Public townships are the bedrock of local governance, providing essential services to local communities and groups. Right from managing local infrastructure to ensuring public safety, township management is growing in importance in the modern world.

An upgraded township is an essential component of any public sector modernization initiative. What’s equally true is that an outdated township management software or system can present a multitude of challenges in areas like daily operations, citizen engagement, and resource management.

Here’s a look at some of the essential areas in township operations that need to be modernized, and how Google Workspace can address the challenges.

Townships – 6 operational areas of improvement

Here are 6 areas of improvement in modern townships that can be modernized:

1. Manual operations
   Townships still depend on manual operations or processes to deliver services to their local citizens. Along with outdated technologies, these manual operations can hinder townships from delivering high-quality community services – or from quickly responding to any operational disruptions. This can be a source of frustration for local citizens demanding efficient and accessible services.
2. Outdated systems 
   Due to the continued dependence on outdated or legacy systems, townships often struggle with inefficient workflows, a lack of information sharing between departments, and time-consuming initiatives. In the long run, this can impact staff productivity and the quality of public services.
3. Citizen engagement 
   With legacy tools, township authorities are restricted when it comes to communicating with local citizens and stakeholders. Manual systems don’t allow real-time information sharing between local authorities and citizens, thus creating a lack of awareness about local issues, policies, and opportunities for citizen engagement.
4. Resource constraints 
   As a public enterprise, townships work with limited resources and budgets. Additionally, outdated legacy systems exacerbate their constrained resources. Manual processes consume a lot of their employees’ time and efforts instead of focusing on high-value tasks that can be beneficial to the local community.
5. Departmental silos 
   Public townships have a variety of departments for functions like administrative work, community service, and public works. However, in reality, all these departments often work in isolated silos with no interdepartmental collaboration or data exchange. This siloed approach can lead to problems like data duplication, project delays, and a lack of cohesion in community service.
6. Data protection
   Local governments and township authorities are responsible for protecting their citizens’ confidential information from cybercriminals. With legacy systems, they cannot implement strict security measures to prevent data breaches and cyberattacks. At the same time, townships have to make information accessible to citizens to ensure transparency. However, this can easily compromise data security and privacy.

Next, let’s discuss the benefits of an AI-powered Google Workspace for government enterprises, including townships. 

How Google Workspace addresses challenges in townships

With its comprehensive suite of tools and applications, Google Workspace is designed as a strategic cloud solution for public sector enterprises, including townships. Here are 4 ways in which an AI-powered Google Workspace can address challenges in townships:

1. Improving internal collaboration

   With its suite of productivity tools, Google Workspace enables diverse teams to collaborate on a shared community project. Team members can share and edit documents (on Google Docs) and spreadsheets (on Google Sheets), and share files using Google Drive.

   Additionally, AI-enabled Google Gemini can automate the creation of documents and presentations, thus allowing township executives to focus their time primarily on community projects and services.

2. Modernizing citizen engagement

   While legacy communication tools can limit citizen engagement, Google Workspace provides innovative solutions to build effective communication between township authorities and citizens. Here are some of its solutions:

   • Google Meet allows virtual meetings, which enables remotely-located citizens to participate in township events.
   • Google Sites provides townships with a valuable online resource to make new announcements and upload resources.

   With Google Workspace, township authorities can modernize their outreach and build community trust among citizens.

3. Strengthening data security

   28% of local government agencies are affected by major cyberattacks, while 19% are targeted by hackers on a daily basis. Local townships are responsible for securing citizen information and community policies. With its security tools and access control, Google Workspace can boost data security in townships. This capability can have a significant impact on citizens’ trust and transparency in the public domain.

4. Delivering cost efficiency

   Similar to public libraries, government-run townships also run on limited budgets and available resources. Resource constraints are particularly severe in smaller towns and districts. Google Workspace can deliver cost efficiency by improving productivity with a smaller number of employees. Additionally, with Google Cloud, public sector organizations can deliver cost benefits to citizens by reducing IT overhead costs and automating process workflows.

As a strategic investment, Google Workspace can help public townships improve their citizen interaction and collaborative services. This can represent a significant step in improving township governance.

Conclusion

To summarize, Google Workspace is not just a collection of individual applications but a comprehensive productivity tool for public townships. With this cloud-powered application, townships can improve their internal collaboration and build trust and transparency among local citizens.

With its complete range of public sector cloud services, Onix has been instrumental in helping public sector enterprises improve their customer service and empower their employees. Here’s how the Ontario-based Labor Market Information Council implemented data modernization with Onix’s services.

Be it cloud modernization or improved collaboration, we can help you in this transformational journey. Get in touch with us today.