P&P August 2016

technology speaks By Debora Morris and Sean Toole

Three Digital Technologies Reinventing Human Service Delivery I magine a vision for human services where digital technologies make From Catching People When They Fall to Lifting Them as They Rise

service delivery more proactive, client centric, and outcome driven than ever before. The possibilities are exciting, affordable—and within reach. As human service leaders build digital strategies and attempt to move up the Human Services Value Curve, they must shake common misper- ceptions. Digital is not solely about technology, and it is not unaffordable. It is about empowering people and enabling manageable change. Three digital trends in human services can unlock data insight so agencies shift from a transactional output model to a client-centric outcome model.

Analytics: Real-Time Data Insight Gets Real

Agencies can use analytics to identify high-need or high-cost popu- lations such as families with multiple challenges and needs for services. Granular segmentation clusters indi- viduals and families with shared characteristics. Agencies then develop targeted, insight-driven practice models to solve focused problems for those groups. This fast, flexible approach can change the game for health and human service programs, enabling incremental value and invest- ment with existing funding.

a structured approach to drive insight from that data. Attempts to manage big data are confusing, expensive, and slow to provide insight. Instead, starting with smaller data and smaller projects using flexible technology can move agencies from wrangling data to solving problems using meaningful real-time data. What if agencies could use real- time data analysis to optimize service delivery—getting results in weeks, not years? It is possible with a new breed of predictive analytics solu- tions—solutions that don’t require large investments in data warehouses, but, instead, purchasing the tech- nology as a service.

Human service agencies use data for compliance and operational reporting every day. However, outputs may not be outcome oriented or predictive and don’t typically inform service delivery practices. Those agencies that want to use customer data insight to make programmatic decisions often wonder where to start. They are overwhelmed by enormous amounts of data, but lack agencies used real-time data analysis to optimize service delivery—getting results in weeks, not years?

See What If on page 49

Illustration by Chris Campbell

August 2016 Policy&Practice 33