“It is all about the impact you can make”

A father, two children, and a visit to McDonald’s. What happens that evening quickly causes a stir on social media and becomes national news. While the municipality prepares for a busy night, Harry Schouten picks up the phone. “Shall we monitor the situation with you?” Before 8:30 PM, two monitoring searches are already set up.

Harry is the Managing Director of OBI4wan, the division within Spotler that focuses on media monitoring and webcare for the public sector. For him, that evening perfectly demonstrates where OBI4wan makes the difference: not waiting for an organization to ask for help, but thinking ahead and being ready to assist at the moment it matters.

“It is all about the impact you can make,” says Harry. It is one of the reasons why he has enjoyed working in the public sector for over twelve years. “I think it’s great that I can use our software to contribute to the social impact that organizations have on people’s lives.” The way the public sector innovates also appeals to Harry. “Especially within government, it is about evolution, not revolution.”

Co-creation

According to Harry, the best solutions emerge step by step. Not from behind a desk, but in collaboration with the organizations that work with them daily. This philosophy is reflected in the development of Engage: the platform for media monitoring and webcare for the public sector.

A good example is the growing need for secure digital communication. Municipalities increasingly want to help residents via WhatsApp or social media. However, as soon as someone needs to share personal data, it becomes complicated. How do you ensure that such a conversation remains secure, without residents having to log in elsewhere or repeat their story? “We enjoy brainstorming on the question: how can we create a practically applicable solution for this?”

That led to a new functionality within Engage. Together with the municipality of Hoeksche Waard and technology partner Keesy, OBI4wan developed a solution that allows residents to continue their conversation from WhatsApp or social media in a secure environment as soon as personal data is required. The resident remains in the same conversation, while information is exchanged securely and sent directly to the systems the municipality already uses.

The collaboration with Hoeksche Waard is not an isolated case. For instance, the media monitoring functionality of Engage was developed in collaboration with the police. Another example is the integration with Apostle, a platform for employee advocacy. This allows organizations to let employees share content more easily via their own social media channels. “I am a huge fan of co-creation,” says Harry. “I want to celebrate these successes together.”

Passion for the public sector

But ultimately, for Harry, it is not about co-creation or software in itself. “Our platform must make the work of communication professionals and service employees in the public sector easier.” Behind that lies an even greater goal for him: “I want to make an impact on residents, patients, students, and tenants. For me, that is the most beautiful objective.”

Sometimes that impact becomes visible in small moments. Harry still vividly remembers the thank-you note that followed the incident at McDonald’s: a personal, detailed email in which the municipality expressed how much the proactive support had meant. “Those are the moments you do it for.”