GTA Update - May-Jun 2022

Update newsletter

May-Jun 2022 | Vol. 14, Issue 3

State CIO's column

Customer experience in our hands and on our minds

When possibilities turn into sorely needed capabilities, what were previously nice-to-haves can become must-haves nearly overnight. Take remote work capabilities as an example. A couple of years ago, nice to have – today, closer to essential. Same with easy digital access to government services. Ditto on high-speed internet, anytime, anywhere.

This is a changed world. Technology is increasingly an enabler of public services, and this year's GTA-hosted Technology Summit will explore how you can harness technology to improve your customers' experience.

The 2022 virtual summit set for May 10 will focus on technology considerations that are woven tight into how you engage with your customers. Industry and government experts will address:

Cloud computing benefits and preparations
Securing your IT environment
Ensuring digital accessibility
Broadband expansion in Georgia

This 10th-annual summit is once again directed toward business leaders as well as technology professionals from Georgia agencies. In addition to speakers, there'll be plenty of opportunities for you to network with colleagues. Georgia public employees can register with no charge. We look forward to your participation next week.

On a different note, we’re pleased to announce the honorees in this year’s GTA-sponsored Technology Innovation Showcase. Each year the showcase allows us to recognize Georgia’s state and local government entities that are accomplishing innovative and impactful IT-enabled projects. See details of this 11th annual edition of the showcase in an article below, and join me in congratulating the honorees. You’ll want to read about their projects and maybe borrow an idea or two.

Shawnzia Thomas

State Chief Information Officer

GTA Executive Director

Honorees in Technology Showcase innovate to thrive

Technology and its innovative use continue to enable new service capabilities for Georgia state and local government. That’s exactly the kind of work recognized via the GTA-sponsored Technology Innovation Showcase. The 2022 showcase honorees demonstrate that innovation powers improved customer experience for citizens statewide.

The following projects are being honored for the exemplary IT efforts and teams behind them:

Driver Record and Integrated Vehicle Enterprise System (DRIVES) – Department of Driver Services
Virtual Road Testing (VRT) – Department of Driver Services
School Bus Safety System: Driver Portal – Department of Public Safety
Student Access Loan Lifecycle Transition to Paperless – Student Finance Commission
Peach Pass Plus Atlanta Airport Parking – State Road and Tollway Authority
eCampus Platform: Transforming Technical Education through Shared Instructional Services – Technical College System of Georgia

Read more about each of these efforts on GTA’s 2022 showcase projects webpage.

A volunteer evaluation panel selected projects that enable agencies to better serve constituents, operate efficiently, and conserve tax dollars. These are projects changing the way government does business.

Honorees for this 11^th annual showcase will be recognized at the Georgia Digital Government Summit later this year. The projects will also be highlighted in Georgia's Annual State IT Report, and they'll be considered for submission to national awards programs.

Upcoming GOVTalks intended for digitally mature audiences

This year’s GOVTalks conference, presented by GTA’s Digital Services Georgia team, will build on the concept of digital maturity and take participants a step beyond their websites. At the May 19 virtual event, DSGa will promote accessibility and continuity across all digital channels.

Among the topics for the 2022 edition of GOVTalks:

Ensuring accessibility: our responsibility for equity and access to government services
Navigating the trickiness of social media for government agencies, with emphasis on standards and best practices
Considering chatbots as part of your customer service strategy
Capitalizing on DSGa's new Georgia Analytics Program (GAP) consultation to learn how to use existing Siteimprove data to optimize your website

The event is open to all Georgia state and local government employees involved in administration of their organization’s website and digital applications. GOVTalks is geared toward helping Georgia government entities maintain top-notch web presence by creating and managing user-centric content.

DOR, GTA partner to create

quick online path to tax info

Paying taxes may sometimes seem a necessary evil. But finding the tax information you need shouldn’t feel like punishment for Georgians. So, the state’s Department of Revenue, in partnership with GTA, deployed a chatbot on the DOR website to answer the most common questions with accurate and up-to-date information.

Introduced in early February, the chatbot appears as "ASK DORIS" on nine popular pages on the DOR website. It's equipped to answer a broad range of questions related to state taxes and refund status. And as Georgians use the tool, the chatbot’s knowledge base is being expanded to allow addressing even more tax topics.

DOR anticipates this additional path to much-sought tax information will better serve taxpayers and improve customer experience. At the same time, it has potential to ease some of the load on agents at DOR call centers and allow them to prioritize inquiries requiring more personalized handling.

To tackle the project, DOR engaged GTA’s new strike team, headed by GTA Chief Development Officer Keith Perry. They, in turn, drew in GTA’s Digital Services Georgia team to capitalize on DSGa's experience delivering chatbots. DSGa had worked previously on chatbot implementations for the Departments of Public Health and Labor, and the Governor’s Office, among others.

GTA's strike team aims to help state agencies and local government entities solve problems by connecting them with GTA consultative and technical resources suited to their needs. Inquiries can be emailed to Keith Perry.

Briefly ...

Georgia’s cloud-first approach is advancing as groundwork is laid to migrate a first wave of agency applications to cloud server settings. GTA has engaged Accenture as a vendor partner to help guide the migrations. Accenture has collaborated with agencies to assess applications for cloud readiness and has built an initial schedule for migrating targeted applications. Emphasis in the first wave of migrations is on shifting into Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud settings. By aggregating the state’s purchases of AWS offerings, GTA is able to offer discounted pricing for those services to Georgia government entities.

GTA’s Chief Digital Officer Nikhil Deshpande and Executive Director Shawnzia Thomas have earned StateScoop 50 awards. In her first year as state CIO, Shawnzia received a GoldenGov award (State Executive of the Year) on the strength of her advancement of a cloud-first approach and continued broadband expansion in Georgia. Nikhil’s State Leadership of the Year award noted his commitment to building digital services created with the citizen in mind. The Georgia Data Analytics Center, a new online data depository administered by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, also won in the category of IT Innovation of the Year.