May 12th, 2009 |
Darren Nippard and Michel Rene de Cotret, AccentureBetter Service Delivery Leads to Better Outcomes
By: Michel Rene de Cotret and Darren Nippard, Accenture
Once policy has been set, programs have been designed, and services have been defined it’s down to how services are actually delivered and how Canadians end up interacting with their government – the last mile of service delivery – that has a large impact on whether outcomes are actually achieved. Ultimately, services which are organized in a meaningful way, easy to access, linked to other programs or initiatives end up being used by those who need it most and increase the level of satisfaction people feel toward government.
For the past eight years, Accenture has conducted research in more than 20 countries to gain perspective on how governments can excel at serving their citizens. Over years of extensive interviews, public opinion surveys, and a methodical review of government services, we have found that high performance and a greater affect on outcomes can be achieved when services have four critical elements in place:
They are citizen-centric; that is, they organize their services and information around their citizens’ needs and circumstances.
They use a variety of channels to provide information and services to people and strive for seamless coordination between these channels.
They work together at the local, regional and national levels to provide integrated services.
They actively reach out to their customers; working to ensure that people are well informed about the services they offer so that customers can use their services easily, and understand what is expected of them in return.
Although many governments have been striving to put the above four elements in place and build trust through better services, our research shows that in many countries, citizens are still far from satisfied that government services are helping to improve the quality of their lives. In our research conducted in 2008, we surveyed 8,600 citizens around the world to explore citizens’ expectations of and experience with government in more detail. In the next weeks, I’ll discuss the results of our research and provide insight into Canadian survey findings in particular.
