Automation has been on the local government agenda for years. Most councils are familiar with the term, and many believe they already understand what it means. But automation doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone – and that’s where expectations, ambition and outcomes can start to drift apart.
At Govtech, automation isn’t a destination or a one-off project. It’s a journey. One that progresses over time, deepens through partnership, and delivers more value as automation is continually refined and expanded.
And we’re still the only company which defines what we mean by automation. We measure it and publish it for every customer. We define automation as the end-to-end processing of a transaction so that liability is updated and a new bill is generated without Officer intervention.
Different experiences, different expectations
After two decades of delivering automation services to local authorities, one thing is clear: automation is often shaped by experience. Some councils have encountered solutions that promise ‘end-to-end automation’ but still rely heavily on manual intervention. Others have been told certain processes simply can’t be automated.
Those experiences mean expectations for automation are still too low.
Some authorities still question whether Council Tax household moves can be fully automated. Yet last year, Govtech fully automated over 800,000 Landlord Changes of Tenancy (including bulk changes submitted on spreadsheets), Moves-In, Moves-Out and Moves-Within for 59 councils.
Automation can now achieve far more than ever before.
Where are you on the automation journey?
Some councils have taken early steps, others are mid-way, and a few are just beginning to explore what’s possible.
You may already have automation in place, but:
- How much officer intervention is still required?
- Can you measure it?
- Do you trust the outcomes?
- What actual returns is it delivering?
Automation is a way to mitigate very real pressures: financial constraints, staff shortages, the loss of experienced officers and the need to deliver on corporate digital strategies and citizen experience. Besides being both broad and deep it must also be possible to track and measure automation rates and outcomes.
Anything less means you’re probably not getting a return on investment.
What automation means to us
True automation completes the transaction in the back-office system, applies the correct rules and produces the outcome automatically, without manual intervention.
All of this is controlled by business rules that are configured during setup. Only when something conflicts with business rules does it present itself for review, prioritised as high, medium or low. This approach ensures consistency, accuracy, control and confidence, while delivering a seamless experience for citizens.
Progress comes from focus and scale
Automation works best when applied to high-volume processes. That’s where the greatest gains are made and where progress is most visible.
Govtech automated over 43.5 million of transactions last year – ranging from Direct Debits and discounts to complex household moves, refunds, credit transfers and landlord notifications. We’ve also transformed areas such as discounts reviews and exemptions by replacing dozens of forms with a single intuitive digital journey that supports evidence upload and guided submission.
As automation expands, councils free up skilled resources to focus on more important work, all whilst reducing backlogs, improving response times and consistency across the board.
Continuous improvement through partnership
No council reaches optimum automation overnight. Teams need time to adapt, citizens need to change how they interact, and processes need to be refined. That’s why automation must be collaborative.
Govtech works in partnership with each authority through a programme of continuous improvement. Together, we review automation rates, analyse where interventions occur, benchmark performance against similar councils, and adjust business rules where appropriate.
Many of our long-standing customers didn’t start with automation rates anywhere near 80%. They achieved them gradually – by working with us, learning from data, and evolving their approach over time. But you can learn from their experience to get there much quicker – what’s OK to let go? What do you still need to check or review?
Govtech automation is a partnership that never stops improving.
Designed to fit around you
Govtech delivers automation as a service. There’s no new system for users to log into, no software to learn, and no technology to buy. The service sits quietly between your front-end forms and your back-office Revenues & Benefits and document management systems.
Crucially, councils remain in full control. Nothing is automated by chance. Every outcome reflects your policies and priorities. As confidence grows, automation can grow with it.
Automation is a journey. And when taken step by step, it enables councils to achieve far more than they ever thought possible.
