Reinventing Government in Cyberspace

By Warren Slocum

Expanding the delivery of government services via the Internet can improve customer service while decreasing costs.

Cyberspace has exploded with public sector domains. Cities, counties, states, and the federal government have raced to get on the Web. The result? A virtual public sector which is as confusing and frustrating as the one that exists in the physical world. It's time to reinvent cyber-government and develop next generation Web sites that: 1) Build community through communications; 2) Provide legendary customer service; and 3) Integrate in a Citizen Service Center concept.

Public Sector Web sites have made contributions by promoting tourism, community development, and economic development. But they can play an even larger role in our Democracy by building community. In order to do that they must positively affect three communication problems which are prevalent in our society. They are: people to government communications; government to people communications; and people to people communications.

-People to Government Communications - Citizens often say that they feel disconnected from government. One reason for that condition is the difficulty the average citizen has in communicating with their government. It can take a Herculean effort to talk to an elected representative, agency official or department head. In fact, with shrinking budgets, reduced business hours, and the advent of voice mail and robotic phone systems, the situation is exacerbated.

-Government to People Communications - While people find it hard to communicate with government, government finds it difficult to communicate with people. Common ways a government communicates with citizens include the media, newsletters, and individual correspondence or phone calls. Each of those strategies, however, has associated negative consequences.

-People to People Communications - People have deserted traditional organizations at an alarming pace. To a large extent, those organizations created opportunities for public dialogue about important community issues. Since their membership has declined, there is less meaningful dialogue that occurs.

In each category described above, the communications paradigm, designed for a bygone era, leads to inadequate communication patterns. The challenge is how to bring the American people back to a positive, engaged, problem solving perspective? The World Wide Web can help change those dynamics because it offers a way to reestablish citizen engagement through more effective interactive multi-directional communications. In the hypermedia approach government can communicate with citizens; citizens can communicate with their government; and citizens can communicate with citizens in a modern, enriched, and convenient fashion.

While the customer service mantras for the 1990s are "provide choices and don't waste the customer's time," governmental services are delivered to taxpayers the same way they were 100 years ago. Rigidly delivered, they fail to offer choices and they waste the customer's time.

Think about this service story for a moment. "A citizen needs a copy of the deed to their home. At least two telephone calls follow. The first call is made to find out which level of government has the document, the next call connects to the main switchboard of the right jurisdiction. The caller is then transferred to a specific office.

Next the customer must take time off work, fight the traffic, and once at the government center, find a place to park. The inside of the government center is a bureaucratic warren. The customer locates the department they need and stands in a line. Their business gets transacted (they are required to pay by cash or check because credit cards and ATM debit cards are not accepted). The coup-de-grace, however, is that upon returning to their car they find a parking ticket neatly tucked under the windshield wiper."

While that case is exaggerated, it does illustrate the limitations of the service delivery model used by most governments today. Imagine now the case described above where the service is delivered via the World Wide Web. A citizen wants a copy of their deed. The individual sits down at a personal computer, goes online to a Web site and retrieves the document. Payment is made online with a credit card. And while at the site the visitor finds useful information about an upcoming community event.

Public Sector Web sites must go even further and actually become a tool for reshaping government by empowering citizens. Perhaps the best example of the empowerment model is the Federal Express Web site (http://www.fedex.com). That site allows a FedEx customer to track their own packages. The result is that the number of telephone calls received at company call centers is greatly reduced; customer service is improved by giving power directly to the customer; and the company's operating expenses are reduced. But perhaps even as important, from a marketing perspective, is that it establishes a relationship with the customer.

By implementing the customer directed Web philosophies described above, government would create a customer service delivery strategy that is based on flexibility, choice, convenience, and the individual needs of customers. The result of this type of service delivery is less walk in traffic for the agency, fewer phone/mail inquiries (the California State Web Site gets 1.2 million hits a month which represents a phone or mail inquiry in which a response might have been necessary), and at the same time improved public service at a lower cost. Everyone wins!

Creating the Integrated Citizen Service Center is the biggest challenge of the Web strategies discussed. Why? Because it involves cooperation, giving up some control, and compromise. Today, not only does each level of government produce their own Web site, but many agencies produce their own Web sites. While they are often linked, the average citizen has little understanding about which level of government or what agency is responsible for a particular program and which Web site might be helpful. The next generation of Web sites must be integrated - not just linked. This will require a design approach that presents a single, efficient, and understandable face to citizens.

For instance, if I wanted to find out about the operating hours, fees, and special tours available at a campground, which public sector Web site would I visit? First I would have to know if it was a national, state, county, or city park. Then I might need to know the name of the specific county. Locating the required information would take more time than necessary because public sector cyberspace is a virtual maze.

It would be much simpler for me to visit the Integrated Customer Service Center Home Page, click on parks, and select the campground I wanted. Of course, then I'd like to confirm a reservation, pay the fees with a credit card, and print the listing of Junior Ranger activities scheduled for kids.

Public sector Web sites can be more than information silos, cyberbillboards, or digital recyling centers that recreate bureaucracy in cyberspace. It's time for public sector technology leaders to step back, take a break from the cyberspace race, and rethink their Web strategies. In order for governmental Web efforts to be successful a new paradigm is required in which traditional government service delivery and communications functions are reconstructed and integrated to satisfy the needs of citizens in our ever expanding online society.