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Delivering Government Services Like a Digital Native
Article

Delivering Government Services Like a Digital Native

Neveen Awad, Jonathan Brice, Santiago Ferrer, Heidi Kim and Taylor Stuart
Boston Consulting Group, 2022
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Overview
  • Visionary

Recommendation

The Boston Consulting Group’s 2022 Digital Government Citizen Survey revealed a 63% user satisfaction rate with the experiences they encountered with government online services. If your reaction to that statistic ran along the lines of, “Wow, 63% sounds a little generous,” then you’ve likely had a recent experience with government online services, because let’s face it: Online services for government agencies are rarely good. This Boston Consulting Group article offers solutions to bring government services into the future – or at least to the present.

Summary

Online services for the public sector tend to lag behind those of the private sector. 

Consumers have become used to seamless experiences with websites and apps, whether they’re shopping on Amazon.com or checking in with their finances at JPMorgan Chase. So when it comes to registering a major life event – the birth of a child, retirement, or anything in between – with relevant government organizations, they’re usually in for an unpleasant surprise. Stumbling onto a government website can be a frustrating experience.

The Boston Consulting Group conducted a survey, asking more than 28,000 people from 41 countries what they encountered when using government online services. Of 28,000 participants, “71% of respondents had encountered issues online, including technical glitches, lengthy process times, cumbersome navigation, and, simply, an inability to find what they needed.”

Government agencies are usually siloed, so citizens must navigate more than one clunky, confusing website to access commonly-needed services. 

Each government agency operates as an...

About the Authors

Neveen Awad, Jonathan Brice, Santiago Ferrer, Heidi Kim and Taylor Stuart are professionals with the Boston Consulting Group.

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