Digital strategy: leading the user or in the driver's seat?

 The number of digital communication channels of government, healthcare and education is growing by the day. Interaction with citizens, clients and students is taking place via more and more avenues and digital test balloons are launched. With the smallest possible distance to the target group as the goal. And to keep up with the technological rat race. Because users expect the online experience of Cool Blue, right? Experience has shown that a proliferation of channels does not by definition contribute to better online services and information. How did that happen? And how can a sophisticated digital strategy offer a solution?

Tick-tocked Agents

The 'Digital Government' agenda dictates that government services should take place more from the perspective of the citizen, entrepreneur or student. For many organizations this is the sign - under the guise of digital inclusion - to put the user completely at the center of the development of (new) channels. With the risk of overlooking the question of whether the new initiative fits into a broader channel strategy. For example, you can wonder whether Tik-tokken agents actually reduce the gap between police and citizens. Or that the development of a complex chatbot for a central supervisor, whose core task is not to advise citizens, is necessary. Undoubtedly, users appreciate such initiatives. But do they really contribute to the goals or strategies of these agencies?

New channels must add value

Launching a new digital channel is exciting and fun, but it also creates expectations. A growing number of organizations are struggling with a (too) large management burden to keep everything up and running. This management burden stands in the way of the systematic further development of those channels, which means that systems and applications become obsolete and complying with (management) agreements becomes increasingly difficult. Maintaining too many channels side by side also costs a lot of (community) money. In some cases, joining forces and resources can be better. That requires sharp choices. Such a choice could be, for example, to focus all arrows on the main channel, so that the primary service immediately benefits. This ultimately adds more value on the user side and yields efficiency benefits.Clarity about ownership

(Medium) large institutions are usually divided into directorates, sections or clusters. This is reflected in the digital landscape, where there can be ambiguity about the ownership of channels (central or decentralized?). Or about who has control over the content. The same applies to the launch of new digital channels: who decides whether they are allowed to come? Each management, section or cluster can provide enough arguments to claim a prominent place in the digital shop window for itself. 'And if that is not possible on the primary channel, then just have your own channel', is the reasoning. This approach ignores the interests of the organization and takes little account of the perspective of the citizen or user.

Measuring is knowing

Developing a channel strategy requires insight into the mutual interests and relationships in the organization. An inventory is also required of the performance of the current channels and digital services, the management and the working agreements. Take a look at the 'digital maturity curve' , among other things .Where is the organization now? Furthermore, the information and communication needs of external stakeholders are important. So that it becomes clear per phase in the communication process what expectations citizens, clients or students have and what the bottlenecks are. The ultimate goal is to create a holistic picture of the (current and desired) use of digital channels and their management. Depending on the nature and scope of the issue, various research methods can be used for this purpose: from appreciative inquiry, in-depth interviews and user research to customer journey mapping and data analysis.

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Making sharp choices with guiding principles

Arriving at a digital channel strategy is therefore primarily a process of creating alignment. In which stakeholders exchange images in order to arrive at a supported vision, which helps them to look internally beyond the tunnel and to embrace the user's perspective. An instrument that we use at BOOM for this purpose are 'guiding principles'. These are guiding principles for decision-making about digital channels. They connect the intentions and direction of the organization with the final form; the way in which information, services, processes and procedures are actually set up and used. Guiding principles also help the digital professional to 'do the right thing'. So it is not just policy principles; they really make everyday work easier.

Practical handles

Guiding principles and performance targets make the digital strategy tangible. A common mistake is that they are confused with 'standards'. Where the digital strategy and the resulting guiding principles outline the contours for the channel deployment, standards revolve around its quality and how you achieve it together. Which standards or practical handles are needed to put the channel strategy into practice in a good way, differs greatly per organization. While one organization focuses on improving service and information provision, the other mainly has challenges in its own management organization. There is therefore no unequivocal answer to the question of which standards add the most value to the channel strategy:

A few examples to illustrate that. If the focus is mainly external, making an information design can give substance to the channel strategy. A good information design makes it clear at which moments in the customer journey specific user groups should be approached, reached or served and through which channel this can best be done.

If the focus is more internal, then it may be better to start with digital governanceorder, with clarity about responsibilities, authorities and roles for everything the organization does digitally. The methodology from Lisa Welchs' book 'Managing Chaos' is a methodical way to determine functional roles, responsibilities and tasks in a management organization. Another commonly used way is the RASCI method.

In addition to these tools, there are many other instruments and standards that have added value within the digital (channel) strategy. Think of editorial standards such as a style guide and an editorial statute, or of design standards that deal with the use of typography, templates and images. And publication and development standards regarding taxonomy, information architecture, accessibility and all kinds of standards for network and infrastructure. Finally, there are of course practical work agreements, which are indispensable in daily work.

To take with you

A successful digital channel strategy is primarily based on the customer journey of the citizen, client or student, but also maintains sufficient connection with the goals of the own organization; with its own right to exist and the course that has been set. A digital strategy is therefore not a stand-alone policy document, but a dynamic system in which policy, standards and (working) agreements come together. In which sharp, but supported principles help to monitor the balance between strategy and execution and with which digital professionals have a foothold in their daily actions. And where common standards help to keep quality consistent. Ultimately, it is all about serving the target group at those times when it is necessary. Through the right channel. For complex tasks, this can also be a non-digital one: a 'rich' channel like the telephone for example. Or a personal conversation. After all, this also applies to the development of a digital channel strategy: digital where possible, but personal where necessary!