It’s no secret that serving for jury duty can have a bad reputation. Inflexible hours, long wait times, and sluggish court procedures have all combined to make jury duty into a nightmare for busy citizens. But it’s not just jurors who have reason to complain. From manually checking juror attendance to handling mountains of paperwork , government court employees spend countless hours on inefficient and needlessly time-consuming tasks. The court system is ready for change.
That change is powered by new digital technology. No one today expects waiting in long lines at the airport or visiting a bank just to deposit a check. Digital technology has made these everyday tasks easier, faster, and more convenient; along the way, it has also empowered individuals to manage their own time, on their own terms and expect immediate results. Why not bring the same quality of life improvements to the way citizens interact with the court system? Using the right digital technology, we are transforming court systems into something just as efficient, streamlined, and empowering as online travel booking or mobile banking..
Imagine if the process of registering for jury duty was as simple as signing into an app on your phone. Imagine if government employees and citizens alike could access every legal document or information they need from the same online portal. Or if jurors could get paid for jury duty through an app as easy to use as Venmo or Zelle?
Not only does digital transformation of the court system make the legal process easier, it also increases access to jury duty and improves the experience. Many citizens today are unable or unwilling to participate fully in jury duty because of how the current court system creates conflicts with their schooling, their job, or their financial situation. A digitized, streamlined court system allows more people to participate, creating fairer and more representative juries across the country.
Bringing the court system online also gives citizens and governments newfound flexibility. Avenu’s Clearview Justice Portal, for example, offers a variety of different app plug-ins that tailors the digital experience to specific desires. Unlike manual processes, digital technology is enormously adaptable and capable of changing to meet evolving needs. This solution enables courts to provide a public-facing experience for jurors while having a single point of entry and access to document and case information – features that are increasingly important as we seek to adapt to a new normal with COVID-19.
Government, is no stranger to the call for digital transformation. For years now, technological advancements have defined standards of modern good governance, from automated revenue management to data-driven analytics and digital information processing. But much of these changes have focused on the administrative back office, leveraging technology to make government’s internal processes more efficient or cost-effective. Digitizing and streamlining the court system shifts the focus from the back office of government administration to the front office where citizens and governments meet.
The time is now for a shift in focus. Citizens today demand from government new digital and online services that directly benefit them. A recent survey by Accenture found that citizens want from government the same kind of quick, easy, and online options that they receive from the private sector; 67% of survey respondents said that ease of use was the most important factor when interacting with digital government services. And 56% of respondents said they would trust their government more if it better communicated how it was using new technology to make their lives better.
The coronavirus (not sure if this should be COVID-19 or coronavirus but could be consistent with aforementioned) pandemic has only accelerated this trend and made the need for a front office digital transformation of the court system all the more urgent. According to a new Granicus survey, 54% of citizens today expect more government services to be available online because of the pandemic. That’s in part because online services have proven more reliable and efficient during the workplace disruptions incurred by the coronavirus (Should be consistent). But it’s also because digital services empower citizens to protect their health and safety. Nobody ever wanted to wait around in a court office before the pandemic; now, citizens recognize they deserve and are demanding more efficient and convenient options using the latest technology that Avenu offers.
Digitization is defining the future of Government, especially the court system. An online portal for accessing every aspect of the court, such as Avenu’s Clearview Justice Portal, brings the efficiency, ease of use, and safety of contactless platforms to one of America’s most important, but least accessible, public institutions. Governments interested in embracing the cutting-edge of digital governance should invest today, and bring digital technology into their courts.