Governments are facing their greatest challenge for 75 years.
How do they provide leadership, direction, and reassurance – in the wake of a shape-shifting virus that didn’t exist six months ago? How do they get employees to take on new roles and tasks – while caring for staff welfare and safety? How do they communicate and collaborate – when working apart is the new normal?
Information is the Turnkey
Fast and accurate information is at the core of the scientists’ battle against COVID-19. And so it must be for Governments as they strive to meet their unique challenges.
Collaborating and keeping employees in the know is always important, but it’s crucial now. Cut off from each other and their managers in remote locations, employees need consistent and regular updates and leadership. External information must always be a single source of truth, ready to be clearly and quickly communicated to the public.
Good news for Governments! There are digital tools specially developed to help them manage information at this difficult time.
Microsoft has developed the Crisis Communication solution for Governments. Combining the proven strengths of Microsoft Power Apps, Microsoft Power Automate, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint, it could transform Government information sharing and team collaboration as COVID-19 conditions evolve.
Crisis Communication is designed to be flexibly used on the web, on a mobile device or for convenient collaboration in Teams. Easy to set up, the app will connect Government employees with regular information about the crisis. And staff members can report their work status at any time via the app, so managers can keep tabs on who is working where and in turn coordinate workflow.
The app can also be used to ‘push’ relevant news updates and Department content automatically to employees. Busy managers can stop worrying about their people getting what they need for their jobs.
Two-way Talk
Working at home is a new experience for many employees. At a time of intense volatility, many Government staff are feeling alone and out of touch. Many crave a two-way conversation.
Chatbots are an attractive option for questions and responses. Power Virtual Agents Crisis Response Bot from Microsoft can be created quickly without developers or data scientists.
The chatbot helps employees get information quickly in a chat interface that Governments can embed on any website. A Crisis FAQ bot can also be customised to answer common questions, giving managers more time to focus on urgent priorities.
And as an extra benefit, content from relevant websites can augment in-house Government information. Commonly used staff services can also be integrated within the chatbot, so core employee information is all in one place.
Governments will face COVID-19 related operating challenges for months and years to come. Tackling information management with well-proven tools won’t solve them all, but it could be a firm foundation for the unknown environment ahead.
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