Gamma: Unlocking the opportunities in the hybrid era #techUKSmarterState
Standfirst: In this feature piece, Sam Winterbottom, Public Sector Director, discusses the new challenges and opportunities faced by public sector leaders and government. He outlines the changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and how this event has accelerated the adoption of technologies such as unified communications and remote working tools.
The past two years haven’t been short of changes for the private and public sectors. The pandemic has been a real catalyst to accelerate digital transformation at pace. Public sector leaders and government have had to face a number of new challenges, but it has also given them the chance to explore new opportunities.
As we continue to navigate a sea of uncertainty, public sector leaders can shape the future of the smarter state by adopting new technology to improve their citizens’ and employees’ experiences.
The hybrid working era
Whether we like it or not, we’re now fully living in the hybrid working era. Employees simply expect more flexibility in the workplace, and those in the public sector are no different. The pandemic has proven that work is what you do, rather than where you do it. Productivity levels didn’t suffer from the change in location, but rather have allowed employees to enjoy better work-life balance.
Cloud-based unified communications tools played a huge part in making this shift possible. For the public and private sectors alike, there’s now a necessity for these solutions both from a productivity point of view, but also to enhance employee wellbeing. The ‘Great Resignation’ is very real, and a huge challenge to approach and overcome.
The foundation of the smarter state: innovation and flexibility
In this light, the opportunities created by solutions such as Microsoft Teams telephony are becoming more evident, especially in the wider public sector, where more and more employees are working from home and conducting online meetings rather than in person.
For public sector leaders, this is an opportunity to not only increase employee retention, but also to support talent acquisition, especially amongst the younger generations. Not to mention the benefits created by reducing property footprint, both from a cost-saving and a sustainability perspective.
Employee experience is now just as important as customer experience for the successful delivery of public sector services - those who don’t have the right tools to enable their employees to work from anywhere will be left behind.
Grasping new opportunities with the right solutions
When it comes to the ‘right’ tools, a size-fits-all simply won’t cut it. The smarter state will be built on innovation, flexibility and bespoke solutions to cater for different needs and demands.
At Gamma, we believe it comes down to the concept of ‘working smarter, together – the public sector has the opportunity to push their digital transformation programmes in a way that not only benefits their processes and the citizens they serve but also their employees.
About the author: Sam Winterbottom
Sam specialises in solving public sector organisations’ problems by achieving their desired outcomes through technology. He is also a member of techUK's Local Public Services Committee (LPSC). The committee brings together a diverse range of tech industry leaders to champion the sector and drive an ambitious programme of activities between techUK and local public services. Get in touch with this author.
About Gamma
Gamma is a leading supplier of Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) in the UK, German, Spanish and Dutch business markets. It is AIM listed and employs 1650 people. With a range of UCaaS, Mobile and Connectivity services, Gamma provides robust and secure solutions that enable organisations to communicate, collaborate and offer a better customer experience.
Gamma’s largest market is in the UK where the company’s network-based services are supplied to SME, Public Sector and Enterprise markets through a network of 1000+ channel partners and its own direct sales and support capabilities. In 2021 Gamma acquired Mission Labs, a well-established UCaaS technology business which has built a reputation for creating technologically advanced solutions and delivering great service to its customers and partners. The acquisition has
enabled Gamma to enhance and expand its cloud contact centre (CCaaS) technology as well as accelerate its digital channel strategy.
Gamma is expanding its UCaaS presence in Europe with a family of businesses focusing on digital automation, delivering Gamma-powered services to SME customers largely via a network of channel partners in Germany, Spain and the Benelux region. To learn more about Gamma, please visit their LinkedIn and Twitter.
Building The Smarter State Conference - 29 September
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