Helsingborg actively pursued its vision of becoming a data-driven city, enabling residents to swiftly access their matters while providing the city's administrations with easy access to essential information. To accomplish this, Helsingborg implemented a modern, cost-effective, and secure platform.
With the help of Frends iPaaS, Helsingborg's city has created opportunities to develop reusable processes and APIs, strengthening its ability to handle and leverage data efficiently.
When Helsingborg's Contact Center prepared to implement a new system, an entirely new integration solution was essential to manage connections to Navet – the Swedish Tax Agency's service for distributing inhabitants' residential information. Alexander Regander, Business Systems Manager at the Contact Center, spearheaded the effort for this new solution.
“I initiated the process by presenting our needs to the Digital Innovation Team. They took charge, analyzed our requirements, and discussed the solution with technical experts,” explains Alexander.
After Alexander's initiative, requirements surfaced from different municipal departments that called for an integration solution for Navet. Nicoletta Jönsson Zervas, involved in social inquiries at Helsingborgshem, was one of the individuals with these needs. Her responsibilities include the daily verification of residential details and other data, a task that previously was quite time-consuming.
“Each call has been a process taking about 45 minutes, from waiting in line to getting in touch with someone at the Swedish Tax Agency who can provide information on various population registration details,” Nicoletta explains.
A third stakeholder seeking an improved solution and easier access to Navet was Maria Lindeberg, working within the Leisure Administration in Helsingborg. In her role, she manages grants disbursed to associations, including sports clubs and scout troops.
“Our goal is to make it easy for associations to apply for grants, and seamless for us to prevent incorrect payments, meaning that funds are used for the right purposes and to avoid potential illicit activities. In my role, I utilize residential information to ensure that the majority of the association's members are officially registered in Helsingborg. This involves confirming their existence and preventing double registrations or the receipt of activity support for two simultaneous activities,” explains Maria.
For Alexander Regander, the journey towards an integration solution with Frends was swift and impressive.
“Our in-house developer played a crucial role in the process, and we managed to navigate through without external parties. The outcome was a user-friendly web service perfectly integrated into our new Contact Center system. Now, we can easily retrieve information from Navet and obtain relevant personal details. Given that the requirements were already prepared, it only took a couple of weeks for the solution to be in place,” he explains.
For Nicoletta at Helsingborgshem, the benefits of integrating with Navet have been extensive, even though the journey has been lengthy.
“It's been a considerable process, taking into account confidentiality and sensitive information. After thorough research, we found that the information in Navet is already public, and the system is secure, giving us confidence. Despite several discussions with legal experts, both internal and from the Swedish Tax Agency – the excellent collaboration within the city and the support from Frends have made everything possible.”
Maria Lindeberg, from the School Department, has found it significantly easier to verify personal information for members of the city's various associations. This has not only increased efficiency but also reduced the risk of incorrect payments.
In summary, Frends' integration platform has simplified the process for departments to request and use various features, simplifying their work. The goal is to reduce the number of subscriptions to digital services, although the city hasn't fully reached that point yet. However, the integration with Navet can serve as a central resource for everyone.
By addressing and solving complex integration challenges, the city has streamlined and improved the operations of various departments, ultimately benefiting the residents, but what are the plans for the future?
Magnus Lindhe, Product Owner at Helsingborg City, emphasizes that data continues to be crucial for facilitating communication between residents and the city. The next step is to expand the use of different integration solutions to provide access to and share information regarding incorrect payments – and also to share solutions with others.
“Our ambition is to share our progress and digital solutions with other municipalities seeking a digital transformation,” concludes Magnus.
Helsingborg's top 5 strategies for adopting a more data-driven approach:
- Commitment. Securing commitment from top leadership is crucial to ensure the entire organization embraces a more data-driven approach.
- Sharing knowledge. Collaborating with other municipalities enhances collective knowledge. Someone may have a solution that could be implemented in your organization.
- Expert guidance from the outset. Seek expert assistance early on and educate your organization from top to bottom.
- Start small. Initiate the process with realistic goals and achievable steps to gradually integrate data-driven practices.
- Inclusive involvement. Engage politicians, the city, and various departments. Involving all stakeholders provides a comprehensive perspective to drive change forward.
