Responsible for digitization: Katharina Wolf

Interview with the city's digitalization officer Katharina Wolf

The ongoing digitalization of administrative services plays a major role at the city of Lüdinghausen. Katharina Wolf has been the administration's digitalization officer since 1 March 2022. She emphasizes the advantages of digitalization in everyday life.

Mrs Wolf, why do you think the topic of digitalization is important

?

I believe that digitalization will make things easier for us in many areas. Digitization offers huge advantages. On the one hand for citizens, who no longer have to adhere to our opening hours for visits to the authorities, for example, and on the other hand for employees, who no longer have to leaf through thick files but can gradually move closer to paperless administration and use very good search mechanisms in our document management system. For citizens, digitalization therefore primarily means greater flexibility and for colleagues it makes their daily work easier.

Some people are also sceptical about digitization. "Does it really make my work easier?" or "Does the city want to minimize contact with citizens?" are typical questions and concerns.

I try to allay employees' scepticism by taking them along this path and showing them the benefits of digitalization. I clarify questions together with the employees and also work out possible solutions together. There is no "right" or "wrong" and I think this tactic has worked quite well so far.

And one thing is very clear: the administration does not want to close itself off to citizens or minimize contact.

But what?

Of course, the town hall is still open to citizens. We don't want to take away anyone's personal space. Anyone who would prefer to come by to settle their affairs is welcome to do so. We want to open up even more with the help of digitalization. We want to offer even more ways and services to choose from and be accessible to citizens in both analog and digital form.

What are your main tasks as digitalization officer?

I am working on the implementation of the Online Access Act. It should be possible to access more and more administrative services from home or anywhere else. This will also be possible regardless of the town hall's opening hours. My second focus is the introduction of an internal document management system to enable more digital working in the town hall itself.

What online services does the town of Lüdinghausen currently offer?

We now provide numerous administrative services online via our municipal website in the "Digital Town Hall". For example, birth certificates or resident parking permits can be requested very easily. But there is also much more. I am happy to promote the idea of visiting the "Digital Town Hall".

Are the online services also being used?

Yes, the assistants are frequently used, which makes me very happy. We have also often received feedback that citizens like the fact that they no longer have to come to the town hall for every little thing. This shows that our efforts are not in vain, which provides additional motivation.

Which of the services are particularly popular with citizens?

The certificate ordering service is used most frequently. This can be used, for example, to order a certificate from the birth register for a marriage. Registration and deregistration for dog tax and ordering waste bins are also often completed online.

And what else will it be possible to do online in the future?

Other services from the public order office are to be made available online soon, for example business registrations. I am also currently working flat out on setting up digital payment options so that it will be possible to pay with PayPal when ordering certificates, for example. This will certainly please the younger generation in particular.

Is there also cross-municipal cooperation in the area of digitalization?

Yes, I think that's particularly important. The municipalities in the Coesfeld district meet regularly to exchange ideas. We talk and discuss our digitalization strategies or the implementation of forms. We also work together on a very practical level: If one municipality has already developed a form that another municipality needs, it is made available to them. This avoids unnecessary duplication of work.

What needs to be done to get citizens who are not so digitally savvy on board?

Those who are not at all digitally savvy can still come to the town hall at any time. For everyone else, we are making sure that the systems are stable so that citizens can see that the whole thing works and so that they don't lose interest straight away. In addition, the online assistants should not be written in "officialese" and should therefore be understandable for everyone. (laughs)

And if I'm sitting in front of the PC and can't get any further on my own?

Citizens should not be afraid to call the responsible clerks and ask for support. Anyone who has questions about digitization or suggestions for additional forms is also welcome to contact me. You can find my contact details in the "Digital Town Hall". I will then be happy to see how I can help.

Interview: Anja Kleykamp