Accessible citizen service portal reducing call center volume by 40%
A mid-sized city government wanted to modernize how citizens interact with municipal services. The existing process was frustrating: different departments had different phone numbers, paper forms were still required for many requests, and tracking the status of a submitted request meant calling and waiting on hold. The city council had made accessibility a priority, and any solution needed to meet WCAG AA standards at minimum.
The challenge went beyond technology. Government processes are complex for good reasons—accountability, equity, record-keeping. We couldn't just "move fast and break things." We needed to digitize workflows while respecting existing procedures, integrate with legacy systems that couldn't be replaced, and build something accessible to all residents regardless of technical ability, language, or disability.
We started with extensive stakeholder interviews: department heads, front-line city employees, and residents. We shadowed workers in the call center, public works, and permit office to understand actual workflows—not just the official process, but how work really got done.
Our approach prioritized:
We worked closely with the city's accessibility coordinator and conducted usability testing with residents of varying abilities. We also engaged with community organizations to ensure the platform would work for populations often underserved by digital tools.
We delivered a citizen-facing portal with a staff backend for request management:
Citizen portal with service directory, request tracking, and document uploads
Staff backend with unified queue, workflow routing, and internal notes
WCAG AA compliance verified by independent accessibility audit
Full Spanish translation with framework for additional languages
Bi-directional sync with legacy permit and work order systems
Call center volume reduced by 40% within six months of launch