How Ohio’s Public Sector is Keeping Outsourcing In
Many new programs in Ohio come with one stipulation: Private companies must commit to reinvesting in the state.
An influx of funds have been funnelled into states across the country, and Ohio is no exception.
This past spring, the Ohio senate approved $920 million in federal COVID-19 relief to help support small businesses, child-care providers, individuals in need of rental assistance, and more. Each state department will be charged with determining how the money is distributed and the systems and processes that will get it into the right hands.
Outside of this initiative, the state is also focused on making significant updates to its $20 billion Medicaid managed care system, creating an education savings account program, and improving rehabilitation services.
But as resources expand, new challenges emerge. Many state agencies have limited bandwidth and are ill-equipped to handle the rise in citizen demand that often goes hand-in-hand with program launches. The solution? Create public-private partnerships that focus on supporting the local community.
Why Public-Private Partnerships are Effective
Public-private partnerships between states and organizations like Maximus, Accenture, and Deloitte have the power to transform the public sector as we know it. With the right partner, public sector agencies can:
- Create better processes: Private companies often have the experience and skill needed to create streamlined processes and targeted timelines. By partnering with these companies, the public sector can launch more strategic rollouts that deliver results.
- Expand their services while supporting staff: Private companies often serve as an extension of a government agency, allowing them to accomplish more in a shorter time frame. According to a report produced by Maximus, one public-private partnership in Virginia allowed the state to create more geographic service areas for constituents while reducing caseloads for existing staff.
- Cut costs: As demand for services increases, government agencies are forced to staff up or risk losing their valued employees to burnout. But hiring employees can be expensive. According to Maximus, “A larger staff means more long-term liability for pensions and health insurance costs, which can strain state budgets. Privatization is a way of providing additional resources to a program without adding more public employees and long-term costs.”
Maintaining a Local Connection
Despite the many benefits of a private-public sector partnership, many states receive pushpack when outsourcing. Citizens fear losing a direct connection to their city and view private organizations as a threat, not a sign of increased support.
To ease these fears and boost their local economy, states like Ohio are welcoming private companies on one condition: they must reinvest a percentage of their net profits into local communities.
As part of what has been dubbed the “largest pact in Ohio state government history,” Ohio is requiring the six private companies it hires to coordinate its medicaid managed care system to reinvest at least 3% of their net profits from Ohio back into the community. In a few years, this amount will rise to 5%.
Finding the Right Partner
To better support the communities they serve and meet state reinvestment requirements, many private companies are hiring local contact centers. In doing so, these companies are creating more jobs for the community while gaining access to the local, on-the-ground support they need to facilitate new government contracts.
Private companies look for local contact center partners that can:
- Deliver scalable, omnichannel customer support. The right partner has a fleet of highly trained constituents on their team ready to manage inbound calls, emails, texts, social media notifications, and live chat requests 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Provide end-to-end device inventory management. Ongoing device management ensures public sector staff have access to the most up-to-date equipment, reducing costs and improving productivity.
- Facilitate meaningful onsite and remote training. Experienced trainers equip public sector employees with the skills needed to use new devices correctly, leading to more effective program rollouts.
Epiphany exemplifies these qualities and more. Backed by decades of experience in the Ohio contact center industry, we have our finger on the pulse of Ohio’s policies, proposals, and people. We work with and hire the best local talent and deliver measurable outcomes that will improve the success of any public-private partnership. Interested in learning more? Contact us today!
