How One CIO is Driving a Digital Mindset in the Public Sector

Summary•3 min read

Like with any new technology, implementation is only half the battle. Change management is often the bigger challenge.

Every year, government agencies spend an astounding $38.7 billion on paper-intensive, manual processes. But, in today’s environment, efforts to streamline government operations are not just about cutting costs or going paperless. It’s about giving employees the tools they need to work faster and smarter so they can focus on more meaningful work versus repetitive tasks.

And it’s about “being brilliant at the basics,” an art that Kimberly Bailey has mastered.

As CIO of the City of Memphis, Bailey led the organization’s transition from paper-intensive to digital agreements during the pandemic. When COVID-19 hit—and thousands of employees went remote—the city had to digitize fast. The CIO chose Docusign eSignature™ for its ease of implementation.

Like with any new technology, implementation is only half the battle. Change management is often the bigger challenge. Here are some ways the City of Memphis’ CIO helped drive e-signature adoption to keep business moving while setting the foundation for the new normal.

Show it in action

Talking up the benefits of new tech will only get you so far. The CIO knew that showing employees how Docusign eSignature will accelerate core processes—while eliminating loads of manual effort—would be the a-ha moment they needed to truly see its value. She zeroed in on procurement, which was typically long, error-prone and lacked transparency. During the demo, employees saw a process that sometimes took close to three months shrink down to just eight days. For a city that spends millions of dollars on goods and services every year, being able to track the status of contracts at every stage was a big plus.

Lead by example

The CIO continues to lead the pack in accelerating the transition to digital. Now, any time someone sends her a document the old way, she always sends it back via Docusign to get them more comfortable with the new way of doing things.

Get key people on board

When it comes to digital transformation, technology is the easy part. Creating the necessary mindset shift is a bit more challenging because employees get used to doing things a certain way. Getting everyone on board and on the same page is critical. For the City of Memphis, that meant all 17 departments. The CIO took a top-down approach, actively encouraging division directors to start their day with Docusign to keep things moving and drive organization-wide change.

Slowly expand use cases throughout the organization

The City of Memphis continues to find new ways to use Docusign to supercharge efficiency and eliminate trips to the copy machine. HR uses Docusign eSignature to simplify timesheet management for contract workers. City-wide, divisions are using it to convert manual forms into digital workflows. The mayor uses it to speed licensing, permits and other approvals.

With so many internal wins under its belt, the City of Memphis looks forward to digitizing citizen services in the not-too-distant future.