On 18 February, the municipality of De Bilt launched their new website (www.debilt.nl). The remarkable thing about this website is the complete integration of digital services and products with the informative part. Additionally, citizens and entrepreneurs have the option of logging in to a personal start page (My De Bilt). They will find relevant information conveniently arranged, for example about the Valuation of Immovable Property Act. The website of municipality De Bilt has effectively created a one stop shop where citizens and entrepreneurs can go to for all their business with the municipality.
IQuality, an innovation-focused software and new media company from Nijmegen, has developed the new website for municipality De Bilt. They made the conscious decision to deviate from the standard modules that are currently being used to create many municipality websites. John van Beek, adviser New Media at IQuality: 'Websites that are built using the standard modules specifically follow the municipal organisation. That might be handy for management at the server side, but not for visitors at the client side. All relevant information about subjects such as marriage, for example, ends up in various categories due to the modular, sector-focused design. And if visitors succeed in finding all the information, they subsequently have to search for the Digital Front-Office in order to make appointments or use digital products. In many cases, this is a separate part of the website, more often than not with a different lay-out. Again, lots of clicking and searching. The feeling of one! front-office is as good as gone.'
Who? When? Why?
The municipality of De Bilt wanted to make good service the focal point of their new website. Therefore, the municipality and IQuality came together at the start of the project to reflect on who visits the website, and when and why. It is important to note that citizens are often not familiar with the municipality’s organisation. This, however, should not be an obstacle to finding information or making use of services. Because the same citizens navigate through Europe using a TomTom without any problems, order books through Amazon.com and book holidays online, too. The fundamental idea was that the same service level had to be feasible.
Personal start page
Keeping this in mind, IQuality designed an environment based on web platform Sitecore that fits the visitor at the client side like a glove. All relevant information, services and products are linked due to their context and, as a result, each subject is displayed in its entirety for visitors. They no longer have to gather all information themselves anymore. Also, citizens and entrepreneurs from De Bilt can login on to their personal start page. They can find all relevant information there directly, for example about the Valuation of Immovable Property Act. Everything can be accessed from the personal start page.
One stop shop
At the server side, IQuality has made sure that the website can be managed in such a way that fits the municipal organisation. Responsibility for the content thus remains with the correct department or municipal service. But at the client side, all municipal services form a one stop shop. A front office where citizens, entrepreneurs and tourists can go to for all questions they want to ask the municipality.