Federal agency trends worth noting

Look for increased collaboration, improved customer service and greater use of mobile devices and applications at federal agencies in 2013.

Some 200 staffers in U.S. federal agencies predicted the top 2013 trends in a recent GovDelivery survey. Respondents were asked to identify the top trends from a list of hot topics, such as big data/open data, cybersecurity, budgets, technology and cloud computing. GovDelivery is a blog about government-to-citizen communication, Government 2.0 and other e-government issues.

Respondents were asked to look at the trends through several filters, including trends that directly affect the staffers’ own work and trends that the staffers’ own organizations are already addressing.

Survey respondents ranked mobile government/bring your own device (BYOD) as one of the top trends among federal agencies in 2013. “Citizens and constituents are embracing mobile technologies and mobile apps at a rapid pace, creating new opportunities for government agencies to engage with them,” says the GovDelivery summary.

Citizen/customer service is another top trend at federal agencies that the GovDelivery survey spotlighted. “Federal agencies want to improve service, whether the customer is a taxpayer working with the IRS, a patient at the Department of Veterans Affairs, or one of the many other types of agency customers,” according to the GovDelivery summary.

Increased collaboration is another 2013 trend at federal agencies that the GovDelivery survey highlights. According to respondents, there is more collaboration taking place—including inter-agency teamwork and collaboration with the public. Readily available digital tools and technologies are spearheading the increased collaboration, according to the GovDelivery report.

Go here for more information on federal trends that are at the top of the heap in 2013.