Leading Providers of Digital Communications Solutions for Local Government Release New White Paper on Technology ROI

SANTA MONICA, Calif. and DENVER, July 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Representing nearly 40 years of experience in helping public agencies use advanced technology to increase efficiency and lower costs,Vision Internet, innovators of online government, and Granicus, the leading cloud platform for government, today announced the release of a new white paper, "How Advanced Technology Drives Local Government ROI."

The white paper explains how to evaluate return on investment (ROI) from a government perspective. It cites specific examples of benefits government organizations have realized by implementing advanced technologies that create internal efficiencies, improve the bottom line, and make government interaction more accessible and convenient for the public.

"Advanced technology can bring big returns for local government agencies, however, despite today's more optimistic budget outlook, many local leaders still struggle to leverage paper-thin budget margins to improve services, streamline operations and spur economic development," said Jason Fletcher, Granicus CEO. "What's more, a citizenry with an ever-growing list of ways to make its collective voice heard is demanding greater political transparency and calling on government officials to demonstrate a more efficient and cost-conscious approach to decision-making."

Digital government practices can make municipal processes more efficient, streamlined and convenient, enhancing the lives of citizens. The white paper cites a number of recent studies, including an Accenture study that found moving government operations to a digital state can reduce the cost of citizen interactions by as much as 80 percent compared to non-digital interactions.

In Keene, New Hampshire, for example, the City worked with Granicus to implement live meeting webcasting and digitized agenda packets to streamline how they get iformation out to the public. They also launched a searchable Web portal for these resources that automatically updates as they are published. The City saw a 65-percent reduction in time spent handling meeting inquiries—90 percent of which are now self-service—and cut paper usage by more than 50 percent.

"Calculating a tangible return on investment is an important first step in gaining support for ongoing investment in advanced technology," said Ashley Fruechting, Vision Internet's director of strategic initiatives. "Attempting to quantify the intangible benefits to the community in terms of citizen engagement, enhanced safety and greater trust is equally important."

The white paper also cites Palm Bay, Florida, located in Hurricane Alley, which worked with Vision Internet to revamp their City website to provide easy mobile access to routine as well as critical emergency information. Since going live in 2014, nearly 4,800 visitors have registered to manage their e-news, business listings and service requests through the site. Web traffic has increased 25 percent, to 50,000 from 40,000 sessions a month; and returning visitors are up 45 percent. More than one-third of Palm Bay website visitors now access the site through mobile devices, a year over year increase of 74 percent.

"Infusing technology into the fabric of government operations requires smart decision making that begins with realistic expectations and a thorough review of ROI," Fletcher added. When done right, the payoff will be transformational in the way government services are delivered and embraced by residents."

The new "How Advanced Technology Drives Local ROI" white paper is now available for free download at http://www.visioninternet.com/govtechroi and http://www.granicus.com/GovTechROI

About Vision Internet
Headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., Vision Internet is a national leader in government website development with more than 600 government, non-profit and education clients in U.S. and Canadian communities with populations that range from less than 1,000 residents to more than 5 million. The company creates cost-effective solutions that increase government efficiency, transparency and interactive communications with citizens. For nearly 20 years, the company has earned hundreds of prestigious awards for its unique websites. Vision Internet's visionCMS™ is a powerful, easy-to-use content management system developed with input from hundreds of municipal clients. For information about Vision Internet's transformative government website technology, please call 888-263-8847 or visit visioninternet.com/inforequest.

About Granicus
Granicus is the industry's leading cloud platform provider of government transparency, efficiency, and citizen participation solutions. Thousands of government agencies use Granicus' solutions to establish meaningful connections with citizens—online, over social networks, and mobile devices. They also depend on Granicus to automate workflows and reduce operational costs across their organization. Granicus has been recognized the past four years for being one of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S., San Francisco, and the Silicon Valley by Deloitte LLP, the San Francisco Business Times, and Inc. Magazine. Visit www.granicus.com for more information.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leading-providers-of-digital-communications-solutions-for-local-government-release-new-white-paper-on-technology-roi-300112711.html

SOURCE Vision Internet

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