Online service is still an alien concept in the public sector
E-mail communication is currently less important than telephone and postal channels
Most citizens are forced at some point to visit public authorities in person
Great potential: communication between citizens and authorities
There is a lot of room for improvement in communication between citizens and public authorities. It is still unusual to find efficient internet or e-mail contacts, virtual assistance or live chat options. Although two thirds of all public authorities in Germany utilize the internet as a communication channel, most available sites are the online equivalent of a visiting card. Public sector directors admit it themselves. Four fifths consider that they are trailing behind the financial sector. The result: approximately 75 percent of public authorities want to invest in digital citizen’s service over the next 12 months. One of the main aims is to improve facilities for completing forms and downloading information online. In addition, the authorities are planning to implement citizen’s portals. These are the results of the study on e-government trends and tendencies carried out by novomind AG and the journal "eGovernment Computing".
In most cases, citizens are still required to contact authorities in person
In almost all cases, anyone in Germany who wants to register a new place of residence, or put in a request for a new driver’s license or car permit is forced to visit the relevant authority in person. Although 88 percent of Germany citizens would like to be able to sort out their paperwork online, only a third of all public authorities offer forms which can be completed online, for example. And most citizens’ queries and problems can only be solved by contacting the authorities in person. The reason: in most cases, available online information fails to answer citizens’ queries effectively. Almost all citizens who tried an online channel to access the information they required subsequently turned to their local authority offices for personal assistance.
Communication by phone or by post is still more common thane-mail
As well as personal contact, the telephone is the most important communication channels at 93 percent. Postal communication comes in second with 89 percent, beating e-mails, which are used by 89 percent of all public authorities to communicate with citizens. The authorities do not make it easy for citizens to communication by electronic mail. Just 57 percent of public authority offices offer an e-mail contact form on their homepage. If a citizen does manage to send an e-mail to a state authority, he/she then has to wait an average of almost two days before receiving a response. The problem: incoming e-mails generally arrive in general contact inboxes and require manual forwarding before reaching the relevant contact person. The result: high administrative costs and delayed a-mail responses. Less than half of the e-mails are delivered directly to the relevant administrator’s inbox. One reason for this is that most public authorities have still to implement e-mail management systems to distribute e-mails automatically. And just a third currently utilize an intelligent knowledge database to generate automatic answers to FAQs.
About the study
The press release is based on the study on e-government trends and tendencies carried out in July, 2004 by novomind AG in cooperation with the journal "eGovernment Computing", with the support of Inworks GmbH. 165 specialists and managers from federal, state and local authorities participated in the study.
novomind: software solutions for professional customer communication
novomind AG is the leading provider for digital customer communication solutions enabling optimized processes and lower costs. The product department’s portfolio includes e-mail management systems, as well as virtual customer services assistants and systems for interactive communication in real time. The novomind services department develops complex e-business applications, including scalable online shop solutions. novomind’s products and solutions focus on future-oriented service, efficient and personalized communication, and higher-performance administration. A rapid ROI is guaranteed and ongoing, long-term customer loyalty ensured. Leading companies from across the market sectors including Bertelsmann Der Club, Otto, Sparkasse Erlangen, BKK Gesundheit, Travelocity and Hannoversche Leben, as well as public sector representatives such as the German Federal Ministry of Health and Social Security (BMGS) have already successfully implemented novomind systems to boost customer loyalty, turnover and public relations.