https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Commentaries


Commentary

Making public services smarter

Making public services smarter

Alex Bäcker, founder and CEO of queue management technology company QLess, explains how governments can improve personal interactions between officials and citizens.
  • Written by contributor
  • 18th April 2018

By Alex Bäcker

In a sense, citizens interact with government all the time. Each morning, the average American gets up, drives their car to work on government-built and operated roads, drops their children off at a government-managed school, then goes on to work where electricity, water, and other luxuries of our modern age await—the product of massive government infrastructure projects and round-the-clock efforts from countless public-sector employees. Government services are everywhere, keeping you safe from foodborne illness, protecting your family from crime, and simply keeping the lights on, but somehow they only become apparent when something goes wrong.

It’s unfortunate, but true: these achievements of our elected and non-elected officials aren’t usually what people think of when they think of government services. To many people, “government services” instead signifies something you have to sift through when you need to get your parking permit extended or make an addition to your master bathroom. Fair or not, they’re kind of like the viola section in an orchestra—you only notice them when they’re bad. And, like an out of tune viola, they have an outsized effect on citizen satisfaction with government when things go wrong.

Getting public services right at every level is important. Most localities have the basics, such as power and sanitation, sorted out. Far fewer have a satisfactory system for dealing with forms, applications, and other in-person visits, however. And when it takes an hour to pay a parking permit or months to get your project approved, it’s no surprise that citizen satisfaction takes a beating. Today’s citizens, accustomed to the rise of customer-centric business models in the private sector, expect more from government, and when there is a lag in public sector agencies adopting this model it brings down citizen satisfaction.

This is where the spectacular ascent of mobile technologies is actually a positive development for public sector executives (if properly applied). Yes, social media means that every frustrated citizen now has the digital equivalent of megaphone to voice their grievances, but the ongoing development of data analytics and the mobile economy actually offer unprecedented opportunities for leaders to make government services more efficient.

Consider the ubiquitous government waiting room. In the eyes of citizens, these spaces are the symbol of everything that’s wrong with government and bureaucracy. Thanks to the widespread adoption of mobile devices, however, the experience of going to a government office need no longer be a day-ruiner. Customer experience management tools, such as virtual queue management tools or online appointment scheduling, can eliminate lines altogether from these spaces, saving citizens time and improving office morale. Furthermore, the fact that most citizens carry a mobile communication device in their pocket allows for dynamic systems that update in real time to adjust to delays either from the government agency or the consumer.

These kinds of technologies can and should be applied throughout spaces of primary citizen-government interaction. Town hall meetings, for instance, could be arranged to offer scheduled slots for everyone who wants to speak, even busy working families. Inspections can include, by design, surveys or other methods for gathering feedback to improve quality and consistency. There is no longer an excuse to have citizens wait anywhere, from jury duty to government services.

These suggestions are akin to what’s going on with the push toward smart cities right now, but it’s applying those principles directly to citizen engagement. Data analytics, IoT, design thinking—these are all facets of smart cities that can be hugely effective when applied to government services. While smart freeways, moving sidewalks, and similar innovations are extremely important and should be pursued with enthusiasm, the data shows that “keeping the trains running on time” is not enough to produce satisfied, engaged citizens. Cities and counties must work to improve those essential personal interactions between citizens and government employees to make citizens feel heard and appreciated—like they do when visiting their favorite businesses.

 

Alex Bäcker is founder and CEO of QLess, a queue management technology company. He serves on the California Institute of Technology’s Information Sciences and Technology Board of Advisors. 

 

_____________

To get connected and stay up-to-date with similar content from American City & County:
Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter
Watch us on YouTube

Tags: Administration Commentaries Commentary

Related


  • Biden’s relief plan includes $350 billion for local and state government
    President-Elect Joe Biden announced a $1.9 trillion relief plan Thursday to combat the COVID-19 crisis and the economic downturn it has caused. In addition to $400 million to combat the pandemic specifically, the proposal includes $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments that would help them to bridge budget shortfalls, help public works maintain […]
  • How Philadelphia is aiming for zero waste
    The city of Philadelphia has long collected data on city properties’ waste generation and leveraged it to improve waste management, but now it’s honing in on the commercial sector too, realizing this will be crucial to hitting Philly’s zero waste targets. Today it runs a voluntary program where both municipal and commercial operations do detailed […]
  • How the City of Fullerton navigated adding candidates to ballots remotely
    This time last year, we were all looking forward to 2020: the start of a new decade and big elections (federally and locally) were just a few of the things we were excited about as we closed out the year. Little did we know, the beginning of the end of “normal” would happen two month […]
  • Report: Many governments facing revenue shortfalls due to COVID-19
    A new survey of local governments reveals that 68 percent of responding governments see moderate, significant or major financial adjustments as being needed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The State of Local Government Survey, released by cloud ERP software provider OpenGov in December, reveals the gaps that 501 local governments have found across their […]

Related Content

  • Colorado county’s value-based health care strategy produces savings
  • BhamStrong delivers long-term solutions in uncertain times
  • Promoting municipal employees’ volunteer efforts
  • Colorado county refuses to enforce state orders as COVID-19 level increases

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

The latest episode The Young Leaders Podcast focuses on Cyril Jefferson. Cyril is the youngest African American to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Hillsboro, Oregon is pioneering a new #renewableenergy generation technology through a partnership with… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

27th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

The impact of the #COVID19 pandemic on #telework was swift and profound. Now, the big question is whether – and to… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Get ready for the can't-miss webinar on how to kickstart your efficiency improvement plan with Luke Anderson of… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

Among all states headed into the 2020 general election, which ones have voting populations that are the most demogr… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

26th October 2020
AmerCityCounty

We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts in our readership survey to help us shape future content so that we c… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

See how cities different approaches to distribute masks in their communities >> spr.ly/6010GAPLa

23rd October 2020
AmerCityCounty

While #facialrecognition is a powerful tool that can improve law enforcement efficiency, that doesn’t necessarily t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

23rd October 2020

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X