Granicus debuts Service Cloud to boost council digital services

Granicus has launched its Service Cloud platform in Australia and New Zealand, aiming to help local governments modernise their digital services and improve community engagement.

As expectations for government services now mirror those of private sector organisations in terms of speed, convenience and personalisation, many councils are experiencing challenges caused by outdated technology, isolated systems, and limited staff resources.

Francois Rizk, Director of Growth, ANZ at Granicus, said local governments are under increasing pressure to deliver the kind of frictionless, intuitive experiences that citizens now take for granted in other sectors. He noted,

"In today's world, seamless digital experiences are considered table-stakes. Citizens don't compare their council's digital maturity to other councils – they compare it to Amazon or UberEats. Service Cloud helps government close the delivery gap by making services faster, smarter, and more intuitive for every resident."

The new Service Cloud platform is built specifically for councils, bringing together websites, digital forms, automated workflows, and community engagement functions within a single cloud-based system. The offering is designed to address several key operational goals for local government.

Functionality and outcomes

Granicus emphasises that Service Cloud can help councils to deliver services more quickly by eliminating paper-based tasks and reducing process bottlenecks with digital workflows. Administrative workloads are expected to ease, allowing staff to redirect their efforts toward higher-value community outcomes.

The platform supports cross-departmental coordination, providing real-time data on service trends, and helps councils leverage technical expertise and ongoing support from Granicus' Experience Services team. This approach is intended to close capability gaps and foster improvements in public sector digital delivery.

Early council results

Several local councils have already reported positive impacts from working with Granicus' technology. Byron Shire Council in New South Wales saw a 37% rise in organic website traffic and a 28% increase in user engagement. In South Australia, City of Tea Tree Gully Council digitised over 170 forms, which contributed to a reduction of 36,000 calls per year and saved over 60 staff hours each month. The City of Unley Council, also in South Australia, reported a customer satisfaction rate of 94% and claimed annual savings of AUD $90,000 in postage costs.

The company claims that the Service Cloud offering is informed by data insights designed to give councils a detailed view of local community needs. This data-driven approach is intended to speed up digital transformation projects, reduce administrative burden, and enable government teams to focus on core service delivery.

Responding to community demand

Officials from Granicus say that government teams require the right resources if they are to deliver the type of digital experiences Australians and New Zealanders now expect.

The launch in Australia and New Zealand comes at a time when a roundtable on economic reform is anticipated to explore solutions for capability uplift and productivity gains at the community level. Granicus believes its platform can be a tool for this process, streamlining interactions between councils and their constituents and enabling better use of municipal resources.

As local authorities continue to grapple with digital transformation challenges, technology providers are offering platforms intended to simplify processes, foster better engagement, and ultimately enable local governments to function more efficiently in meeting public expectations.