Blog: Accessible by design: Building better public services for everyone

When we talk about digital accessibility, the conversation often begins and ends with websites: screen-reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, colour contrast and alternative text.

These things are essential, but in the public sector, accessibility must go much further.

A perfectly compliant website is of little help to someone who doesn’t have reliable internet access, lacks confidence online, struggles with written English or simply doesn’t know they need to visit it. True accessibility means considering the entire service journey, including how people receive information, ask questions and stay updated.

In public services, accessibility means ensuring every citizen can access information, support and services through the channel that best meets their needs.

Accessible communication is therefore just as important as accessible technology.

Why accessible public services can't wait for people to come looking

Most commercial organisations can reasonably expect customers to seek them out. Public services operate differently. They often need to communicate with people at stressful or vulnerable moments, such as, after a crime has been reported, while somebody is waiting for medical care or when passengers are affected by major travel disruption.

In these situations, communication isn’t an optional extra. It’s part of the service itself.

Despite this, many public sector communication models still depend heavily on citizens making contact. People telephone for updates, repeat information to different teams or search through a series of different webpages hoping to find the right answer. And what happens here when they can’t find it Naturally like any one of us would, they call again.

This creates frustration for the public and internal demand that could be avoided for already stretched call centres, teams and services.

Fortunately, there is another way. Several UK police forces have already shown what's possible when communication is designed around citizens rather than organisational processes.

Our work with these pioneering forces has shown how connected technology can help change this. Automated SMS and email updates, secure self-service portals and two-way messaging can keep victims informed throughout the post-crime journey. Instead of wondering whether anything is happening, people can receive clear, timely information through a channel they already use.

One police force found that 20% of its inbound calls were from victims seeking updates on their cases. And by no means were these unnecessary calls from the victim’s perspective, they were the predictable result of an information gap. The better solution isn’t to discourage people from calling, but to provide the information before they need to ask for it.

Another great example comes from South Yorkshire Police, where its connected victim journey demonstrates the potential impact. More than 117,000 real-time messages have been delivered to victims, with over 16,000 citizens brought into a more connected service experience.

Accessibility means offering the right channel

It’s 2026, and the digital era is in full force, which means we understand that there is no single accessible communication channel:

• A portal may be convenient for somebody who wants to check their case at 10pm
• An SMS may be easier for someone with limited data or no access to a computer
• Email may suit a person who needs detailed information they can revisit
• Another person may need information translated, presented in plain language or explained by a member of staff over the telephone

Accessibility therefore means designing services around different needs and circumstances, rather than expecting everyone to adapt to one preferred digital journey.

That includes recognising that digital exclusion remains real. Ofcom’s research suggests that 2.8 million people in the UK don’t have internet access at home, while others lack confidence, suitable devices or the skills needed to complete more complicated online tasks. Digital exclusion is more common among people aged 65 and over, but it can also be linked to disability, poverty, insecure housing, limited English and relying solely on a smartphone.

For some citizens, a telephone call or letter may still be the most accessible and reassuring option. Modernisation should never mean removing those routes indiscriminately. The aim isn’t “digital only”. It’s digital where it improves the experience, supported by human contact at the points when it’s needed.

Technology can protect traditional services

Maintaining telephone and face-to-face services requires staff time. When every routine question or status request enters the same queue, teams have less capacity to support people who genuinely need a conversation. This is where technology can make traditional channels more sustainable.

Proactive updates and well-designed self-service options allow many people to get information immediately. That reduces routine demand and gives staff more time to help citizens who can’t use digital services, have complex circumstances or just simply need that reassurance from a human.

In other words, automation doesn’t have to replace personal service. Used properly, it can protect it.

Meet Bobbi: making it easier to ask for help

Imagine you've got a question for the police, but you're not sure where to start. Perhaps you need advice about a non-emergency incident, want to report anti-social behaviour, or simply don't know which service you need. Searching through webpages or navigating unfamiliar police processes can quickly become another barrier.

That's exactly the problem Bobbi was designed to solve.

Available around the clock through the force's website, Bobbi gives people a simple place to start. Rather than expecting someone to understand policing structures or know which department they need, they can explain what's happened in their own words. Using guidance approved by the police force, Bobbi can answer common non-emergency questions, provide trusted information and direct people to the right service without them having to navigate the organisation first.

Most conversations end there. Someone gets the answer they need quickly, or is guided towards the right team, reducing frustration for the public and unnecessary demand on contact centres.

But accessibility is also about recognising that circumstances aren't always straightforward. Sometimes, speaking on the phone simply isn't possible. A person may be in immediate danger, unable to talk safely or have no practical way to make a voice call. In those moments, a digital conversation may be the only option available.

Bobbi is designed to recognise when someone needs more than information. If a conversation indicates an immediate risk or vulnerability, it can escalate the interaction to a trained Digital Desk operator. In one real example, a young person experiencing a high risk domestic incident was able to discreetly seek help through Bobbi when it wasn't safe to call 999. The conversation was quickly handed to an operator, who assessed the situation and dispatched officers.

Stories like these remind us that accessibility isn't only about making services easier to use. Sometimes it's about ensuring someone can reach help at all, regardless of their circumstances.

Designing for choice, not assumptions

Public sector transformation is sometimes framed as a choice between traditional service and digital innovation. That’s the wrong choice.

A genuinely accessible service uses technology to broaden access, not narrow it. It provides fast digital routes for those who want them, proactive updates for those who shouldn’t have to ask and properly supported traditional channels for people who need or prefer them.

The strongest public sector solutions don’t dictate how citizens must engage. They recognise that accessibility looks different for different people and design the service accordingly.

Because a public service is only truly transformed when the people it exists to serve can actually reach it.

Where do you start?

Accessibility doesn't begin with compliance checklists or the latest digital tool. It begins by understanding the moments where people need reassurance, guidance or support, then designing communication around those needs.

That's the approach we've developed alongside police forces across the UK, and the same thinking is now helping organisations across healthcare, transport and wider public services rethink how they engage the people they serve.

If you're exploring how connected communication, AI or citizen engagement could improve accessibility in your organisation, we'd love to continue the conversation.

Get in touch to see how these principles could work in your environment!