management software, and refined before expanding to other areas of the inspection process.

automated inspection workflow solutions

What’s the important role in automated inspections?

Automated inspections play a crucial role in many industries, particularly in government and regulatory agencies. Automated inspection management helps them streamline and standardise processes, reduce the risk of human error, and increase efficiency and accuracy.  In general, integrating automation into inspection management software can be a complex process, but with the right resources, tools, and support, it can be done effectively and efficiently. It’s important to work with experienced professionals who have a good understanding of the inspection process and the software being used to ensure a successful integration.

Summary

The phased approach to adopting automated workflows in a regulatory case management system provides several benefits, including:

  1. Reduced risk: Implementing an automated workflow solution in stages helps to reduce the risk of implementing a large, complex solution, as it allows the agency to gradually adopt automation and test the new processes before expanding to other areas of the inspection process.
  2. Improved efficiency: Automating the inspection process in stages can help improve the agency’s efficiency. It allows the agency to identify and address any bottlenecks or inefficiencies before expanding to other areas.
  3. Increased transparency: Automated workflows can provide increased transparency into the inspection process, making it easier to track progress and identify areas for improvement.
  4. Better data quality: Automated workflows can help to improve the quality of the data captured during inspections, as they can help to ensure that all relevant information is captured and stored in a central repository.
  5. Improved stakeholder engagement: Automated workflows can help to improve stakeholder engagement, as they can help to ensure that stakeholders are notified promptly and are kept informed of the progress of inspections.
  6. Lower costs: Automated workflows can reduce the costs associated with inspections, as they can streamline processes and reduce the need for manual data entry and document management.

Overall, the phased approach to adopting automated workflows in a government case management system provides a more controlled and effective way to implement automation across different government agencies, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the process that is being automated.

Can we help you with government workflow automation? Do you need an automated inspection management system? Just drop us a message and we will answer.

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Government In The Cloud: Myths That CIOs Must Be Aware Of

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Government CIOs have a lot on their hands. Busting myths about cloud adoption is one of them for better or worse. Debunking myths requires their understanding. Even though it sounds like a minor thing to fix, there are myths that can slow down governments and enterprises on their road to digital transformation.

1. “Saving money is the only cloud adoption motive”

Cost-efficiency is important and cloud adoption is the best long-term direction to achieve it. However this is not the solely reasons that enterprises and government are turning to cloud. For decades there’s been stereotypes about the government that everything that happens there is slow and outdated. Cloud adoption is a key not only to cost-efficiency, but also to agility.

Government CIOs must look not only at financial cost-optimisation sheets, they must be looking beyond that. For this they need to analyse different use cases of cloud. In order for cost goals to be achieved, the usability of the cloud solution must be explored.

Related: How to approach cost-efficient cloud adoption

How to ensure that the cost optimisation goals will be achievable?

CIOs and digital transformation leaders must be aware of the importance of proof-of-concepts (PoC). This is a demo software that covers predefined use cases.

Example:
If you’re a CIO that is exploring opportunities for cloud adoption in government agency for food safety, you don’t just buy a software through online checkout. You run some meetings with the supplier of the cloud service and then you ask for PoC that can recreate a specific experience. This experience might be running an inspection management process with the supplier’s cloud software. This is one of the best ways to ensure that the cloud solution can actually deliver the cost-optimisation that is promised.

Related: The Importance of testing inspection software with PoC

Contact Canalix now if you’re looking for inspection software demo that can deliver specific use case.

2. “Cloud is the end goal”

Formulating a cloud strategy is important. Governments and enterprise that haven’t adopted cloud yet, must look at their strategy first. However, when the stage of implementing the cloud comes, the functional leaders must be aware of the end goal. And they must be educated that the cloud is just a means to achieving the goal. The goals may be agility, cost savings, resource utilization, improving the user experience for citizens, public servants, inspectors, etc.

Related: Understanding cloud strategy in governments

Implementing cloud solutions in governments is not a single warrior effort. It’s a group effort. That’s why CIOs must invest some time in making everyone involved in the implementation phase to understand the benefits that cloud will bring to the organization’s processes.

3. “Migrating to cloud is one-time effort”

Let’s say that a local government adopts cloud by using case management software. This is one path to cloud. But there are also many other different paths. If the local government has a successful use of the cloud case management software, it means that they should adapt cloud for other processes as well. This is the moment where CIOs must prepare the organizations to go along a new cloud transformation road.

Example:

Once the operation process of case worker is optimized via cloud solution, then it’s natural for the organization to optimize the rest of the processes. As a next step in this example it would be strategically smart to transform the work of inspectors by adopting inspection management software to fully leverage the cloud principle. This is a good example for long term digital transformation planning, that is designed to bring gradual improvements.

Related: How investing in cloud create saving for governments and enterprises

It other words it means that once a government successfully moves a process in the cloud, doesn’t mean that the work is finished. It means that work begins. This is a complex process. It means that the CIOs must be careful when choosing cloud supplier, because the supplier must be not only a service delivery entity, but also a great consultant and partner.

Get in touch with Canalix if you need to book a consultation for adopting cloud in the inspection management.

Contact us.

4. “Cloud is overrated, companies are moving away from cloud”

Companies are not moving away from cloud. On the contrary. Today the migration to cloud is safer than ever. This can be confirmed by data from a single google search. Actually we’ve written a dedicated blog post about the cloud adoption being a key player in the post-pandemic new normal.

Read it here: Cloud – the new normal of regulatory compliance (with insights from IT decision makers for cloud adoption)

5. “Our cloud strategy is to move one of our processes on the cloud”

Strategy is a big thing. It should set a long-term direction with end goals. CIOs in governments and enterprises are responsible for formulating the cloud adoption strategy. Along the way for achieving these goals, there must be strategic plans. These plans have the objective to set the right priority for cloud migration and to form a cloud implementation plan. They must not be mistaken for cloud strategy.

Related: Everything you need to know about cloud adoption

Summary

Setting apart myths from facts is a key step for ensuring that everyone understands the benefits of cloud. It all starts from the IT leaders in governments and enterprises, they formulate the strategy, they debunk the myths. The second figure next to them are the functional leaders of the different departments – inspectorates, financial departments, human resources, etc. Together with the IT leaders they must share a common understanding of the benefits of cloud. Ensuring that all levels of the organization – whether it’s public or private organization – understand the reality behind myths will enable organizations to fully leverage on the benefits of the cloud.

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How investing in cloud services creates savings for government agencies?

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Everyone have heard government leaders talking about cutting costs. This is a budgetary policy that is happening in every EU country. Now in times of global health, social and economic crisis, these conversations are taking place more often than ever. Making cuts in the budgets seems like a shortcut to getting numbers in order. But shortcuts are not everything. A long-term cost optimisation policy is the smarter way to go for a variety of reasons.

Related: How digital safety inspection program can reduce the cost of inspections?

Shortcut plan vs long-term strategy?

The use of outdated systems in the public sector has led to reduction of the work load and challenged the efficiency of areas like regulatory enforcement in the peak of the covid-19 in Europe. More specifically the inspection management part of the regulatory agencies was challenged when strict social distance measures applied. This affected the citizens and the efficiency of the workforce, operating on the inspection management part.

Read now: A guide for finding the best inspection management software online

As a result there are a lot of conversation about cutting costs in government agencies now. However, optimizing costs is the direction for government agencies that are using outdated systems to run their processes.

“Government leaders often fall into “salami-slicing” budget cuts across the board. “Government leaders’ approach is to make incremental cuts to budgets areas across the board, rather than taking a more strategic cost optimization approach. These cuts can be particularly damaging to IT, derailing digital projects and ignoring the positive impact that budget spent on IT can have in reducing costs elsewhere in the organization.” says Cathleen E. Blanton, research vice president at Gartner.

Digital Transformation Drives Efficiency and Cost Optimisation

With the events that happened in 2020, government CIOs must evaluate whether the government agencies can deliver their services to the public with the current work model. After this assessment is made, the CIO must research alternative models of work. We’re living in the age of cloud technologies, so if we talk about transforming an overlooked field like inspection services, the cloud alternative must be on the top of the list.

Related: All you need to know about cloud adoption in government agencies

By researching cloud alternatives, CIOs must focus on the values of the cloud, but also to make sure that the new work models won’t be a challenge for the workforce. The values may vary. For example in the inspection management part the value may be about optimizing costs for travel of inspectors, in the case management part it may be about optimizing the processing time. The values vary at the different levels of government organizations. The good news is that with a good plan, CIOs may have an overview of the expected outcomes before buying a cloud software for inspections or for somethings else.

Related: Why is it a good idea to test a cloud software with PoC (proof of concept)?

Plan smart, implement cloud smarter

Adopting cloud for government agencies is not a simple task. It must be planned carefully and at different stages. If we look at the wholesome of processes behind regulatory enforcement, we will see room for different software solutions – inspection scheduling, inspection management, compliance management, case management, self-service portals and other e-government solutions. If the cloud implementation is planned to cover different solutions at different stage, then it will be one smart plan that will not only implement cloud, but will also do it in progressive way. It means that at every stage the workforce will be more mature to extract the values that are promised by the cloud.

Related: How route optimisation reduces costs in regulatory agencies?

The strategic approach of cost optimisation requires long term planning skills. This approach starts with formulating clear strategy and then implementing it.

Related: How to formulate cloud adoption strategy?

How to choose the right cloud service supplier?

There are hundreds of options on the SaaS market of cloud solutions for e-governments. However, when choosing a cloud service supplier, CIOs must look for something more than that. They need to identify a supplier, who is willing to be a partner and contribute to the planning of the most optimal cloud adoption plan.

Do you need help for cloud integration of inspection software and case management platforms for government agencies? Or you just want to start with gathering data via self-service portals and plan the further cloud adoption for other public services?

Contact us now.
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CIOs: Understanding Cloud Strategy in Government Agencies

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Cloud adoption is on the rise. The best moment for government CIOs to start asking questions about  how to include cloud in their strategy was few years ago. The next best moment for government CIOs is now.

What is cloud strategy in regulatory agencies?

Let’s start with what is not a cloud strategy. Cloud strategy is not a road that will solve all of the existing problems within the government agency. The strategy must be focused on transforming specific activities. The digital transformation may include only the inspection management processes in food agency for example, or case management in social care institutions. It’s crucial for CIOs to understand that cloud strategy doesn’t have to capture everything in the long term IT plan of the government agency. In a perfect world it’s good to have planned everything upfront, but this is rarely present in reality. That’s why it’s important for government CIOs to understand that they should not give up on cloud strategy just because their strategy doesn’t touch every process within the organization.

Who must be involved in the efforts of setting a cloud strategy in government agency?

We already talked in our blog about the best way to find good cloud software for government agencies. It outlines a step-by-step guide for finding good egovernment cloud software online. But when it comes to strategy there are also steps that should be outlined.

The formulation of cloud strategy is a group effort. A key part of the strategy is to form a dedicated team. Most of the organizations engage variety of IT roles in this team (people responsible for IT security, operations, etc.). But the cloud strategy team must not be limited only to IT roles. For example, HR leads in the team can help the workforce transition in the cloud at later point, the finance leads can advise on costs and savings, etc.

government cloud strategy inspection management

After cloud strategy comes cloud implementation

After the CIO has a cloud strategy it’s time for cloud adoption (or implementation). The implementation part is where the team actually starts to act toward adopting the cloud. The difference between cloud strategy and cloud implementation plan is that the strategy is clear and concise and serves as a foundation for adopting cloud for all activities within the organization. If we talk about cloud implementation for inspection software then the implementation plan must be aligned with the cloud strategy. If we talk about cloud implementation for case management, the implementation plan must aligned with the cloud strategy.

 

It can be presented with this Gartner figure:

cloud implementation plan government

Related: Everything you need to know about cloud adoption in government

Not having a cloud strategy in 2020 is not a thing that government agencies in EU should be proud of. This is why government agencies and their CIOs should start working on their cloud strategy now. Being late for the cloud party creates additional layer of urgency for CIOs to understand the meaning of cloud strategy and why it is different from implementation plan. If the government agencies follow clear cloud strategy, then they will avoid the unplanned ad-hoc costs that may emerge in the cloud implementation of different activities at different point in time. Last but not least, by having a clear strategy at hand, every functional lead involved in the cloud adoption team will be able to use his own imagination on  how cloud can be used in their operations.

Are you a CIO looking for help with cloud strategy and cloud implementation in government agency?

Contact us now.

 

 

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Automating Inspection Planning and Resource Allocaiton

One of the first association one has when hearing about inspection planning is complexity. What comes to the imagination is a big complex structure with a lot of processes going on in the same time. To some it may looks scary and impossible for optimization. However, that is not entirely true. Canalix is a product that is dedicated to making inspection management simple. That’s why we wrote this article to explain how things really are working in an inspection management platform like ours.

What is inspection management?

Inspection management is series of operations that are more complex than business process management. They are more unpredictable because they involve cases, which very often have a complex structure and relationships with other cases and processes. While automating a simple business process is easy, because we have pre-defined steps, automating cases is the harder thing to do. It’s hard because if we automate case-based process (such as the inspection management), we need to automate possible scenarios involving human judgement. If it was a video game, automating business process will be level 1, while automating a case process will be the final level.

Related: Read more about the difference between case management and BPM

And so we come to the burning question:

How to automate inspection planning that usually need human judgement?

Let’s imagine that a citizen files a complaint to a state regulator via self-service web portal. After describing the issue, the citizen has to complete a quick questionnaire about the nature of his case. Depending on the answers, the case is being profiled within a category of complexity.

Related: Why Self-Service Portals in Government Agencies Matter?

Now let’s imagine that there are hundreds of other cases. Each with different complexity level and only dozen of inspectors that can do an inspection. If every inspector has a unique skill set, then the matching of cases with inspectors should be done very precisely. So how should we approach the inspection planning and allocation without making costly errors?

Precision takes time when done manually. By looking at this complex picture, one would think that it will take an eternity to finish each case. It is partly true. But not if inspection management platform like Canalix is processing this complex model of work.

Related: Five Benefits Of Using Inspection Management Software in 2020

Are cases allocated automatically after receiving data from self-service portal?

The short answer is yes. Thanks to a pre-defined set of rules, Canalix is scoring the complexity of each case. It means that once a citizen submits the data for his own case, the inspection platform starts moving the case through the inspection pipeline. This movement includes the matching of the case with relevant inspector. And this is not the best of it. By defining a priority score and using different options for constraints, the inspection scheduling and planning can be done in the most optimal way. It means not only that cases can be allocated to the right inspector without making a mistake, but also allocated in a way that is more optimized in terms of resource utilization (for example reducing the costs for transportation).

The power of artificial intelligence is making big difference by allowing us to work smarter than before. That’s why AI is one of the main technologies that stands behind our inspection management software. It is literally a technology that can replace the need of human judgement.

Related: The Benefits of AI in Inspection Software

Replacing entirely human judgement sounds scary and uncomfortable for more conservative business environments. This is where another perk of using inspection management solution like Canalix comes. When a case has a high complexity score, the inspection platform sends it for control by real human. In other words it means that the inspection software is smart enough to judge when a case needs to be processed manually by human.

Is specific technical knowledge needed to automate inspection planning?

The short answer is no. Simplifying complexity runs on every level in Canalix. It includes the usability of the software. With simple and minimalistic user experience everyone with general technical knowledge can use Canalix.

Related: How Inspection Scheduling Is Being Optimized With Canalix?

Describing how the complex structure of inspections can be automated is not always the best way to demonstrate how inspection optimization platform works. This is why you can book a live demo with us. Contact us here.

Do you want to know more about the benefits that inspection software like Canalix can bring to your organization?

• Up to 75% of submissions can be processed automatically and up to 60% reduction in process time
• Up to 50% reduction in inspection report writing time
• Up to 40% reduction in total travelled distance
• Planning of inspectors reduced from days to seconds
• No wasted time by wrongly skilled inspectors send on-site

Read more here.

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Regulatory Case Management Software – SaaS or not?

Government agencies’ case management processes involve complex procedures related to significant amounts of data. Imagine what kind of paperwork consists in handling cases in the public sector (regulators, social care services, financial authorities, etc.). Their structure is dynamic, and the end-to-end case management process is difficult to predict. This complexity is a prerequisite for mistakes when working with regulatory case management software.

Related: BPM vs Case Management – what’s the difference?

The loops in the case management system could cause unplanned costs, communication errors and mistakes that reduce efficiency. The affected of this inefficiency are hundreds of government employees, but mostly – the citizens who are the customers of the government agencies. We decided to write a series of articles about the most common mistakes when making decisions about case management solutions in the government sector. The best way to avoid facing the consequences of such errors is to be vigilant in your research process.

Are we building a case management software from scratch or using a ready-made SaaS?

CMS building from the ground up is a costly and time-consuming endeavour. Building customised software from scratch is not the brightest idea when there’s a well-populated market with government case management solutions. Moreover, using a ready-made solution doesn’t mean that the software is not customised for a specific field.

Canalix is an excellent example of a case management solution purpose-built to answer the specific needs of regulators, or as we call it, a regulatory case management software. The industry focus makes the product more reliable because of the years of experience and research that shaped its development. Something that indeed lacks in the commissioned development of case management solutions that doesn’t have the long term industry expertise that a purpose-built regulatory case management software has.

If a public sector regulator plans to update their case management system, the best way to go is with purpose-built regulatory case management software.

Book a demo

The efficiency of using custom case management solutions depends not only on the tailored nature of the product but also on the invested time and expertise in its development. It will be wiser to consider ready-made solutions rather than build one from the ground. This approach can bring a CRM platform that is both – industry-specific and reliable.

Related: Read more about industry-specific inspection software solutions.

Developing tailor-made case management software from scratch is not always the most brilliant idea. Before making this decision, the digital transformation expert must at least research what the market offers. Learn what makes Canalix an optimal solution for case management.

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What’s the difference? Case Management vs BPM

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Every research about business optimisation eventually goes through business process management and case management. And inevitably, there come the questions: What is case management? What is BPM? How is the one different from the other? We’ll answer all of these questions below. Let’s start with:

Are BPM and Case Management the same things?

Business process management and case management software are two solutions with the same goal: business optimisation. This is the common ground between them. But this common ground also creates considerable confusion because it makes people think of BMP and Case management as the same thing. The truth is that even though they share the same goal, the two solutions differ in the approach they offer. So let’s look at each one of them separately.

What is Business Process Management?

If we take any kind of organisation – small business, big enterprise, NGO or local government, we can describe the workflow processes in their structures as BPM. Every process is related to a certain individual. For example, in one big office, the work process of the office manager is to keep track of the office supplies. There are specific steps that the individual must take to finish this process weekly. BPM streamlines processes like this and implements new and more optimised ways for their execution. It mostly happens through data automation.

Now, if we take, for example, all the possible functions individuals can have in one big office, we will have hundreds of workflow processes to look through. What you should remember as the most distinctive description of BPM is that it acquires mainly processes that are consistent and easy to predict. This makes Business Process Management a perfect optimisation solution for general use.

regulatory case management software

What is Case Management?

Case Management is focused on more complex processes that together build a case. If we have a clear workflow structure in BPM, in cases structure is not so clear, and the outcome of operations is not easy to predict. That’s why we need a different approach in optimising the work with cases. And this is where the case management software comes in handy.

What’s the difference between BPM and Case Management Software?

If we imagine that the BPM software makes an optimal route for completing a work process, then the map will look like that:

  •  Start from point A, then go through points B and C and finish in point D. Fast, clear and straightforward where every step of the process can be predicted. 

But if we need a map for the most optimal way of completing a case, then the map will be like that:

  • Start from point A, but there will be other people, processes, and probably cases involved at points B and C. Depending on the decisions taken at these steps, the course of action may be changed. The path may lead to points D and E before finishing the processes. It all depends on the human judgement that will be made. Such complex processes usually happen in big and complex organisations like Planning Inspectorate, Social Care Commission, Local Governments, Insurance companies, Regulatory Authorities.

Related: How to compare different business optimisation solutions?

By looking at these two examples, we can conclude that the most significant difference between business process and case management is complexity. A good BPM solution will use data automation to optimise the work process. But if we have to optimise the work with cases, then data automation won’t be enough. This is where AI comes in handy and solves complex problems that often require human judgment.

Related: read more about AI optimisation in inspection software.

Case management vs BPM in opposition is a really great way to understand the specifics of each solution. But what if our organisation needs to optimise both: structured and predictable processes and dynamic and more complex cases? The good news is that there are flexible platforms in this regard. It means that they can be utilised for BPM and solve complex and specific problems.

Do you need to know more about such a solution? Canalix has an outstanding regulatory case management software that can be integrated to realise the business priorities of regulators and other public sector organisations. Contact Canalix now.

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Is there an optimal solution for regulatory case management?

If we look at the public sector as a regular business, we’ll see two sides – service providers and customers. So when we talk about business optimisation in government agencies, we talk about service providers – the public organisations that ensure regulatory compliance, and customers – the citizens and the entities subject to regulations. As in businesses, the optimisation path often goes through the workforce’s operations in regulatory agencies. It usually starts by updating the legacy case management system with purpose-built regulatory case management software.

What is case management?

Before we describe the regulatory case management module of Canalix, let’s go through Gartner’s definition of case management:

Case management solutions are applications designed to support a complex process requiring a combination of human tasks and electronic workflows, such as an incoming application, a submitted claim, a complaint, or a claim moving to litigation. These solutions support the workflow, management collaboration, storage of images and content, decisions, and processing of electronic files or cases.

Related: Case management vs BPMS – what is the difference?

Canalix is an advanced inspection management software focused on delivering various digital transformation solutions to the public sector. One of our main objectives is to transform how the regulators’ workforce is operating. That is realised with the case management system of Canalix.

Canalix supports a fully self-sufficient government case management software by managing gathered data, documents, processes, and configurable rules on a single platform. The automated process allows fast and reliable scoring and categorising inspection cases, appeals and complaints. This digital infrastructure empowers the employees to improve their work and make better decisions.

AI optimisation can turn the decision-making process into a better version of itself. For example, by using Canalix, regulators can automatically match cases with inspectors based on:

  • Specialities
  • Complexity level
  • Distance
  • Availability
  • Preclusions

This AI optimised process eliminates the possibility of error by matching cases with a wrongfully skilled inspector. Using regulatory case management software can drastically improve the way regulators operate. The upgrades are measured in the efficiency of the workforce’s operations and by the reduced operational costs.

Read more about case management systems as part of the digital transformation in government agencies.

 

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Transforming Regulators With Government Case Management Software

It’s no secret that there’s a whole genre of jokes about government agencies. The reason is mainly the predominant stereotype that describes government services as slow and clumsy. But if we look up to the top smart cities in the world, we’ll find examples of local governments that are successfully breaking up with this stereotype.

It is always inspiring to look up to great examples. But is it serious comparing London’s multi-million digital transformation budget to the budget of a local government agency somewhere in England? Of course not. However, essential digital transformation solutions can make a big difference for local governments. The modernisation of government case management systems is such.

How Regulatory Case Management Systems Transform Government Agencies? 

  • Less manual work, more automation

Public agencies oversee many parts of the regulatory enforcement process. Sometimes these parts interact with each other. Or there are new compliance rules that change the process. This work adds up every day. That’s why procedures in the public sector are often slow when done manually. 

Digital transformation is changing this by integrating governments with valuable case management platforms. Such platforms improve efficiency via data-driven automation that allows faster workflow. And it’s no secret that when we talk about saving time, we talk about saving costs. So this is the most fundamental transformation value that a regulatory case management software can bring by automating manual processes.

  • Eliminating expensive mistakes

Data automation is the technology through which case management systems ensure fast workflow. But how do they ensure intelligent workflow? The answer is artificial intelligence. A smart case management system will remove the risk of expensive errors.

We will give an example of the way Canalix is applying AI optimisation in the inspection process:

Imagine that different cases are categorised by their specifics and located in various places. The solving of each case requires an inspector with a specific skill set. The manual process of matching inspectors with cases have a considerable risk of error. Such risk may lead to sending wrongfully skilled inspectors on site. But with intelligent case management software like Canalix, each case can be matched with an inspector based on skill set, distance, availability, etc.

Our innovative solution makes the resource allocation visible in the inspectors’ scheduling calendars in real-time.

Related: Three Benefits of Using AI-Driven Inspection Software

Providing security

Keeping the data in excel files on our government agency’s server will make it easier for hackers to steal the data. But a sound case management system can provide additional security. If you want to take care of your government agency’s case management security, make sure that you look for cloud-based platforms that are specifically built to answer the public sector’s needs.

Related: Why Regulators Need Industry-specific Inspection Software?

Government agencies are organisations that still have baby steps to make into digital transformation. Modernising their case management software is suitable for making more significant steps into this field. Do you want to lead your organisation into its first step in digital transformation? Contacts us for a free demo.

Related: Why Self-Service Portals Are a Good Idea For the First Step Into Digital Transformation?

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Why Government Agencies Need CRM?

We often try to understand what the government does by comparing it with businesses. Just as businesses rely on CRM platforms to connect with their customers better, the same apply to the governments. But the term “customer relationship” in government agencies has a different connotation.

What does CRM for government means?

If we imagine that the citizens are the customers, then the CRM is the platform that allows citizen to connect better with their government. We can go through different examples to illustrate this relationship.

  • Example 1:

People often have questions to their local government and their state governments. They can ask their questions bureaucratically which usually is slow and clumsy procedure. Or they can do it digitally via self-service portals – this is where the CRM platform makes its magic. Citizens can help themselves by using self-service portals without waiting weeks for answer or taking a day off to go to their local government’s office.

Related:  Why self-service matters for the public sector?

  • Example 2:

CRM platforms can also help governments serve their citizens better by providing good case management solution. Such system will help government employees do their job faster and smarter. By using the advantages of data-driven automation and AI optmisation, employees can resolve their tasks more optimally. This improves the life of the citizens, because they receive faster service.

Related: How AI is changing the game for inspection software platforms?

  • Example 3

There are also some overlooked processes with which government agencies serve their citizens. The inspection regime is such. Regulatory bodies have to comply with state regulations and earn the public trust by maintaining transparency. That’s why the inspection regime must also be accounted as one of the main relationship points between the government and its citizen.

Although we compare the public sector with businesses, we must always keep in mind that the former have more specific needs.

Related: Read more about the differences between industry-specific platforms and all-purpose solutions.

How Canalix Can Help Government Agencies?

Governments use platforms like Canalix for the same purposes that enterprises use CRM tools: to keep track of data and processes and make their citizens happier. Since the public sector has more responsibility to the community, it needs more specific solution. That’s why Canalix is a solution, based on data-driven automation and AI optimization. These technologies ensure the core functionalities with which government agencies serve their citizens. Last, but not least, the digital transformation that Canalix ensures is based on the principles of keeping the public trust and keeping data securely.

 

Do you want to try how Canalix works? Send us an email.

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