Success for E-Government in the US

New evidence from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) suggests that e-government in the US is becoming a preferred means of getting information, often outstripping private sector sources.

Worldwide e-Government research by TNS, reported a week ago on DRNO ( www.mrweb.com/drno/news2801.htm ), showed the US to be among the front runners in broadening e-government initiatives. The ACSI study shows that US e-government is also increasingly popular - users are very likely to recommend it to others, and will even do so when they regard sites as only 'fair' as opposed to 'good', perhaps because it is seen as more impartial than private sector alternatives.

'E-government is just about ready for prime time', said web analyst Larry Freed, CEO of survey partner ForeSee Results. 'Some government sites are already rivalling the private sector in terms of user satisfaction. Others have kinks to work out, but the user-driven approaches used by the best sites are clarifying the path forward for others and helping to break the logjam'.

The report shows ratings for 36 e-government sites - there is a wide range but clear overall improvement. Among the highest-performing on the user satisfaction scale were information sites operated by the National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus and MedLinePlus en español, and the women's health issues site, 4woman.gov. According to Freed, these sites are showing the way by 'mimicking the commercial sites in terms of experience, but adding a non-bureaucratic, customer-driven approach many would have not have thought possible of the government'. He adds that 'With all of the scams and spam and just plain made-up medical information swirling around the Internet, the reliability and credibility of government is very comforting to people'.

Anne Kelly, director of the Federal Consulting Group, which administers the ACSI for government agencies, says that e-government has 'reached the tipping point', with several factors spurring it on including President Bush's Management Agenda, demands from the Office of Management and Budget that agencies demonstrate a strong business case, and the creation of Web development groups throughout the government.

The ACSI is a national economic indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of products and services available to household consumers in the United States, produced by the University of Michigan in partnership with the American Society for Quality and the CFI Group. The e-government index, and other commercial e-commerce indices, are produced through a special partnership with ForeSee Results and Market Strategies Inc.

More details including company scores and other information about the ACSI can be found on the ACSI Web site: www.theacsi.org

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.