Better citizen engagement with Paragon

Attributed to Stephen Lester, Chief Technology Officer, Paragon

The public and private sectors have at least one thing in common: they struggle to achieve a joined-up user journey. For public organisations, this issue has a dramatic impact on both citizen engagement and the delivery of services.

Local and central government bodies typically suffer from siloed teams and legacy systems. It’s the nature of the beast, resulting from sprawling organisations responsible for many different processes, across multiple localities, catering to complex needs and demands.

However, you can make the citizen experience better with the technology, services and expertise offered by Paragon. They help bring everything together, even without major IT changes. This saves organisations time, money and stress, both for themselves and the people who rely on them.

Government spending accounts for an average of 40% of GDP, so public bodies must deploy resources efficiently when looking to provide a better experience. Paragon’s secure shared services operations deliver immediate efficiency through safe and controlled transformation.

Citizen communication

People often need government services at stressful or important stages of their lives, whether that’s healthcare, education, tax, or financial support such as Universal Credit. They should therefore receive a user experience aligned with the critical nature of their request.

The challenge is that, while private sector businesses normally have a target user or streamlined customer base, local and central government bodies need to cater to everybody.

At Paragon, we understand that a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t going to cut it in the public sector due to the diversity of your operations and the people you serve. That’s why we offer a wide scope of solutions and a tailored approach.

For example, direct mail is a common form of communication for local and central government, but some people may require letters in large font, braille, or clearer language.

Public bodies should also leverage multichannel communications, enabling those who wish to receive information digitally to choose these channels and swap between them whenever they want. Recording customer preferences is critical, not only to empower people with choice but also to ensure this information is shared among other parts of the organisation. It’s also vital not to forget the inclusivity offered by paper-based communication when considering digitisation. Some people trust paper and it’s a key part of a better experience for them.

Storing these preferences and getting them right the next time a communication is sent will increase efficiency, reduce costs, and benefit the environment. Streamlining this process is crucial for operational efficiency and Paragon Hybrid Mail, a remote printing and multichannel output service, can help you achieve it. Our sector expertise, coupled with plug-and-play technology, takes the pressure off internal staff and provides a best-in-class communications experience to the public.

A transformational experience

As the world continues to evolve in the digital age, we understand the unique challenges that government organisations face and can help the public sector adapt, innovate, and enhance how services are delivered. On top of our track record in mail, Paragon also has extensive expertise in digital channels. We are a proven technology partner and an innovative leader in the space.
Our teams work to develop solutions that negate the problems created by legacy systems and help organisations achieve their specific goals and objectives. However, not all digital transformation requires immense budgets and disruptive organisational change. Using the right technology with expert guidance creates seamless transformations on a manageable scale. Doing so allows a controlled and incremental improvement in citizen engagement and enhanced service delivery.

Purpose-built communications technology will help the public sector achieve cohesion across the user journey, unlocking a joined-up experience from beginning to end. Technology and data-led approaches also provide instant access to where an individual is along their path, giving you deep insights into areas of improvement.

We understand that the safety and integrity of your data are key concerns, so we prioritise compliance and security and ensure that all your activities – as well as your data – are handled with the utmost care. Our solutions are built with the highest standards of security and adhere to all relevant regulations, giving you peace of mind and fostering trust among your customers. For example, we’ve safely handled personally identifiable information (PII) for clients like the DHSC, NHS and highly regulated businesses for many years.

Leading the public sector

We are the catalyst for public sector transformation, specialising in innovative solutions for government bodies. Our work seamlessly blends technology and operational efficiency to elevate the citizen experience with personalised engagement, while ensuring economic and operational resilience throughout.

Paragon is included as a secure and regulated supplier on several Crown Commercial Service frameworks, proving our expertise and capabilities in areas including:

• Postal Goods, Services and Solutions (RM 6280)
• Lot 2 Collection and Delivery of Letters, Large Parcels within the UK
• Lot 3 Collection and Delivery of Letters, Large Letters and Parcels International
• Lot 5 Business Process Outsourcing, Mailroom, Document and Data Managed Services
• Lot 6 Hybrid Mail, Digital and Transformational
• Lot 7 Inbound Delivery, Mail Opening and Digital Scanning Services
• Print Management Services (RM 6170)
• Storage, Distribution, Kitting and Associated Services (RM 6282)