Context
Fem-ho fàcil (Let’s make it easy) is a project that works to put citizens at the centre of the public services provided, as well as an essential lever for the design of public policies. It is a strategic and long-term commitment of Barcelona Provincial Council that ties into other services included in the model, as well as agreements with other institutions. It aims to impact on citizens by supporting them and providing them with continuous, reliable assistance to ensure an inclusive digital transformation, based on equality and social cohesion. It is a service promoted by the Provincial Council Area for Good Governance, Local Assistance and Territorial Cohesion through the Innovation, Integrity and Local Digital Transformation Management Office. It is part of the Municipi 360 project, whose core mission is to promote the modernisation and comprehensive digital transformation of local governments in the province. This institution shares the European vision of ensuring territorial balance and is aligned with the goals of the Digital Decade policy programme 2030 to guarantee people’s rights and life opportunities, regardless of their place of residence, ensuring that at all times, none of the province’s 311 municipalities are displaced in the process of digital transformation and public innovation.
Objectives
The project’s main objective is to offer citizens personalised assistance for easier access to procedures and transparency, as the new paradigm that the digital transformation of public authorities represents. The project is designed to help remove obstacles and improve conditions for interacting with the province’s local government.
In addition, it aims to:
- reduce the digital divide and ensure universal access to public services;
- facilitate administrative procedures through accessible and multilingual channels;
- promote digital literacy with hands-on workshops on e-government, transparency, and open data;
- help SMEs and social organisations with bidding processes, electronic invoicing, and subsidies;
- promote transparency and the use of open data, empowering citizens in democratic participation and the responsible use of artificial intelligence;
- humanise digitalisation, strengthening trust in institutions and placing people at the centre of public policies;
- reduce processing errors.
In short, the objective is to build an easy, close, and equitable public service model that can be replicated in other governments.
Implementation
The service, launched in 2022, is offered free of charge and personalised (both for municipalities and user citizens) and is structured in different service channels to respond to each person’s needs and preferences. Specifically:
- A telephone service, specially designed for the elderly or people with technological difficulties, which allows for more personal help to be given directly;
- email, used for more complex queries or the secure exchange of documentation;
- Et truquem! (We’ll call you!) online form, which makes it easier to request a personalised, timely call;
- WhatsApp, an agile, mainstream channel particularly useful for a younger public or those used to instant messaging;
- a video support service, which provides an experience as close to face-to-face as possible but without the need to travel, with visual support in real time;
- a multi-language service, which ensures that citizens can communicate in the language in which they feel most comfortable;
- video interpreting, which allows interpreters, including sign language, to be immediately incorporated, ensuring that each procedure is fully understood.
In summary, Fem-ho fàcil is an innovative public service model that combines technology, personal attention, and equal treatment, becoming a shining example of how the digital services of the future should be: easy, personal, accessible, and human.