Meeting Public Sector Challenges
We have the
pleasure of working with both public and private sector clients and we find that there
are many common issues that apply equally to both areas. However, in our experience there are also some
challenging areas that are particularly relevant to the public
sector. In today's blog, we sum up the public sector challenges we see and include our thoughts on how to tackle them.
Increasing pace of change. There’s still a degree of “catch up” going on in the public sector. As the external environment changes and society’s expectations of service delivery alter accordingly, the impact on the public sector is significant. And it is fast. We have seen how important it is for public sector organisations to embrace the pace of change required, we have helped organisations, departments and teams adapt and to move quickly in order gain financial benefit for change and transformation programmes.
Technological developments. There is widespread expectation of online and mobile engagement which has a direct impact on communication with customers and service users. Therefore it is critical to train staff and set up teams in a way that helps them handle a different level of engagement that is suited to the customers’ communication preferences, 24/7.
Service expectations. Many brands promote the importance of tailored services to such an extent that it becomes what
everyone expects. This means a more personalised approach tailored to specific customers may be needed (which is not what the
public sector is used to). Public sector teams may not have the appropriate skill-set or organisational set-up to meet customer needs. This highlights the importance of public
sector organisations communicating a strong vision internally and externally to improve staff understanding and
motivation for a modern organisation.
Involvement. It is increasingly common for the general public to want and to expect to be asked, involved and to be taken seriously about issues that affect them, including public services. Therefore an emphasis on customer focus and establishing channels for two-way communication are key to the effectiveness of future services provided by public sector teams.
Changing staff motivations. It has been suggested that job security may not be as strong a motivator for young people as it used to be. This has traditionally been the major pull of the public sector to attract staff and makes it increasingly difficult to find the right people with the right skills who don’t perceive the public sector as the place for them. Additionally staff who have been working in the public sector for many years sometimes find the changing environment challenging, therefore strong leadership and management of change programmes is critical.
If you would like further information about how we can help your organisation
please contact Linda Taylor on 0141 242 4450.
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