Client collaboration at the GOSS Community Catch-Up

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, staying ahead of the curve is essential for public sector organisations to improve and deliver public services online. To help facilitate regional collaboration, knowledge sharing, and strategic discussions on this topic, we recently organised a GOSS Community Catch-Up event for the GOSS client community in the East. Held at Peterborough Football Club, this event brought together delegates from these organisations for a day filled with insightful conversations and networking opportunities.

The event, the second of its kind following a successful previous Community Catch-Up in the North East, attracted participants from eight local authorities, including Breckland, East Lindsey, and Suffolk Councils. With a diverse range of attendees, the Community Catch-Up East provided a unique platform for sharing experiences and best practices in digital transformation and technology adoption within the public sector.

The agenda for the day was carefully curated to help address these clients' digital transformation challenges with discussions including the following...

• AI and ChatGPT - Discussions on the use of AI, specifically ChatGPT, centred around perfecting content creation and maintaining a consistent tone of voice. Attendees explored opportunities for AI technologies to support a devolved content creation model, enhancing efficiency in delivering valuable content.
• Integrations - Integrations were highlighted as essential building blocks for successful digital transformation projects. The group engaged in discussions about successful integrations and challenges faced, emphasising the importance of documentation for available and supported APIs.
• MyAccount- Participants shared insights into the development and implementation of MyAccount services on their respective sites. The focus was on understanding the included features and how these interfaces seamlessly with other account-based systems. The discussion also touched upon the potential benefits of a unified account approach using services like OAuth to simplify user experiences.
• Analytics and content strategies- The challenges associated with Google Analytics 4, cookie laws, and obtaining a comprehensive view of statistics through analytics were explored. Attendees delved into strategies for overcoming these challenges and optimising content strategies accordingly.

In addition to addressing current challenges, the event provided a forum for clients to discuss future trends and obstacles associated with their digital service delivery and transformation. Key topics discussed were...

• Doing more with less - The future landscape of reduced budgets and a growing demand for digital services was a focal point. Participants exchanged ideas on how to navigate these challenges and maximise the impact of available resources.
• Devolved authorship challenge - Staff retention and turnover were identified as challenges in maintaining skills and talent. The discussion aimed to find solutions to the devolved authorship challenge and ensure a consistent level of expertise within the industry.
• Managing internal customer expectations - Addressing the barriers posed by politics and legislation, the group discussed strategies for managing internal customer expectations effectively.
• Effective road mapping and planning - The role of road mapping and planning in managing expectations across the business was highlighted as a proven strategy for success.
• Sharing key service development - The concept of sharing key service development was discussed, emphasising the importance of sharing useful components and experiences rather than full-service implementations.

In conclusion, this Community Catch-Up event has served as a valuable platform for the GOSS client community to come together, collaborate, and strategise on how to navigate common challenges and the evolving digital landscape. Going forward we're thrilled to announce we'll be hosting more GOSS Community Catch-Ups across the UK, further facilitating collaboration and knowledge exchange throughout the GOSS client community.