For the vast array of products we provide, GovPilot’s business model is really quite simple. We serve local government, local government serves constituents and for this reason, we build the GovPilot platform to serve both.
From reading client reviews to attending town hall meetings, our team is forever gathering information on the wants, needs and expectations of both sectors.Two recent, survey-supported studies show that we aren’t alone in our research.
One survey looks at e-government from the constituent’s point-of-view, while the other considers the nascent digital services landscape from government’s perspective. GovPilot analyzes the findings of these sister studies in our two-part blog post, “Exploring and Exceeding E-Government Expectations”. Part 2 examines digital services from government’s perspective.
Part 1 of “Exploring and Exceeding E-Government Expectations” reviews the findings of a series of surveys conducted by technology consulting firm, Accenture. Accenture’s findings indicate that most citizens are happy with the way the relatively new catalog of e-government tools is unfolding, but how are its adopters faring?
Public Sector Media Group decided to find-out. The Government and Education IT research center polled 108 government professionals to gauge the expectations of e-government’s other beneficiaries.
Not surprisingly, government’s expectations are heavily influenced by constituent desires. Part 2 discusses how these expectations measure-up to the reality GovPilot clients across the country are working in.
4 E-Government Expectations that GovPilot Makes Reality
Expectation #1:Widespread Compliance with Requirements/Mandates
GovPilot is proven to boost compliance rates.
Shared By: 74% of Survey Respondents
Reality: From permit and license issuance to mosquito control, federal agencies entrust a lot of responsibility to county and municipal government officials, who in turn rely on constituents to cooperate with processes. GovPilot makes compliance a piece of cake for all involved.
Placed on a client’s official website, GovPilot digital application and request forms are an expedient alternative to paper documents. Constituents submit critical information and any associated fees in one fell swoop, no snail mail or visit to city hall necessary. Administrations that utilize convenient digital forms see a spike in compliance rates.
Take client, New Providence, New Jersey, for example. The town’s 2016 decision to digitize its resident and non-resident parking permit application process caused the demand for limited non-resident permits to skyrocket. A mere three hours after the ecommerce capable forms debuted, New Providence had generated a whopping $85k. At one point, the town even ran out of parking permits!
Expectation #2: Improved Quality/Speed of Services
Government wants to do better and GovPilot makes it possible.
Shared By:69% of Survey Respondents
Reality:GovPilot allows local government to manage optimal compliance rates with minimal stress. GovPilot replicates clients’ long-standing order of operations to build an automated workflow that handles assignment, scheduling and a slew of other time-consuming tasks.
Indeed, Richard Behm, IT/Telecom Director for Camden County, NJ, credits GovPilot with, “improving processes, response times and accountability to our residents.”
Expectation #3: Improved Efficiency of Internal Processes
Internal efficiency translates to swift turnaround.
Shared By: 64% of Survey Respondents
Reality: 64% of officials Public Sector Media Group questioned believe that implementing e-government services will facilitate more efficient internal processes—a move that they trust will cut operational costs and improve citizen satisfaction. Their belief is our mission statement.
The short response times Behm praises can be attributed to streamlined behind-the-scenes processes. GovPilot automation shuffles constituent data through the appropriate channels, past human error and into government records for later illustration on GovPilot’s geographic information system (GIS) map.
Expectation #4: Improved Citizen Perceptions of Government Operations
Perception is reality.
Shared By:64% of Survey Respondents
Reality: As revealed in Part 1, nearly 60% of constituents are pleased with e-government services. That percentage is poised to climb as more clients take advantage of GovPilot’s public-facing GIS map. As GovPilot Vice President, James Delmonico explains, “This one tool provides the public with a wealth of information–everything from zoning, flood and parcel tax information as well as the ability to run comparative reports.”
Here’s how it works: filters present constituents’ desired government data sets in vibrant, easily digestible layers. Pulled from records in GovPilot’s server, users can trust that all information is accurate and up-to-date.
E-government has grown in scope and importance in a relatively short amount of time. GovPilot is pleased to see that so have government and constituent expectations. After all, high standards inspire lofty goals.
GovPilot thanks Accenture and Public Sector Media Group for assessing e-government satisfaction levels on both, equally important sides and sharing those eye-opening findings.
