Top 9 Government Services Trends for 2022

Government services are constantly adapting to meet the needs of consumers, as the world continues to evolve. By adopting emerging trends and technologies, governments are able to provide an efficient and streamlined approach to the public sector thus improving the quality of life of residents. 

Restructuring and rebuilding services are set to become a strong component of the diversification of government services. The use of digital assistants, all-in-one platforms, and increased security play a crucial role in repositioning the wealth of opportunities that lie ahead. 

Below are the top government service trends set to rise in 2022 and beyond.

1. Government-as-a-Platform

One platform where customers can complete many or all government services

Government agencies are moving towards providing one secure interface where customers can complete all government services in one place (e.g. an app, dashboard, one-stop government authority office). This platform may use a single digital sign-on or a national ID sign-on. It is open, shared and built upon digital infrastructure, such as cloud computing and APIs, that allow government agencies, citizens and residents, the private sector, NGOs, and academia to use or provide new Gov 2.0 services and solutions - ones that are more simple, fast, user-friendly, intuitive, efficient, anticipatory, and oftentimes automated.

2. Digital Security and Digital Standards

Secure platforms, logins, and data 

Government agencies that are building these secure platform logins, secure interfaces, and secure data across platforms are a step in the direction of increasing the ease and convenience, while building stronger citizen trust. The next stage of digital security is to provide government-mandated / regulated data security. Some governments are starting to offer ways which allow customers to control who views their personal data, with standards being set around data security, digital rights, and violations. For example, customers can submit a claim when their digital rights have been infringed upon or digital assets have been stolen (e.g., cryptocurrency, digital real estate, digital clothing, graphics)  and administrators have a period of time to address it.   Establishing clear standards around data is critical for effective and accurate information sharing, particularly as intelligent automation relies on data. Data standards include how data is formatted, stored, used, accessed and shared. 

“Globally, we have more threats from cyber criminals, cyber espionage, or personal data breaches. Citizens are getting more worried. How do we keep citizen trust in security as high as possible? In Finland, we use a digital security public sector framework to increase trust. This includes risk management, business continuation, information security, and data privacy. We also have in-house cybersecurity.”

Kimmo Rousku

General Secretary, Finnish Digital Agency

Finland

3.  Anticipatory Services

Government services bundled around a citizen’s life events 

Government agencies are moving towards bundling services around life events. They anticipate which government services will be needed during a specific life event, such as a birth, marriage, or death and build the customer experience around it. As a result, various government agencies come together to provide a single cohesive process in a convenient way for the customer.

“You could combine agencies around life events, e.g. birth, name, life benefits, certificates all in one day. The government knows the baby was born since the hospital creates a medical record. Why do we wait for you to come to us? We could send an automated email thanking you for our new citizen.”

            

Siim Sikkut 

Government Chief Information Officer

Republic of Estonia

 

“There are typically 14 moments of life from childbirth to death. Let's string those services together during those life events so it is a one-stop shop. When people are in that situation, they want to deal with one government, not eight agencies or 15 agencies.”

Chan Cheow Hoe

Government Chief Digital Technology Officer

Singapore

 

4.  Invisible Services, or Consult-Only

Completing government services in the back-end without bothering the customer

Don’t bother the customer at all. Governments can work on behalf of the customer directly from the back end of specific government services and simply notify the customer it has been completed via email, e.g., renewing a driver’s license or permit. Also, some governments are starting to remove unnecessary or outdated government services. For example, you would not need the customer to take an eye test if you consent to access to the government service entity or to fill out a form at a physical government office to renew your driver’s license if it is automatically renewed. 

“A customer may say, ‘I am already a member at your bank. Why do I have to provide my tax returns, ID card, and personal information again? It should be pre-filled and seamless, just like at Apple.’”

• Ian Khan 

Technology Futurist & Filmmaker

Canada

 

“The best government experience is when we don’t bother people at all. And that’s invisible services, or consult-only. Everything else is done at the back-end. For this, we need a trust environment to access company records, employment records, and annual reports. It would be machine to machine.”

            

Siim Sikkut 

Government Chief Information Officer

Republic of Estonia
 

“If we could minimize the friction, most people would appreciate it. For example, filing your taxes could be like a root canal operation. But in Singapore, many people can file their taxes in a few minutes. Your income is already pre-filled and your deductions are already calculated. If you are satisfied, click the ‘I acknowledge’ button. ”

Chan Cheow Hoe

Government Chief Digital Technology Officer

Singapore
 

5.  Open Collaborations

Moving away from silos to open collaborations

Internally, government agencies are moving away from the hierarchical structure, and working in silos, towards collaborating with others within their agency,  as well as with other agencies, and individuals outside of government, in order to attain the talent, skills, and data they need to improve government services. New trends include open collaborations, open teams, open thinking,  shared knowledge, shared (but secure) data, and open APIs (Application Programming Interface), allowing two applications to talk to each other. 

“We move away from silos to a shared digital infrastructure across silos: shared digital ID, shared personal data, shared digital payment infrastructure connected to customer bank accounts, and APIs. Any agency can plug into this, even small agencies like cemeteries, trash collection, and universities. Each agency cannot do this on their own since it is beyond their scope.”

      

• Stefano Quintarelli  

Chairman of the Italian Digital Agency

Italy
 

6.   Talent and Incentives Reform

New skills, new mix of team members, and new incentives

Internally, teams are moving towards upskilling their employees by attaining a new mix of skills and training that is needed for reform. This could include: 

• Sector specific specializations

• Customer / service design

• Customer service

• Leveraging frontier technologies for digital transformation

• Information Technology (IT) for storing, retrieving, and sending data 

• Cybersecurity and digital security

• Collaborative skills

• Soft skills

There could also be a hybrid approach for forming teams, with team members coming together from both within and outside of government. This could include:

• Civil servants across agencies

• IT professionals

• Technologists 

• Data scientists

• User experience / service designers

• Behavioral experts

• Entrepreneurs

• Consultants

• Vendors 

• Customers

• NGOs

• Teams and advisors across countries 

Additionally, agencies around the world understand that intrinsic and extrinsic incentives need to be restructured in order to attract the talent needed for reform. Examples include bonuses and promotions tied to KPIs (key performance indicators), as well as intrinsic incentives, such as flexible working and working from home for two / three days a week. We expect to see more governments reforming incentives to create an innovative, customer-centric culture environment.
 

7.  New Service Delivery Methods

Adding digital assistants

In addition to existing methods such as phone, email, SMS, websites, social media, and apps, government agencies are keeping an eye on emerging methods, including next-gen digital assistants or bots (“digital assistants 2.0”) such as next-gen Siri or Alexa. These will be able to answer more complex questions and eventually guide customers through the entire government service process. In the immediate future , these digital assistants will likely develop to embed virtual and/or augmented reality (e.g. as an avatar public servant), or leverage the Internet of Things (e.g. Google or Siri connected to your phone, car or fridge). 

“AI-enabled chat digital assistants will advance. Instead of giving you FAQs, they will start to have a conversation with you and give complex answers, e.g. Where is the cheapest place to go for a heart valve procedure? Instead of the customer doing research on Yelp or review sites, the bot can answer by quickly checking across insurance companies, pricing, and track record data. Some people will still want to talk to a human just to confirm before they complete the final government service.”

• Daniel Chenok 

Executive Director, IBM Center for the Business of Government

United States of America

8.  Digital inclusion

Ensuring marginalized populations are not left behind

There is a need to ensure that no customer or citizen segments are left behind. Here, governments look to offer multiple effective service delivery channels, and/or services personalized to all customer digital adoption appetites and marginalized populations (e.g. eldery, disabled, the homeless). They may also increase educating customers on the benefits of new service delivery methods, guiding or nudging customers over the first digital hump.

 

9.  Formal Government Service Structures and Budgets

Separate legal government entity dedicated to government services

Although in the nascent stage, some governments have begun thinking about 

 1) how various government agencies can work together as ‘one government’ when approaching customers, or 

2) decoupling government service responsibilities from existing government agencies altogether (e.g. Ministry of Healthcare, Ministry of Education). This model includes moving government service responsibilities to its own independent structure with its own leader, legal authority, and budget (e.g., Ministry of Government Services). 

In summary, a pivotal direction towards increased customer satisfaction digital connectivity will enable better societal inclusion, increased productivity internally and a drive towards increased efficiency, limiting a bureaucratic hangover. 

Furthermore, by introducing and embedding increased digital security and all-encompassing services across digital platforms, many customer segments will experience a positive government services experience.