It has been remarkable to see how our customers are adapting and finding new and innovative ways to continue delivering services to their citizens during these challenging times.
We firmly believe that there is a real opportunity for governments to proactively address the pandemic and to work collaboratively with the private sector to implement impactful and sustainable change.
Public Finance Burden
It is clear that COVID-19 has placed a significant burden on public finances. The initial response to the pandemic from governments was to ensure continuity of service and to urgently tend to the health and safety of citizens. However, months into it, we now see how technological disruption, fueled by the pandemic, provides the key to sustainable growth, reform and the modernization of government.
New Ways of Working
The travel restrictions that have prevented us from traditional methods of onsite project support continue to be a challenge. Many experts predict that travel restrictions could persist for more than a year. To address this issue, we’ve been working with our customers and the global PFM community to respond to the pandemic while seizing every opportunity to implement lasting solutions and deliver creative new approaches to projects, service and support.
These customer-centric innovations have proven to be highly effective and will form part of the FreeBalance portfolio beyond the pandemic.
FreeBalance Remote Services
Rapid COVID-19 Services – we have developed a portfolio of products and services to overcome financial challenges related to the pandemic. This portfolio extends to provide PFM resilience for future economic and fiscal shocks. Remote solutions and services include an emergency tracking portal and advisory engagement for governments seeking to adjust controls, enable reallocations and improve expenditure tracking during the pandemic.
Virtual Country Offices – we have created country-specific virtual offices using modern enterprise communications with video and audio conferencing, chat, screen sharing and webinar capabilities. These virtual project offices are staffed by local and regional FreeBalance PFM professionals with support from the global services team if required. Customers are invited to join the virtual office at any time for project-related activity and to access customer support services directly.
Capacity Building and Training – we are launching the new FreeBalance Academy this year. The Academy provides an online learning and capacity building platform for FreeBalance customers and the global PFM community. The Academy represents our commitment to building local capacity in our customer countries and is a way for FreeBalance to contribute to the reskilling of the civil service to prepare for the future of government.
Access to International Experts – we are offering customers the opportunity to connect and engage with our international team of PFM and technical experts through the virtual country office or by video/audio conference. Arrangements can also be made to interact directly with members of our management team. The FreeBalance team is available to provide guidance and discuss opportunities to advance PFM reform and how best to leverage and extend our solutions and services to support your priorities.
Customer Support Portal – we have realigned resources to bolster the support capabilities delivered through the FreeBalance Customer Portal. The portal provides 24/7 access with the ability to log and track support cases, including product issues, enhancement requests and scheduling of specific services. Customer Support Representatives (CSRs) are assigned to each case with oversight from the FreeBalance management team. Customers can interact directly with CSRs through the comment functionality.
For more information or to set up a call with the team, please email us at info@freebalance.com.