What Are Some Interesting Use Cases For Mobile Apps In Government Institutions And Politics?
The way government institutions deliver services to the public is set to change in the coming years. This is largely due to the rise of millennials, the introduction of new digital technologies and most importantly the infiltration of mobile devices which have given rise to the ‘always on’ society.To put this into perspective, numbers from a report by the IBM Center for the Business of Government, shows that mobile devices account for more than one-third of the traffic to government websites, a trend that is set to increase significantly over the coming years thanks to the proliferation of mobile apps.
Keep reading to learn more about some of the killer use cases for mobile apps in government institutions and politics and how iBuildApp features can help you achieve some of this in a cost-effective manner.
Improving Service Delivery
Mobile apps can create an opportunity for government institutions to improve service delivery and enhance governance while at the same time allowing citizens to participate directly and engage with the government like never before.Institutions can create a mobile app for various local services such as health & safety information, government forms, educational materials, information on parks, real-time traffic and transit data, etc. and this will allow citizens to easily access these services.
By utilizing the iBuildApp healthcare templates, for instance, Auckland Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (Auckland HEMS), a joint initiative between Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust (ARHT) and Auckland District Health Board (ADHB) to provide aeromedical prehospital emergency care to the Auckland and Upper North Island regions with a doctor/paramedic/medically-trained crewman/pilot team, has been able to transform the way it delivers medical services.
Its mobile app contains checklists for emergency scenarios and normal clinical operations, links to the Auckland HEMS podcasts , plus other clinical resources and cognitive aids.
The NJ Complaint Preparation Guide Is another app that leverages iBuildApp features. This popular app made by Go2GuidesLLC is the first ever Preparation Guide for the creation of summonses and warrants in NJ.
Coos Forest Protective Association (Coos FPA), a private, non-profit corporation whose mission is to minimize the cost of suppression and the damage to the forest and watershed environment caused by wildfire and to effectively respond to all fire control emergencies, also utilized iBuildApp features to revolutionize the way it delivers its services.
The emphasis here is mobile apps are a game-changer and thanks to advanced features such as the Google form feature, the News feature, Photo feature, Video feature, geo-location feature, the Custom Form feature, the QR-code feature, etc. government institutions will be able to easily digitize their services.
This essentially provides the public with a seamless experience as they will be able to access services in an improved way; it also benefits government institutions as they will have a streamlined process with lower operational costs.
Transforming Workplaces In Government Institutions
Enterprise-focused mobile apps can help do away with organizational silos. They enable government institutions to re-design their processes and, thus enhance knowledge flow and collaboration.By leveraging iBuildApp enterprise mobile app store, government institutions can easily develop new applications and make full usage of the latest mobile technologies. They will easily create enterprise-focussed mobile apps which provide organizational information services to employees, enhance collaboration and maintain professionalism throughout the organization.
Consider the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), for instance, which employs thousands of field enumerators to conduct annual surveys. The iBuildApp enterprise mobile app store for Apple iOS and Android will enable them to create fieldwork apps that will help the organization achieve the following:
• Custom features
The organization will have access to various pre-built extensions which will give them a chance to design their own unique fieldwork apps, while also integrating these extensions seamlessly.
They will have the ability to change around anything they want on the backend of iBuildApp. They will be able to upload their own logo and utilize the default buttons and pages in a way that truly defines the organization. The Google form or Custom Form feature will enable field enumerators to easily conduct surveys.
• Company News
The company app news feature will allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) to share press releases or mentions of the company in the news internally. They can also use this feature to create their own content.• Supplies Request
This feature helps in streamlining the process of getting new supplies and as a result, ensures that everyone in the organization has all the tools and gadgets they need to get their jobs done.
• Documents
Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) deals with many documents, this feature allows them to easily share these documents among employees. They can easily link to a storage area where all the employees can reveal and download certain documents.• My Tasks
This feature will allow the organization to provide an area for workers to remember what they have to complete during the week. It also makes it possible for employees to collaborate easily on projects.Other additional benefits include:
• Complete Control over Access
Unlike a private mobile app store, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) don’t have to worry about how much security is involved since iBuildApp enterprise mobile app store is invitation only.
Therefore, if someone wants to use one of the apps in the store, it’s up to the institution to decide whether or not they are trustworthy. They also have the option to remove users who are no longer working with the institution.
• Push Notifications and User Feedback
Another advantage of leveraging this platform is the ability to send out company-wide messages through push notifications. Employees will also be able to send in user feedback maybe through the Google Form feature to improve the apps, which is good for rebranding and restructuring.• Quick Analytics
The iBuildApp dashboard gives the organization access to stats such as how much employees are using the apps, how many people are downloading the apps, among others.The bottom line is government workers especially field workers-human services caseworkers, law enforcement officers, emergency responders- will no longer be constrained by location or time thanks to enterprise mobile apps. They don’t have to spend more time on data entry, paperwork, and routine inquiries. This means they can focus on value-added services, remain productive and reduce staff turnover.
Mobile Apps – Transforming Politics
Barack Obama gave a glimpse of what a political app can do when he utilized a mobile app for his senatorial run. His political app was a game-changer for both him and his fans alike.Politicians can use mobile apps to illustrate their mission, vision, values and background in a way that resonates with citizens at city, state or country level.
Creating a political app is not that hard, considering some of the iBuildApp themes already have the menu pages needed. Start the process by going to the iBuildApp template area and select the most appropriate theme.
Select the Layout tab in the design module. This delivers options for deciding on which buttons and tabs you would like to show up on your political app. You could break it down into sections such as news feed, event notification, donation interface, among others. You can also click on the Design tab to modify some of the default template items.
Feel free to upload your photo or campaign logo, select a background that fits your political campaign and change the splash screen. There’s also a color scheme module for achieving the ideal look for the app.
On the Layout tab, you can designate the features that all of the buttons link to on the homepage.
Ensure you include enough details for the About page and your contact information.
Additional features
A push notification feature lets you send important updates to all your fanbase. Other cool features such as geofencing can help you reach out to users in specific geographic locations especially during rallies and as a result, boost engagement.
The Google calendar feature will enable you to easily manage scheduled as well as upcoming events.
In essence, creating an app using iBuildApp features will help you achieve the following as a politician:
• Generate awareness- Your app will be a powerful tool which you can use to communicate political plans with people and in turn these people can provide feedback using features such as Google form or Live chat features. This, as a result, helps in generating awareness.
• Fundraising- The Donate Button is a powerful feature that comes with the iBuildApp platform. This means you can use your political app to raise money for a good cause.
• Engagement- iBuildApp features allow you to offer users the latest & relevant news in any multimedia format such as videos, pictures and audios.
• Social media integration- iBuildApp templates allow you to integrate with social platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram; and this enables you to engage with your social media followers by sharing the latest news.
• Conducting surveys- You can use features such as Google Forms to run surveys and learn more about the challenges of the general public. This ultimately helps in strengthening the bond between you and the public.
Wrap Up
The proliferation of mobile devices and apps demand all sectors including government organizations to rework their strategies to better serve the citizens. They have to continually innovate the way they engage with the public and deliver services.By leveraging solutions such as iBuildApp, government organizations can build useful and well-designed enterprise-focused and citizen-focused mobile apps while politicians can easily create mobile apps using the same solutions so as to better reach out to voters.
