In a conference room somewhere in the heart of North Brabant, Paul Hogenhuis, a legal consultant for the province, sits with a stack of documents in front of him. It is 2010, and despite the advance of digitization, he sighs under the physical flow of mail.
Municipal budgets, zoning plans and communications with business owners - everything comes in thick, paper packages. Hogenhuis: "You have to imagine that we had a scanning line where the mail was processed manually. Often you got back skewed scans and then you had to start over. It took so much time."
But the tide is turning. A new digital tool, the Berichtenbox, is introduced. An ambitious plan soon emerges: the province of North Brabant wants to fully integrate this digital mailbox into its work processes. Hogenhuis recalls the first meeting with the deputy for Economic Affairs, Mr. Pauli. "He immediately said, 'This is great, make an appointment. We are going to work on this.' The deputy's enthusiasm gave us a huge boost."
The deployment of the Message Box is not an isolated decision; it fits into the province's broader policy of being among the top five innovative regions in Europe. "How can we call ourselves the region of ASML and the Automotive Campus, if our own processes do not evolve with us?" says Hogenhuis with a smile.
However, the implementation process is not without its challenges. Starting with a pilot, the province is linking the message box via a Digi link to their forms generator and their case system. Hogenhuis explains: "In the beginning, there was a lot of manual work. Our Documentary Information Provision (DIV) department had to track notifications and process messages on a daily basis. But as we improved the links, those processes became a lot more efficient." In the meantime, the message box has become indispensable. From sending environmental permits by the environmental department to approving municipal budgets - everything runs smoothly and securely.
The benefits of the message box are enormous for employees. Hogenhuis gives a striking example: "We used to receive a thick packet of mail from 60 municipalities in Brabant for the approval of budgets. That had to go through the scanning line, after which an employee received a pdf that was often skewed. Now everything arrives digitally in the Berichtenbox - a Word document that can be used immediately. That saves so much time."
The Berichtenbox is also a godsend for business owners. They have 24/7 access to their mail through a secure and reliable channel. "It is not only a cost saving for the province, but also for entrepreneurs. Less postage, less red tape. It really is a win-win," says Hogenhuis.
With pride, Hogenhuis says that North Brabant was a pioneer in the use of the Berichtenbox and that their approach has inspired other government organizations. "We even actively helped municipalities warm up with their own accounts. By now, all Brabant municipalities are using the Berichtenbox and that makes inter-governmental cooperation so much easier."
But there is still work to be done. Hogenhuis concludes with an appeal: "If your organization is not yet making full use of the Berichtenbox, start today. Provide administrative 'backing'; put together a project team and learn from the experiences of others. This is not just a handy tool - it is an essential part of modern government."
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