• Free Daily Newsletter
  • Get Premium
  • Small Logo
  • About
  • Partner Pages
  • Support & FAQs
  • Log in

The Mandarin

The Mandarin
The Mandarin
  • Small Logo
  • Premium
  • Careers
    • Search SES Jobs
    • Career Advice
  • News
  • Editors' Picks
  • Portfolios
  • Events
  • Resource library
  • Small Logo
  • Premium
  • Careers
    • Search SES Jobs
    • Career Advice
  • News
  • Editors' Picks
  • Portfolios
  • Events
  • Resource library

Partner Content

Home Sponsored Why data sharing is critical to citizen engagement

Why data sharing is critical to citizen engagement

By Brad Howarth

Tuesday February 23, 2021

Every citizen is an individual, so why do government agencies not treat them that way?

The history of government IT has traditionally been one of systems being created in isolation, designed to perform a specific task with little thought given to how they might interact.

As a result, information regarding any one individual might be spread across potentially dozens of different repositories.

This has made drawing a fuller picture of that individual citizen a fiendishly difficult task, and has led to the creation of generic service offerings with little personalisation.

This might be the way things have always been, but the world is evolving rapidly, and people’s expectations are evolving too.

In recent years commercial digital service providers have embraced using data to deliver personalised services, and consumers have rewarded them in turn.

Is it surprising then that citizens might also now hold the same expectations of their digital interactions with government agencies?

Last year was a terrible one for many Australians, but a silver lining can be found in 2020 also being the year when the digitalisation of services accelerated rapidly. This change was clearly seen in the commercial world, where organisations turned to digital channels to survive, and consumers met them there in record numbers.

A similar story can also be told for government services. The recent report released by Deloitte and commissioned by Adobe, titled A Blueprint for Enhanced Citizen Experiences, found there were more than 1.7 billion visits to Australian Government websites after the pandemic began, and that 56 per cent of Australians preferred to access government information using digital channels.

The report also found nine out of ten Australians looked for government information and services online, with people aged 15-and-over transacting with government on average more than once a week.

This is great news for those departments and agencies who have long understood the cost benefits of digital interaction.

But if we are to capitalise on the gains of 2020, we must do more than just lift-and-shift existing services to online channels. We need to take a human-centric approach to how government services are designed, and use digital tools to build services that are fundamentally better than what that has gone before.

For many agencies, that means rethinking the structure and boundaries that have constrained service development, and bring together data sources to build a more complete picture of individuals.

A good starting point is to consider the nature of interactions between citizens and government as they currently stand. For a citizen to achieve a seemingly simple task such as changing their address requires them to contact multiple agencies and provide the same information over and over again.

This fractured representation of government is a long way from the experience they receive from commercial service providers. Imagine for instance if an online supermarket required you to pay for your meat, fresh vegetables, and dairy items separately, rather than in a consolidated transaction at checkout.

Linking up specific services to create better outcomes means overcoming multiple technological challenges, not least of which are nailing down identity and clearing security and regulatory hurdles, while also satisfying privacy requirements.

Bringing together citizen data creates the potential to better understand each individual and provide them with experiences and services that are directly relevant to their situation and needs.

The Deloitte study found that 76 per cent of respondents said they would be more likely to use government websites if they were personalised and tailored to their unique digital profile, and 81 per cent were more likely to use a government service if it remembered their previous interactions across all government websites, as well as their location and demographics.

This would not only make interactions quicker and easier, but it might also pave the way for higher-value services, such as alerting citizens when they qualified for rebates, or when they were in danger from natural disasters or other events.

Government agencies have long been aware of efficiencies that can flow from shifting services to online channels, and the events of 2020 have only served to highlight the urgency with which they should move.

Firstly, the enforced lockdowns drove consumers to use online services in unprecedented numbers, and in many cases people who had never shopped online now found themselves doing so. Overall familiarity with online services is consequently much higher than it was a year ago.

Secondly, the connection between Australian citizens and government agencies has strengthened, in part due to people’s high reliance on agencies for information and assistance throughout the crisis. The Australian government now has a golden opportunity to capitalise on this good will.

These two developments provide the ideal catalyst for the design of services that are easier to use and improve outcomes for citizens. But first we need to ensure the barriers that prevent data sharing can be torn down.

A blueprint for enhanced citizen experiences is the latest in a series of research reports from Deloitte and Adobe on digital transformation in government. Read the report to examine the way that Australians engage with government online, learn the benefits of personalisation to citizens and government, and explore a practical roadmap for implementation.

About the author

By Brad Howarth

Brad Howarth is a researcher, writer, speaker, and facilitator, based in Melbourne, Australia. For 25 years he's been researching and writing on a range of topics for publications in Australia and overseas with a focus on the technology, digital media and marketing industries.

Partners: Adobe

Login
Please login to comment
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
The Mandarin Premium

Insights for policy professionals.

Subscribe for only $5 a week.

Get Premium Today

Already a subscriber? Login

By Brad Howarth

Tuesday February 23, 2021
Text size: A A A

Upcoming Events

24
Feb
Mandarin Talks: Public sector mental health challenges for 2021
18
Jan
AWS & Intel Research Webinar Series
17
Feb
Proud Partnerships in Place: 2021 First Peoples Public Administration Virtual Conference
11
Mar
Mandarin Talks: Hitting the reset button: In conversation with Ross Garnaut
16
Mar
Developing High Performing Teams for Publicly Funded Organisations
View Calendar

Partner Content

A national platform university?
Promoted

A national platform university?

Why cloud-based backup is critical for public sector agencies in the post-COVID world
Promoted

Why cloud-based backup is critical for public sector agencies in the post-COVID world

COVID forced Australia’s research cloud to grow-up fast: here’s what we’ve learned
Promoted

COVID forced Australia’s research cloud to grow-up fast: here’s what we’ve learned

Latest Jobs


  • Executive Director, Professional And Ethical Standards

    Department of Education

    • NSW
    Closing date 23rd February, 2021
    6 days ago Full Time - Ongoing
  • Assistant Director, Program and Strategy

    Department of the Premier and Cabinet

    • SA CBD
    Closing date 4th March, 2021
    6 days ago Full Time - Fixed Term
  • Director, Information Communication and Technology

    Department for Environment and Water

    • SA CBD
    Closing date 8th March, 2021
    6 days ago Full Time - Fixed Term
  • Management Consultant

    Kiah Consulting

    • ACT
    Closing date 5th March, 2021
    7 days ago Full Time - Ongoing
  • Manager, Corporate Services

    High Court of Australia

    • ACT
    Closing date 14th March, 2021
    just now
  • Chief Executive Officer

    Fiji Revenue and Customs Service

    • International
    Closing date 19th March, 2021
    3 days ago Full Time - Ongoing
Search All Jobs

Login

New to The Mandarin? Create an account

Forgot password?

Share via email

Access your 3 free Mandarin Premium articles

As part of your free trial you will receive 'The Juice', The Mandarin's daily free newsletter, the 'Premium wrap' every Saturday and marketing emails. You can opt out at any time.
Content
  • Small Logo
  • News
  • Research Series
  • Features
  • Portfolios
  • Jurisdictions
  • New Zealand
  • People & Capability
  • Thought Leadership
  • Editors' Picks
  • Resource Library
  • Site Map
Products & Services
  • Small Logo
  • The Juice Newsletter
  • Partner & Advertising solutions
  • Mandarin Live
  • Public Sector Events Calendar
  • Partner Content
  • Premium
  • Careers
Legal
  • Small Logo
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Usage
  • Code of Conduct
Connect
  • Small Logo
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Support
  • Our Team
Social
Copyright © The Mandarin
Private Media logo CRIKEY SMARTCOMPANY STARTUPSMART
wpDiscuz