- Government investment in technology will go a long way to improve the lives of citizens and anyone who interacts with government officials or offices.
- Technology can streamline certain processes that may otherwise take weeks to complete.
- Governments that invest in technology can also save a lot of money by decreasing human errors and increasing overall efficiency.
When you think about customer experience (CX), you usually don’t think about interacting with the government. If anything, interactions with the government seem to lack customer experience. Waiting in long lines at the DMV, frustrating interactions with the IRS, or using government websites that seem like they are always crashing are all just the opposite of a good customer experience.
However, in the lead-up to and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have been emphasizing bringing CX advances to the public sector. Much of this has to do with getting financial and health services to those who need them the most.
Government Investment in Technology Improves People’s Lives
Government IT transformation requires an investment. However, it allows governments to match their technology to their agency’s mission.
Digital transformation is a buzzword that you hear a lot about. When properly implemented, it can bring about benefits for the organization going through the transformation and the users they interact with. For digital transformation to be effective, especially in something as large as government, decision-makers need to know when, where, how, and why IT changes need to be made while at the same time reducing cybersecurity risk that can happen when the organization goes through a period of digital transformation.
Government applications that are used by the public affect the lives of millions of people. When they don’t work properly, they negatively affect people and disenfranchise the most vulnerable sectors in society.
For example, millions of people use government portals to access healthcare, tax information, housing, and food services. If the technology behind these websites or applications does not work, is not up-to-date, or has not been designed with user experience in mind, they lead to frustration and cause people to disconnect from the system and miss out on programs designed to make their lives better.
Government plays such a large role in so many people’s lives that the government needs to accelerate digital transformation. They must put the latest technologies to use. These technologies must be brought to scale to provide long-term benefits for people. This should be done during this time of the pandemic and long after the pandemic era has come to an end.
Improved Experience from Technology
Many people have been alive long enough to remember how frustrating and slow it was to interact with the government using paper-based processes. There were tons of errors, papers got lost, and the entire engagement process was difficult. People will have an easier time finding the person or information they need and this will increase trust between constituents and government bodies.
However, since digital solutions have been introduced, time is saved. There is also an improved feeling of trustworthiness in government services. As artificial intelligence and CIAM technologies are being folded into the portals offered by the government, governments can deliver targeted, personal, and customer-focused experiences. All of this increases trust and individual satisfaction.
Governments have developed a well-earned reputation for building unnecessary bureaucracy. This is because, in the past, government processes were not built with a customer-first viewpoint. When people searched for government services, they were looking for something that benefited them, like a service they didn’t have to pay for.
This is diametrically opposite to what you see in the private sector. In the private sector, you have multiple organizations vying for the attention and money of the public. It is in the private sector’s best interest to create applications and websites that are easy for the public to use.
As people are starting to become fluent with e-commerce technology and the services offered by private companies, they have come to expect this same experience from the government. When the government can’t offer these experiences, it reflects negatively on the politicians behind the government.
This has led government agencies to find ways to enhance their constituent’s overall experience. They understand that if their website looks like it was built in the early 2000s, the public will not trust it. To be trustworthy, the website needs to offer security, minimal friction, and the ability to deliver the services that people need when they need them.
Conclusion
Technology is touching every aspect of life. Digital transformation has been a priority in the private sector for the past few years. Now, government agencies are stepping up to the plate and designing digital-first experiences for their constituents.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Sheryl Wright
Quelle/Source: Communal News, 06.06.2021
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