TechnologyOne is simplifying the way Australians access public services

Technology providing faster access to essential services is set to reshape everyday interactions for Australia’s councils and universities.

Australia’s councils and universities have spent years digitising services. Yet many residents and students still experience the underlying operating reality: fragmented systems, unclear pathways and administrative steps that consume time and reduce trust. The next step in digital transformation is therefore not another portal. It is an interface that can translate intent into action across the systems institutions already run.

That is where agentic AI changes the conversation. Instead of answering a question and handing the user back to a menu, an agentic model is built to guide a journey – interpreting what a person is trying to achieve and moving them through the next decisions.

TechnologyOne’s agentic AI product, Guide , is positioned as the new “front door” for local government and higher education. It replaces the logic of forms and navigation with natural, conversational engagement, placing relevant services, information, and personalised support at the point of need.

Guide interprets intent, anticipates needs, and proactively guides action. In universities, it can help students navigate routine interactions that shape day-to-day experience. In councils, it can help residents access essential services without being bounced between departments or channels.

Crucially, Guide is more than a chatbot layered on top of static content. It is embedded within institutional systems, enabling real time, personalised guidance. The practical effect is a shorter path from query to outcome – resolving common requests in minutes rather than extending them into months of follow-up.

The strategic implications are broader than convenience. Guide represents a shift in how enterprise software creates value: from an administrative cost centre to a platform for engagement, efficiency and growth. For councils and universities, that re-framing can improve service experience while also opening revenue opportunities where appropriate.

It also changes the workforce equation. Guide elevates – not replaces – people. By handling routine, high-volume interactions, it can free staff to focus on complex, high-value work that depends on human judgement, empathy and context.

For decades, leaders have pursued a solution to unify fragmented systems. Guide delivers that outcome through intelligence led, outcome driven experiences – aligning what users see with what institutions can deliver.

Purpose-built for higher education and local government, it puts a new level of intelligence, integration and personalisation into users’ hands that simply hasn’t existed before.

A simpler path

The launch marks a meaningful shift in how public-facing institutions use AI, moving from back-office optimisation to true, citizen-level impact, explains TechnologyOne’s chief technology officer, Chandon Potukuchi.

Describing it as a structural shift, “Guide empowers customers and drives efficiency, while also creating a new revenue stream for councils and universities,” Potukuchi says.

While typically conservative, councils and higher education are embracing new technology as they seek ways to manage the increasing pressure to deliver more services and rising expectations.

“We’ve been working in the background for many years on this project, and we believe Guide represents the next chapter for local government and education sectors. This is a major leap forward in how organisations service their communities and addresses the standard problems of enterprise software and fragmented experiences,” Potukuchi says.

Enterprise intelligence

TechnologyOne’s chief operating officer, Stuart MacDonald, says the technology “envelopes itself around the user” and understands their intent to ensure they get their desired outcome.

“At the end of the day, we all want councils to be designing better buildings and universities to be offering more classes, and for their communities to be able to find out about it. We don’t see this as a cost-saving exercise. This is a transfer of that expense into something far more meaningful for the community.”

MacDonald adds that universities have long struggled to solve the puzzle of communication.

“Every university I’ve ever met has been trying to find that single pane of glass to sit on top of all their information. We believe we’ve solved that problem – and we’ve done it in a new way, with new technology.”

“We are constantly looking at ways to empower a council or institution by removing the threshold. Leveraging ad space and revenue sharing on that technology to generate revenue to pay for it, which is unheard of in our space,” MacDonald says.

Revenue stream

Guide’s self-funding model links economics to experience: the better the experience, the greater the return. For executives, this is the critical test of maturity – moving from pilots and point solutions to a durable capability that improves access at scale. Done well, it sets a higher benchmark.

TechnologyOne has revolutionised its cost structure by commercialising Guide. MacDonald explains that the ad-funded model, designed specifically for the public sector and education, paired with a co-share framework, means incentives for everyone.

“As Guide helps more people resolve issues faster, it can generate advertising revenue. That revenue is shared between our customers and TechnologyOne.”

Advertising content will be pre-approved, thereby protecting brand reputation. “We see this as a flywheel that not only supports the differentiation and growth of a university but also introduces a new untapped revenue stream so it can grow and become more stable over time, making this a very unique model,” he says.

MacDonald says the road ahead looks bright. “As revolutionary as Guide already is, we are just scratching the surface of what this technology can do. We believe Guide will reshape how sectors operate, how communities connect, and how public services are delivered – defining a new era of intelligence-led experiences that no industry has seen before. This is the new standard for what technology can achieve when built with purpose.”

For more information visit technology1.com.