Public Sector Digital Transformation:

Essential FAQs on Low-code Platforms for Councils

16th October 2024

by Mark Gannon

Low-code technology can enable councils to achieve more with less. But platforms vary enormously. To get the best results, local authorities must dig deeper and ask crucial questions.

Today, low-code development seems unstoppable. Forrester is predicting that the market for low-code and digital process automation will surge from $13.2 billion in 2023 to $30 billion in 2028. It reports that 87% of enterprise developers are using low-code platforms for at least some of their development work.

UK councils are benefiting too, as part of their public sector digital transformation. Low-code platforms enable them to improve workflows and roll out new digital services – without having to rely on third-party vendors, or spending out on programmers. The beauty of low-code is its ability to allow business analysts and other colleagues across councils to design, create, fine-tune and launch apps and other services quickly. We explored the advantages of low-code for public sector digital transformation in a recent blog.

However, be aware that low-code platforms can vary enormously. Choosing one requires extra care. Here are four important questions for councils to ask.

Q1: Is the platform truly low-code?

There’s a lot of hype and noise around low-code, which makes it harder for councils to see the key issues. IT vendors are keen to get a share of the market and may make bold claims about how their technology advances digital transformation in the public sector.

Be mindful that some vendors may have added low-code components to their existing solutions, or simply made services easier to configure. But these offerings don’t represent a full low-code application development platform.

Some councils discover this when they hit the limits of the technology. Then they go looking for a true low-code public sector platform all over again.

That’s why it’s worth finding a trusted partner, such as an experienced consultant, to help you to understand your objectives and support your decision-making.

They’ll identify the best low-code government platforms, which reflect the needs of councils and have high satisfaction scores.

Q2: What’s the total cost of ownership?

Transparent pricing is important, so you can avoid a plethora of extra charges. You’ll also want a platform that’s easy to use from day one. If a platform is difficult for your employees, then time, training and support can become a major overhead. And it may feel like an eternity before there’s any payback from your efforts.

Also, choose a low-code partner that understands the pressures on councils – and has values that align with your goals of delivering great services for the public good.

For example, Netcall has a single licence fee for councils with our easy-to-use low-code platform, Liberty Create. This gives you unlimited users and applications, with training included.

Q3: What’s the ROI and time-to-value likely to be?

The best low-code platforms can pay for themselves quickly. They’ll also help you to save money, year on year, as part of your public sector digital transformation. Typically, digital services will connect data silos, automate processes and improve experiences for staff and citizens.

Ideally, you’ll want a platform that comes with out-of-the-box apps, designed and used by other councils, that you can launch immediately or customise quickly. These digital services could cover everything from reporting abandoned cars or potholes, to contact centre dashboard, and modules for managing free school meals. For example, our AppShare brings together 40+ councils and others working collaboratively as part of their public sector digital strategy.

Having a low-code framework in place already is far easier than having to build your information and user architectures from scratch. As a result, you can stand up a proof-of-concept within days – or hours. The incremental nature of low-code means your apps are simple to create and refine repeatedly, so you develop something that’s spot-on quickly.

Crucially, low-code should let you gradually replace areas of costly legacy technology with your own, home-grown services. The more systems you replace, the more you save on licences.

Newcastle City Council is a great example:

Starting small with low-code and then extending its capabilities across services, Newcastle City Council is achieving £1 million in licence fee savings as part of its public sector digital transformation.

Q4: What difference will low-code make to employees?

Local authorities employ many great people who are doing a difficult job in challenging times. Losing staff who feel demoralised or fatigued can be an issue.

Top-quality low-code public sector platforms can help. They empower teams to fix day-to-day frustrations themselves. Suddenly, they’re no longer swamped by morale-sapping manual tasks or having to look at six different applications to find the answer to one question.

Low-code can be used to simplify and automates a host of routine tasks, freeing up employees for tasks where they can better use their talents.

Put simply, low-code isn’t simply about making life better for citizens; it can also transform the employee experience and help to increase staff retention.

Finding the right path

It’s important to invest in low-code public sector platforms with your business objectives in mind, rather than seeing this as purely another IT purchase that will fit in someplace or other. With low-code, you’re buying extra capabilities that will deliver on your public sector digital strategy. When unleashed, it’s a game-changer.

• Already, 40+ councils are using our low-code platform, Liberty Create and Citizen Hub – a solution that’s designed especially for local authorities
• Low-code is delivering on its promises too, with Netcall achieving a satisfaction score of 98% among our customers