With everything from records management protocols to customer service operations facing a digital makeover, the federal government is finding new ways to increase efficiency while impressing its constituents.
According to the E-Government Satisfaction Index developed by customer experience analysts from ForeSee, citizens are showing an clear preference for – and appreciation of – online communication platforms when interacting with government agencies. This includes everything from more transparent and effective management of public records to more informative agency websites.
However, some fear that the recent progress made on the Obama administration's plans for an open and flexible government could be compromised by impending budget cuts.
"We are going to hear a lot about big government throughout the campaign season, but it would be a mistake to curb e-government initiatives in the name of cutting government waste," noted ForeSee executive Larry Freed. "There are a lot of benefits to high satisfaction with e-government, including increased trust, higher participation and greater use of the web channel, which leads to more efficiency."
Although some critics fear that digitization could inhibit the protection of sensitive government information, the Social Security Administration is one agency proving that theory wrong. Following a host of improvements to its websites and internal processes, the SSA now outranks all other government organizations, according to ForeSee, in terms of customer satisfaction.
