Online service delivery models : an international comparison in the public sector

Governments around the world are facing the challenge of responding to increased expectations by their customers with regard to public service delivery. Citizens, for example, expect governments to provide better and more efficient electronic services on the Web in an integrated way. Online portals have become the approach of choice in online service delivery to meet these requirements and become more customer-focussed. This study describes and analyses existing variants of online service delivery models based upon an empirical study and provides valuable insights for researchers and practitioners in government. For this study, we have conducted interviews with senior management representatives from five international governments. Based on our findings, we distinguish three different classes of service delivery models. We describe and characterise each of these models in detail and provide an in-depth discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches

Local e-Government in the Netherlands: from ambitious policy goals to harsh reality

The Netherlands took up e-Government development relatively early and was considered to be one of the leading nations in e-Government developments. In recent years, it has slipped back in the various international benchmarks, and also other signs show that the country no longer is at the front of e-Service development. This paper discusses possible causes for the decline of Dutch e-Service delivery development. Important factors in the explanation can be found in the structure of the Dutch public sector which can be characterized as fairly decentralized. The central government sets ambitious policy goals, but lacks the means to have them realized on the local level which is the primary level at which public service delivery takes place. The municipalities on the other hand are incapacitated by relatively small scale, the large number of services they provide and the lack of real incentives to move service delivery online. As a result, e-Service development on the local level is inefficient and progresses relatively slow. There are signs though that things are changing: the central government takes on a more active stance, and local authorities join forces to develop services together.e-Government, e-Government policy, electronic service delivery, public service delivery maturity, the Netherlands

New models for digital government: the role of service brokers in driving innovation

Executive summary Digital Government strategies are being rolled out in many Australian and international jurisdictions, ushering in a fundamentally different approach to the design and delivery of public sector services. Digital Government makes digital services (usually delivered through internet and mobile channels) the default delivery channels for the majority of services, and places them at the centre of innovating, designing and operating government services. Public sector or independent service brokers are increasingly important to delivering and designing these services. Service brokers are organisations or businesses that enable customers to interact with other organisations through easy-to-use and seamless interfaces. In the digital realm, a public sector service brokers example is one that provides a customer-focussed portal, such as the Federal Department of Human Services’ MyGov website. Independent service brokers from the private or community sectors can also provide greater service choice and innovation in how people interact with governments. Models for independent service brokers include Digital Mailboxes and Personal Safeboxes (eg Australia Post); public transport information service brokers (eg TripView, Tripgo and Google Transit), taxation service brokers (eg Xero and MYOB Online), community service brokers (eg HubCare) and access brokers for government services (eg public libraries, online access centres, etc) to assist those unable to access digital services. It is likely that the ambitious goals for large-scale adoption of digital government will only be achieved if governments encourage the involvement of independent service brokers to complement the role of public sector service brokers. However, there is currently little guidance on best practice models for agencies seeking to collaborate with independent service brokers or the other way around. This report addresses this critical knowledge gap by providing a practical guide to the service broker model. It explains the different roles of public sector and independent service brokers and provides case studies of service broker models. This will help to inform digital government strategies and policies to encourage the development of public sector and independent service brokers. It also considers how the emergence of a marketplace of service brokers will raise important issues such as how customer data is managed and protected, identity assured and how research and analysis of the data generated by these digital services can help inform better public policies and service improvement

Improving Public Service Quality through the Development of Online Service Innovations in Public Sector Organizations in Indonesia

This research aims to explore the potential of online service innovations in the public sector in Indonesia to improve the quality of public services. The study employs a mixed-methods approach, including surveys, interviews, and case studies, to gather data from various public sector organizations in Indonesia. The results indicate that the development of online service innovations has the potential to improve the quality of public services, particularly in terms of accessibility, efficiency, and effectiveness. The study also identifies several challenges in implementing online service innovations, including technical issues, limited resources, and resistance to change. The findings suggest that public sector organizations in Indonesia should prioritize the development of online service innovations as part of their efforts to improve the quality of public services. This research provides valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners who are interested in enhancing public service delivery through the use of technology

Where to go in the near future: diverging perspectives on online public service delivery

Although the electronic government is under heavy development, a clear vision doesn’t seem to exist. In this study 20 interviews among leaders in the field of e-government in the Netherlands resulted in different perspectives on the future of electronic public service delivery. The interviews revealed different objectives and interpretations of the presuppositions regarding citizens’ desires. Opinions about channel approaches and ‘trigger services’ appeared to vary. Furthermore, the respondents didn’t agree on the number of contact moments between citizen and government, had different opinions about digital skills, pled for various designs of the electronic government and placed the responsibility for electronic service delivery in different hands. Conclusion is that there is a lack of concepts on how to do things. Everybody talks about eGovernment, but all have different interpretations. \u

Citizens' Blame of Politicians for Public Service Failure: Experimental Evidence about Blame Reduction through Delegation and Contracting

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this recordTheories of blame suggest that contracting out public service delivery reduces citizens' blame of politicians for service failure. The authors use an online experiment with 1,000 citizen participants to estimate the effects of information cues summarizing service delivery arrangements on citizens' blame of English local government politicians for poor street maintenance. Participants were randomized to one of four cues: no information about service delivery arrangements, politicians' involvement in managing delivery, delegation to a unit inside government managing delivery, and delegation through a contract with a private firm managing delivery. The politicians managing delivery cue raises blame compared to citizens having no information. However, the contract with a private firm cue does not reduce blame compared to either no information or the politicians managing delivery cue. Instead, the delegation to a unit inside government cue reduces blame compared to politicians managing delivery, suggesting that delegation to public managers, not contracting, reduces blame in this context.Funding support is acknowledged from European Community's Seventh Framework Programme, Grant no. 266887, Coordinating for Cohesion in the Public Sector of the Future

Library and Information Services Move Quickly Online in the COVID-19 Pandemics: A Mixed-Method Approach

Information professionals such as librarians are rapidly moving to streamline the resources and services related to Covid-19 for healthcare professionals and the general public through online and virtual services. The study attempts to assess library and information services delivery status and the role of librarians in service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. We adopted an embedded approach of mixed-method design to conduct the study. We assessed the academic libraries\u27 websites of the top five affected countries by a coronavirus to determine the ways of service delivery and evaluate the role of LIS professionals towards library & information service delivery in the COVID-19 scenario. Libraries may assume a significant job responsibility in giving trustworthy services in the Covid-19 pandemics. The results concluded that due to lock-down, librarians are following work from home policy and providing their services through online and virtual ways

Online Government Advice: How to Succeed

Online advisory services have become ubiquitous and are playing a more vital role in people's lives. From online loan terms exploration to health care eligibility self-assessment, various services are delivered to clients through online advisory tools. Government agencies in particular are offering such services to the public. Due to increased awareness that government service delivery should be "citizencentric", this study assesses the impact of providing online advisory systems to assist the public. Building on insights from practice and literature, the study utilizes an experiment to empirically examine the key role that effective online advisory tools play in generating a sense of empowerment for the general public. The results of the study reveal that optimized explanation features that suit the cognitive processes of users and the resultant process transparency are pivotal in differentiating the winners from the losers in the online government advisory services arena. Furthermore, having effective online advisory tools empowers individuals, giving them a better sense of control over their future assessment outcome and better perceived power relationships with the government agency to which they are beholden. Finally, this service process leads to improved perceptions of the government agencies' service provider image

Using Service Design Tool and Qualitative Research Method to Assist the E-Government Service Process Redesign: A Case Study of the Taxation Service Process in Taiwan

Previous studies have determined that information technology dominates numerous e-government projects; information and communications technology has been used mainly as a tool for enhancing the efficiency and service delivery of governments. Electronic government(e-government) should achieve public innovation goals, such as redesigning information relationships among stakeholders, enhancing citizen participation in the policymaking process, and reinforcing policy enforcement to create public value. These goals are more valuable, but also more complex, than the digitization of existing governmental processes. Therefore, this study focused on a crucial e-government service, the Taiwan taxation service, to determine whether, in the current era in which people depend highly on network tools to send and receive information, online services are suitable for taxpayers and how to improve the service process. In this study, service design tools were combined with a qualitative research method, and observation and individual interviews of participants were conducted to record their perceptions of the tax service process. The results of the study facilitate identifying gaps in the seemingly convenient and progressive tax service process of Taiwan, including insufficient information provision, complex website operation, inconsistent information classification with users’ logic, the lack of complete and consistent service for one-stop windows, and difficult document content. The taxation authority should integrate all online taxation services to achieve the expected public service (one-stop e-government window). This research facilitates relevant government agencies to provide effective e-government services, identify problems, and modify service delivery processes

Service Quality and Customer Acceptability at the Cape Coast Branch of Metro Mass Transit Limited

The paper seeks to examine customer’s perception about the state of public transport in Ghana; assess the extent to which customers are satisfied with Metro Mass Transport’s (MMT) public bus service delivery; and further establish the relationship (if any) among service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty. A quantitative approach, using questionnaires, was adopted to survey 377 regular students from the University of Cape Coast, who mostly patronize public transport services, especially on vacations, public holidays and school reopening seasons. Data was analyzed, using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s product moment correlation technique. The findings indicate that the respondents’ strongest perception about the state of public transportation was its importance to society. Majority of the respondents were generally dissatisfied with MMTs service delivery; and empirically, there was a weak, negative correlation between customer satisfaction in terms of service quality and customer loyalty. It is recommended that Metro Mass Transit Limited management focus on some quality variables such as safety-comfort-cleanliness; information-communication; accessibility; terminal and stop points performance; and online performance, in order to improve and sustain customer loyalty