Advisory module
How the municipality of Rotterdam uses an anonymous advice module to lower barriers and let residents explore their rights themselves.
Need for transparency and trust
Following the success of the digital decision model for the General Assistance the municipality of Rotterdam has taken a new step: the development of an online advice module for income schemes. Via the website of the municipality of Rotterdam residents can discover in an accessible way which schemes they may be entitled to – without application, without supporting documents, and completely anonymously.
“We put something totally new here: accessible, anonymous and informative. The fact that it feels so simple is precisely its strength.” – Amber Tempelman, manager social digital, municipality of Rotterdam
- Transparent and explainable
Decision rules fully traceable even to those who are not legally or technically literate. - Efficient and consistent
Faster processing of applications and uniform application of rules. - Human and professional
Support while maintaining human direction through the four-eye principle.
Inform, not judge
The advice module is not an application tool, but a smart tool for citizens. It lowers the threshold for seeking help and gives users an indication of the income schemes to which they may be entitled. Residents can run through different scenarios – such as changes in income or family composition – and see which support may be applicable.
Advice within minutes
A single parent with a part-time job visits the website and enters a few simple details in the advice module – such as family income, family composition and living situation. Within minutes, he or she sees not only that there may be entitlement to general assistance, but also to additional schemes such as the individual income supplement and youth credit. No paperwork, no application stress, just insight into what you may be entitled to.
Under the hood
As with the General Assistance decision model, Avola Decision forms the technical basis of the advisory module. This allowed existing decision models to be quickly and easily reused and adapted for this broader application.
What is the Business Rule Engine Avola Decision?
For the citizens
An important starting point in the development was user-friendliness. Together with policy officers, lawyers, developers and employees in the field, we looked critically at the formulation of questions. The ambition: only ask questions that are necessary, use understandable language, and allow citizens to explore hypothetical situations.
Efficient and scalable
Because income scheme rules overlap, the same data can be used to advise on multiple schemes. This smart architecture makes the module efficient, clear and scalable, including for possible use by other municipalities.
“The strength is in the reusability: using the same logic, we now support not only decisions, but also exploratory advice.” – Alexander Brinkhuis, Product Owner Avola, Ciphix
Targeted and complete applications
The advisory module is unique in the Netherlands: one of the first tools that allows residents to explore their possible rights to municipal income schemes on their own initiative. This results in better information, fewer barriers to application and ultimately more targeted and complete applications.
“The advice module helps people get started. Even without an application they gain insight, and that then makes the step to an application much less big.” – Nadia Lokai, Product Owner Thomas, municipality of Rotterdam
- Quick and transparent customization
Customize business rules flexibly without IT, thanks to an intuitive interface without code. - Insight and control
Version control and full traceability provide a grip on changes. - Central logic, smart reuse
Manage all rules in one place and easily reuse them in different processes.
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