Digital citizen services: From frustrating to user-friendly

Experts from OpenText share how governments can smoothen services for better citizen experiences.

One family in the USA faced a particularly challenging IT problem. Their young toddler got access to the family iPad and repeatedly entered the wrong password, locking the device until 2067.

Passwords are a common source of frustration for those familiar with digital services. Having to repeatedly enter the same password is inconvenient and slows down citizens’ interactions with the government.

Experts from OpenText share how online services can be made more seamless for citizens, enabled by data sharing behind the scenes. They share how a single platform can connect government data, eliminating potential frustrations.

Addressing citizen frustration

Re-entering passwords multiple times to access different government services is a key source of frustration, says Brian Chidester, Head of Worldwide Industry Strategy, Public Sector at OpenText. This often happens when public sector departments don’t share information with one another, he explains.

Sharing information not only means citizens don’t need to enter their password repeatedly, it also allows government websites to provide only the information that’s relevant to each citizen, he adds. For instance, a citizen that applies for unemployment support may also benefit from seeing what reskilling programmes are available.

Government as one

One government has found success in connecting its systems. Qatar linked up its databases so citizens could access various services, within one site. This ranges from replacing a lost vehicle license plate to arranging for medication deliveries.
 

Governments will eventually move away from technology that keeps information in one place and doesn’t share it easily. Until then, building this platform can connect their data silos and reduce citizen frustration in the short term, Chidester says.

“In the long term, this platform can be the blueprint of futuristic government services”, notes Randy Goh, Regional Vice President, OpenText Southeast Asia. “Having the ability to share data and connect across governments is vital, no matter the demands of citizens today or 10 years from now”, he shares.

Making it accessible 

OpenText can help governments build this connection between their databases, Chidester says. Its platform takes zero coding experience to navigate and build.

This means that citizen-facing officials can work with IT teams to ensure that this new platform reduces password re-entry, for example. They may even integrate it with popular office tools such as Workday and Salesforce, he explains.
It doesn’t take long, either. Development is not a nine month or year long project anymore, “we're talking weeks” before citizens can start to see improvements, notes Chidester.

“Digital services and citizen-centric thinking are more intertwined than ever,” says Samantha Chan, Senior Account Executive at OpenText Southeast Asia. It is key that government officials who understand what frustrates citizens, are there to address issues in the development
stage, she adds.

The perfect public service reduces, rather than creates, frustration. Citizens want to avoid inconvenience like multiple sign-ons, and being able to connect back-end systems is key to making that possible.