The United States ranked second among all nations–trailing
only Canada–in the provision of e-government services in a
recent study by the consulting firm Accenture, although the
study also warned that e-gov has its limits.
“What we have learned from speaking with governments and
citizens alike is that e-government is only one
component–albeit an important one–of a high-performance
government,” said Marty I. Cole, group chief executive of
Accenture’s government operating group. “This year’s
research shows that governments cannot afford to invest
all of their effort and resources in developing the online
channel alone to keep pace with citizen demands. The
entire government organization must become focused on
delivering services to citizens that are tailored to their
needs and circumstances, and are coordinated across the
various channels of interaction.”
For example, it said that despite the growth of online
communications, the telephone continues to be the
predominant means citizens use to communicate with their
governments, with 57 percent of respondents to polls
having used the telephone to interact with the government
in the prior 12 months, compared with only 22 percent who
had used the Internet.
The United States received an e-gov “maturity score” of
62 in the study, compared with the average of 48 for the
two dozen nations studied and 68 for Canada.
In overall customer service, Canada similarly led with a
60 percent score, with the U.S. second at 49, compared
with an average of 39. The overall customer service rating
was based on having a citizen-centered perspective,
cohesive multi-channel services, fluid cross-government
services and proactive communications and education.
