The Future of Digital Services: Five Trends Transforming Government

Government is often perceived as being behind the digital innovation curve, taking significantly longer to adopt web-based solutions than the private sector, with less enthusiasm and less skill. But in recent years, federal, state, and local agencies are challenging that perception. Creating and optimizing digital services has become a top priority for government.

The pressures forcing this change are varied. From the public, we hear calls for heightened transparency, accessibility, and user experience in government services. Internally, government sees digital governance as a way to cut costs and increase efficiency without deteriorating customer service.

But no matter the incentive, government is transforming. Now the question is, “How are public sector organizations going to catch up with, and possibly even surpass, the private sector’s digital progress?”

In the next few years, we see five major trends — many of which have already become a standard component of our interactions with private organizations — dominating government’s digital strategies. These are citizen-centric design, mobility, open source, information as a service, and innovative marketing. In our guide, The Future of Digital Services, we:

  • Explore these five trends that are guiding the transition to web-based services.
  • Discuss the challenges of digital governance with public and private sector leaders.
  • Highlight examples of digital innovation in federal, state, and local governments.
  • Provide guidance and resources to help agencies get started on digital initiatives.

Digital innovation is no longer optional for government agencies, but that doesn’t mean the federal government will provide a template for digital services. Instead, it will ultimately fall to individual agencies and departments to determine the purpose, design, and medium. But before you begin investing in these new virtual service models, you should learn the basics of what’s guiding digital service strategies and where they’re going next. This guide will help you do just that.

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