Public sector managers must consider making some eGovernment channels compulsory for business or at least provide incentives to increase citizen take-up, according to new research.
While making e-services compulsory for all groups would be unfeasible and contentious, at least at the present time, the private sector – particularly larger companies – could be made to transact with government online, says the Work Foundation. In a new report, the think-tank claims that to encourage the use of cheaper, online channels, providers of public service effectively need to change public behaviour. To do so, they also need to appreciate how different groups regard ICT, designing services based on this understanding.
"This could mean text messages for young people and telephone services for older people", says Alexandra Jones, Senior Researcher for the Work Foundation. "The next challenge is to encourage use of more cost-effective services whilst maintaining quality and innovation."
After surveying over 1,000 people, the report found a common set of issues which e-services need to emphasise in order to secure public acceptance.
These are: Security, certainty (services delivering on their promise), trust, fairness, universality, efficiency, flexibility and, it adds, "at a more basic level, functionality". Simple user interfaces are also critical, say the report's authors, who call for a common design for all government websites to increase the public's familiarity with their layout.
Enforcing the use of online channels is likely to be seen as undermining public services' core values, the report continues, although this could change with a shift in public attitudes. Compulsion, it says, "remains a difficult solution for a broad range of public services".
"Services where the customer base predominantly has access to the internet", it recommends, "should phase in making online services their first port of call, learning from the experience of others, eg the Inland Revenue and UCAS, and should aim to publicise the benefits of using alternative services, eg accessibility of online services."
The report is the second of a series sponsored by Adobe examining the role of ICT in improving public services. Alexandra Jones talks more about the work in this article for eGov monitor.
The report's main recommendations
- Customer segmentation: Ensure that diversity of provision is maintained, according to need, but that cheaper options are incentivised and used where appropriate.
- Confidence and capacity: Provide services that enable and encourage active engagement by citizens with public services, and work with intermediaries who can support this strategy.
- Simple, accessible ICT: DirectGov, the citizen portal, should be more than a portal, offering a common navigation system, website format and style. Piloting and testing are crucial to this, as are well-trained helpline staff and security that is not so secure as to be impenetrable.
- Creating an audit trail: All transactions should provide clear audit trails.
- Data sharing: Stimulate and inform a public debate about privacy and data sharing. Prioritise the areas where data sharing will make the most difference and ensure the technology builds in privacy guards.
- Improving communication: If 'choice' is available, it should be made clear what 'choice' means, what its limits are, and how it will be ensured there is no 'two-tier' system or inefficiency created by this choice being available.
- Empowering staff: For services to be improved for individuals, staff need to be aware of how services will change, the impact of ICT, and to feel empowered to make decisions about how to improve that service.
Quelle: eGov monitor, 11.07.2005
