Can governments truly boast of services that rival the private sector's? Leadership in Customer Service: Building the Trust, Accenture's annual report tracking the evolution of Internet usage and customer service in government, says yes and no.
Over the years, the report has evolved in breadth and focus. In the late 1990s, Accenture began publishing rankings of government Web sites; seven years later, its 21st-century studies look at how governments interact with citizens, said David Wilkins, Accenture's global managing director. The May 2006 report is the most extensive to date.
"In 2005, we looked at where governments are going with technology," Wilkins said, adding that Accenture is also paying attention to broader trends such as call centers, cross-agency cooperation and government's focus on key organizational pillars of customer service seen in the private sector. The following countries have consistently topped Accenture's annual survey: Canada, the United States, Denmark, Singapore, Finland, Australia, France, Japan, Norway, the UK and Ireland.
"We saw numerous examples of governments using creative solutions to interact with their citizenry, such as mobile technology to pay for parking tickets," he said of the recent survey. "We found many examples of countries truly trying to break down walls. Many realize the customer-friendly approach works better."
For instance, in Singapore -- the third leading country according to Accenture's rankings -- the government gives prizes to citizens who complete tasks online, using a marketing model to attract users. Greeters meet the elderly at walk-in kiosks and demonstrate the technology.
Europe and Asia led in mobile technology use, likely due to limited landline integration, as well as a better mobile infrastructure than here. "In places like Asia and Scandinavia, the home of Nokia, there is more of a comfort level with mobile technology," noted Wilkins. For example, in the Netherlands, an Amber Alert-type system sends text messages so people can receive alerts on their cell phones.
Why are governments around the world responding with more citizen-friendly technology services? Governments were feeling the pressure from the private sector, and social services can see a dramatic cost reduction with automated functions, as well as increased accuracy in records and processes, Wilkins said.
The report also concluded leading governments recognize that true citizen-centricity means removing -- through simplification and re-engineering -- as much work as possible from the system for citizens.
Trust and Comfort
In addition to improving government services, greater IT automation must also gain the trust of the public, a theme of this report. For e-government to succeed, governments must build trust and comfort with those services, and tap into the public's preferred modes of communication, whether by telephone or over a network. "Citizen trust does seem to be proportional to capabilities provided," said Wilkins, who also noted that e-government is evolving into data-electronics, where online services can self-tailor to citizen preferences and needs. Once implemented, such customization will likely bring more cost savings and customer satisfaction, according to the report.
Leadership in Customer Service was distributed to CIOs and government leaders worldwide because "it was very important to hear anecdotal lessons learned from leaders," said Wilkins, adding that the report offers guidelines for countries still transitioning to e-government. According to the report, due to the dynamic nature of service practices, a strong leadership and the ability to adapt to new challenges are critical. The report's findings are as much analytical as prophetic:
- How governments close gaps in structure and organization will determine who leads in the future. The next wave of leading government agencies will deliver customer service that not only brings satisfaction, but also builds trust between citizens and their government. Because of the changing nature of technology, customer needs and government services, today's customer service leaders might not be tomorrow's.
- In 20 out of 21 countries, citizens said private-sector business topped government in developing online services, with Singapore the only country where citizens felt the opposite was true.
- The largest gap (27 percent) in positive perception was in the United States, where 65 percent of respondents said private-sector business was doing a good or excellent job in developing online services, while 38 percent said the same about government.
- Despite the recognized potential of some marketing tactics to increase the use of online services, government application has been limited or unsuccessful. As a result, usage rates for online government services have stayed flat over the past year.
- In two-thirds of surveyed countries, the percentage of citizens who reported that government services and departments work effectively together is declining.
To combat these gaps, Accenture recommends strengthening connections with the citizen while using technology, and aggressively incorporating private-sector practices in a way that makes sense in the public sector, both with accountability and transparency.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Alison Lake
Quelle/Source: Public CIO, August 2006
