Reshaping the experience of accessing social services in the city of Milan

The case illustrates the attempt of the Welfare and Health Department of the Municipality of Milan to evaluate the ways in which users can access its services. This process was primarily inspired by the purpose of understanding how accessible social services are perceived by potential users and, in light of this, the aim was to develop a more integrated and user-oriented access model, ideated and shared directly by the Department staff. The relevance of the case stems, above all, from its extreme innovative approach: customer orientation and service management are typical backgrounds and lines of reasoning of the private sector, rarely applied to the public one. In particular, three key messages emerge: Access is a fundamental step in the process of experiencing and using public services, since, if well-structured and managed, it plays a crucial role in preventing inequality; Nevertheless, access to services is not always a strategic priority in public organizations and there could be several gaps among planned processes and what users actually experience; Reasons that explain these gaps can potentially become drivers for implementing change management mechanisms in public organizations and create greater value for them and users as well.