The pathways and approval processes for so many Council processes need agreement – just two examples are human resources and procurement workflows. Without prompt, transparent consensus and sign-off, the resolution of issues or permission for action can be delayed. The agreement component of a process is often the cause of bottlenecks.
Although some workflow processes and document pathways are becoming digitised and somewhat automated, there are still many sequential or parallel approvals and manual signatures required to move that form or document from preparation to fulfilment.
Customer-focused, responsive Local Government services
A scan of most Local Governments’ websites reveals similar goals – to help their communities thrive. Excellent intentions that should be easily achievable. So where do processes get bogged down? Research commissioned by KPMG and, conducted by Forrester Consulting identified issues common to Local Government, including:
Building customer trust
if residents don’t trust Councils to manage their digital data, they will withhold information and undermine the impact and advantages of digital systems
Ensuring data privacy and security
having data in multiple systems and silos increases security risks and decreases opportunities to serve customers efficiently
Lack of single view of the customer
only 38% of Local Governments surveyed believed they are effectively curating a wide variety of data that will provide them with a ‘360 degree view’ of their customers
People/process misalignment
a lack of qualified staff and the right processes to support them
From the smallest outback Council to a metropolitan mega-Council, work is organised in teams, departments, divisions, and collaborative cross-department arrangements. It’s never a one-person show. Simultaneously, the ‘silo factor’ is real - systems that don’t interface seamlessly; staff who only work within a small part of the bigger picture, or contractors and employees who work remotely.
So, achieving seamless, fast agreement – whether that’s a roster sign-off, a purchase decision, task allocation, or a leave application becomes a barrier to completion. Here’s two common examples of how DocuSign breaks down the barriers:
Efficient procurement and HR teams are the essential backbone of the company. Procurement processes shouldn’t mean reinventing the wheel for every contract or transaction. Onboarding new staff shouldn’t be a drawn-out exercise that tests resilience and patience even before the new hire can start productive work. Simultaneously, the ‘silo factor’ is real – IT systems that don’t interface seamlessly; staff who only work within a small part of the bigger picture, or contractors, suppliers and employees who work remotely.
Achieving accurate, secure, and timely agreement – whether that’s a roster sign-off, a purchase decision, contract execution, or a leave application becomes a barrier to completion. Here’s two common examples of how DocuSign breaks down the barriers:
HR Onboarding
DocuSign eSignature connects, automates, and accelerates the employee agreement processes so that your time is spent on people, not paperwork.
Optimise efficiency, empower remote staff, and enable remote hiring, as you do everything digitally.
Procurement
DocuSign eSignature increases visibility into the lifecycle of vendor contracts – including pre-and post-execution contract analysis.
Centralise and streamline the agreement process to save time, control costs, and decrease risks in the supply chain with an end-to-end agreement process.
DocuSign removes the barriers to positively impact your service delivery and community engagement, helping to make prompt, attentive, and professional customer service a hallmark of your Council’s reputation.
Implementing the technological ability to connect across organisations and systems can transform Local Government into a customer-centric community platform, allowing access to a wide range of services, while innovating how those services are delivered.
Here’s a helicopter view of the systems Councils work with every day. This diagram shows how enterprise and strategic management systems, HR management, and customer databases all use systems of agreement to execute documents that result in action.
Without a modern system of agreement that automates and progresses document workflow across all systems, each of these systems can and will stall progress and completion rates.
Modern systems of agreement
Prepare
Creating an agreement like:
- A letter of offer for a new employee
- Populating a purchase order with data from the procurement database
Sign
Obtaining a legally valid signature:
- Routing via multiple approvers
- Verifying identification
- Holding a detailed record of execution
Act
Fulfilling the agreement:
- Paying an invoice
- Opening or closing an account
- Registering a new employee on various systems
Manage
After completion, storing and reporting on agreements:
- Reporting on purchasing trends and budgets
- Retaining and archiving employee data centrally or in related departments
Using a solution like DocuSign to manage approvals and signatures is using the best of technology in the internet age to achieve more, with fewer resources. The management benefits in reduced time, cost and risks are well-documented.
The Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), well known to Queensland’s 77 Councils, adopted DocuSign eSignature to manage onboarding in 2021. Since then, impressive cost savings in paper and postage, and more importantly, an 85% improvement in getting talent signed and started means the organisation is empowered to achieve their operational service goals. Read how they got started, and where they are now.
Yes, it's possible to obtain signatures through many stand-alone apps. But consider the wider benefits of using DocuSign and the whole suite of products and integrations for digitally managing the end-to-end agreement process, working together with existing systems.
In our fast-moving, hyper-connected world, process solutions and improvements need to suit the way we work today, with the capacity to respond to evolving developments.
DocuSign, as a global market leader, offers an agreement platform and integrations to existing systems that can be customised and introduced at any slow point in or between systems - and can be introduced component by component as quickly or slowly as appropriate to the end users.
Considering a solution? Look for these must-have success factors:
Provides assurance by:
- Authenticating e-signatures properly
- Generates court-admissible evidence
- World-wide recognition
- Aligns to relevant regulations automatically
Reduces:
- Possibility of fraudulent signatures
- Inadmissibility in court
- Refusal of service
DocuSign features:
Provides assurance by:
- Integrating with existing systems
- Allowing extensions for customised functionality
Reduces:
- Organisational silos
- Proliferation of independent systems
- Need to duplicate information due to system incompatibility
DocuSign features:
Provides assurance by:
- Cloud hosting to ensure maximum uptime
- Building in redundancy for disaster recovery
Reduces:
- Service downtime
- Delays in completing agreements
- Loss of data
DocuSign features:
Provides assurance by:
- Rigorously protecting data by securing it through the highest standards, like ISO 27001 and SOC 2
Reduces:
- Cybersecurity breaches
- Regulatory and audit non-compliance
DocuSign features:
- ISO27001 certified
- IRAP certified protected status
- Complete digital audit trails
- One billion users trust DocuSign with their agreements
Provides assurance by:
- Providing options for cloud-only, on-premise, or hybrid deployment
- Allowing for incremental adoption to match strategic direction
Reduces:
- Inflexible hosting options that may not be available without capital investment
- Possible resistance to change and low buy-in rates
DocuSign features:
- Local data centres
Provides assurance by:
- Using one platform to prepare, send, sign, store, analyse, and automate agreements
- Smooth, intuitive meshing with known processes
- Saving time, cost, and effort, whether preparing, managing, or signing agreements
Reduces:
- Deployment difficulties in moving staff from manual to software-based approvals
- Delays or misplaced documentation
DocuSign features:
Provides assurance by:
- Vendor ability to drive success with human expertise as well as technology
- Vendor can provide advisory and planning services alongside technical support and training
- Vendor can provide best practice strategies and guidance
Reduces:
- Possibility of project failure because of insufficient uptake
- Risks of system redundancy
- Business financial risks
- Reputational risks
DocuSign features:
- Already adopted by 150+ Councils across Australia
Bring the team on the journey
Staff retention and employee experience go hand in hand. People who’ve had long careers in one place are invaluable in terms of their corporate knowledge but can be somewhat resistant to change. So, it’s vital to be successful when you’re introducing new processes or technology, helping the team to embrace change and benefit from modern automation.
Partnering with the team at FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia to plan an integrated, sensible framework for scaled digitisation can make the difference.
FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia is committed to helping our Local Government customers take advantage of every technological advance that can assist in smooth change management and contribute to staff wellness.
We understand Local Government
FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia works to power all levels of Government around Australia, supporting management and staff to offer services to their residents, often in the face of budget constraints and workforce shortages. Our experienced teams work together with your staff at every level, from strategic planning through implementation and adoption, to adapt the technological solution that best suits the Council’s unique situation.
FUJIFILM Business Innovation Australia is prequalified as a supplier for electronic signature systems (DocuSign) for whole-of-government in NSW. We’re also on the WA Local Government Association (WALGA) panel to supply digital workflow solutions, including DocuSign.
We partner with DocuSign to provide a suite of products that break down departmental silos and cut out delays and roadblocks to delivering actionable decisions. The result? Happier ratepayers, businesses, and contractors – and happier staff.
Questions? Let's Talk