Integrated Electronic Access To Govt Information/Svs

Develop Integrated Electronic Access to Government Information and
Services

Quick Response, Complete Information, and a Happy Ending to Telephone
Tag

Imagine this:  A recent retiree goes to a government services kiosk,
located at his local post office. He wants information about his
retirement benefits. After requesting his Social Security Number and
other personal ID information, the kiosk prints a summary of his Social
Security contributions, as well as the benefits to which he is entitled
as a veteran. His annuity distribution options are included on the
printout, as are all of the rules governing earning income while
collecting retirement benefits. The kiosk then asks him if he wants
related information on retirement, information on senior citizens
groups--and brochures on collecting stamps as a hobby.

The government's primary mission is to provide quality services to the
public in a timely manner. However, access to government services is
cumbersome, uncoordinated, and not customer-friendly. If more than one
agency is involved, a customer must go through two or more rounds of
inquiries, with frequent routings from one government employee to
another.  Several recent government initiatives involving various
information access methods are improving service to citizens by making
information more readily available. Several of these initiatives are
described below.

Telephone Access.

Industry pioneered the use of the telephone to provide services to
customers. Toll-free numbers and guided questions by either a human or
computer speed callers to needed services.  Call receipt is logged and
automatically distributed, and responsiveness to customers can be
measured.

The government has begun to incorporate telephone-based techniques to
improve access to its services. For example, 70 percent of taxpayer
contacts with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are now conducted by
telephone. The IRS has made major improvements in theaccuracy of its
telephone service information and is able to resolve many taxpayer
problems in a single phone call--including accepting verbal statements
over the phone. The Social Security Administration (SSA) now receives
over 55 million calls a year requesting information and services over
its national 800 number. On a cross-agency basis, the Federal
Information Center (FIC), operated by the General Services
Administration (GSA), provides 800-number telephone service in major
metropolitan areas. The public may call FIC with any question or problem
related to the federal government.  Information specialists then
research the question and either provide an answer or the telephone
number of the specific federal office that should be contacted.

Kiosk Access.

Federal and state governments are developing approaches to providing
information and services through interactive, customer- activated
terminals called kiosks, which are modeled after automated teller
machines (ATMs).

The use of kiosks can create savings and generate revenues, as well as
provide information and services. For example, the Info/California
kiosk, a customer-activated terminal implemented by the State of
California, has generated major benefits, including lower costs for
customers of state information. For example, the kiosk offers a job
match service in which customers preregister to determine relevant
statewide employment openings.  Previously, the job match service cost
$150 per applicant. With preregistration at the kiosk, the cost is now
$40 per applicant.  Additionally, a California Department of Motor
Vehicle address change costs $5 in person, $2 if received in the mail,
and $1 if the transaction is received via the kiosk.[1) The State of
Iowa estimates that its kiosk technology saves the state $6 per birth
certificate issued ($7 manually versus $1 by kiosk technology).[2)

SSA is developing a new customer service initiative using kiosk
technology to provide a wide range of services. This pilot program, to
begin in late 1993, will provide information (retirement and disability
benefits information, Supplemental Security Income eligibility
requirements, etc.) and direct services (processing of entitlements,
status of pending claims, etc.).[3) The pilot program should result in:

---reduction in claims processing time,

---reduction in paper flow and file retention,

---enhanced customer service through a one-stop shopping concept, and

---increased productivity.[4]

In conjunction with this initiative, SSA, the U.S. Postal Service
(USPS), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are developing a
combined government services kiosk.[5] This kiosk will be a single
access point to services provided by the three agencies. Since these
three agencies represent a significant share of the federal government
"s contact with the public, this partnership will have a dramatic effect
on decreasing costs by reducing duplicate efforts and improving service
by providing public access from more locations.

Additional Access Methods

Many of the recent initiatives to provide electronic access have
included the use of personal computers. For example, the Library of
Congress has placed a searchable version of its catalog on Internet.[6]
For computational scientists, the Department of Energy, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science
Foundation (NSF) research centers have established Internet-accessible
libraries of government- sponsored software.

NSF and the National Institutes of Health routinely place their program
announcements and various other documents in an easily searchable and
retrievable form on Internet. NSF's Science and Technology Information
Service is accessed many thousands of times each week for information
about NSF activities, funding opportunities, abstracts about research
grants, and various reports on science and technology. Access is easy,
and is provided at no charge.

The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) operates a publicly
accessible dial-up electronic bulletin board system (BBS). This BBS,
called FedWorld, provides access to over 100 federal government
databases and bulletin board systems.  Planning is under way to place
this collection on Internet. A study has been completed recently to
examine the feasibility of expanding FedWorld into a locator service
that is a "comprehensive inventory and authoritative register of
information products and services disseminated by the federal
government," that can "assist agencies and the public in locating
federal government information."[7]

The Clinton administration has established Internet mailboxes for the
President and the Vice President (e.g., president@whitehouse.gov) for
direct electronic mail access by the public. The House of
Representatives has a pilot project under way to provide public e-mail
to seven congresspersons, and the Senate is expected to announce a
similar program shortly. If successful, all members of Congress will
eventually be accessible through Internet.

Most new information technology initiatives have their roots in the
private sector, since it is the private sector--not government--that is
usually first to adapt new information technologies to improve customer
service. One example of government and industry working cooperatively to
provide services is France's Minitel system. In the early 1980s, the
French Government opened its telephone network to provide a wide range
of services.[8] Minitel service is routinely used in homes and
businesses. It includes on-line retrieval services, credit reporting
services, airline reservations, telephone directories, and government
information. U.S. telecommunication and information services companies
have begun to offer similar services. The federal government, as a
potential customer and a provider of information that could be made
available electronically, could stimulate development of these services.

Need for Change

Citizen access to federal government information and services is
uncoordinated and not customer-friendly. Individuals must frequently
contend with several different organizations and processes in order to
complete a single transaction. In turn, the federal government expends
an inordinate amount of resources to complete actions. To receive
service, a customer must know whom to contact and how to contact that
organization: Government has not made public access easy. Information
technologies may be employed to reduce the complexities that citizens
face and consolidate actions required for providing services.

Several organizations have recommended (to different government
entities) ideas for employing information technology governmentwide to
improve services.

---The Service to the Citizen Intergovernmental Task Force requests
one-stop, easy citizen access to information.[9]

---The National Academy of Public Administration asks for electronic
access to government services.[10]

---The Program on Strategic Computing and Telecommunications in the
Public Sector suggests replacing face-to-face services with teleservice
and self-service.[11]

These organizations are but three of many that are organized and
committed to improving government. They advocate the increased use of
information technology as a key to improving customer service. However,
as similar as their recommendations may be, their suggested
implementations are quite dissimilar, pointing to a problem needing
action. Further, there is no lead agency or organization that can
coordinate the implementation of customer service initiatives. An
authoritative charter is needed to trigger progress.

A true nationwide one-stop 800-number government service does not exist.
Access to FIC is limited and not well-publicized. FIC primarily serves
customers in certain key metropolitan areas representing approximately
50 percent of the U.S. population. For individuals who live outside
these metropolitan areas, FIC's telephone number is not listed in many
of their local telephone company directories and may not be available
through directory assistance.

In the future, government information collection and distribution could
be accomplished directly by the public using electronic kiosks, personal
computers, interactive telephone voice response equipment, or other
electronic off-the-shelf devices. Interactive computers or electronic
kiosks could deliver a wide variety of government services, such as the
following.

---Governmentwide service directories--access directories of government
services, addresses (postal and electronic), and telephone numbers.

---Change of address service--automatically transmit, through a single
transaction, a new address to all service agencies selected by a
customer.

---Forms and publications--locate and request copies of government forms
and publications; these could be delivered and filled out
electronically, printed at the kiosk, or delivered by the post office.

---Tax filing--electronically input necessary financial data to allow
the IRS to perform tax computations for federal, state, and local
governments.

---Governmentwide information locator service--perform searches on
selected topics, list locations for the information, and provide
electronic links to the information.

---Multimedia and multilingual service delivery--provide information to
meet special needs of clients using video, audio, or multiple languages.

---Public messaging entry station--allow entry of messages to
government agencies and officials.

Government should form partnerships with the private sector to develop
and implement ideas on how to use information technology to provide new
and better services. Using the French Minitel model, both government and
business services would be accessible. These partnerships will allow the
federal government to provide additional services at less cost and will
take advantage of lessons learned by industry.

Cross References to Other NPR Accompanying Reports

Improving Customer Service, ICS01: Create Customer-Driven Programs in
All Departments and Agencies That Provide Services Directly to the
Public.

Reinventing Support Services, SUP02: Ensure Public Access to Federal
Information.

Transforming Organizational Structures, ORG05: Sponsor Three or More
Cross-Departmental Initiatives Addressing Common Issues or Customers.

Endnotes

1. Marshall, Shirley, Public Sector Industry Marketing, IBM Corporation,
June 1, 1993.

2. Stanek, Edward, Commissioner, Iowa Lottery Commission. "Iowa State
Briefing to the Interagency Information Resources Management
Infrastructure Task Group (IIITG), " Washington, D.C., November 9, 1992.

3. Interview with Dulaney, Phillip, Office of Telecommunications, Social
Security Administration, July 21, 1993. See also U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration, "SSA
Strategic Priority Tactical Plan, Fiscal Year 1993 Smart Machines -
(Other User Friendly Machines) - KIOSK, " 1992, p. 6.

4. Ibid., pp. 3-13.

5. Chamberlain, Charles, U.S. Postal Service, "Service-To-The-Citizen
(S-2-C) Kiosk, " Washington, D.C., August 10, 1993.

6. Internet is a global "network of networks" providing communications
among over one million computers and 10 million users.

7. See American Technology Preeminence Act of 1991, and U.S.  Department
of Commerce, National Technical Information Service, "FEDLINE: A
feasibility study of the establishment and operation of FedWorld, a
governmentwide information locator service at NTIS, " Washington, D.C.,
April 28, 1993, p. 1.

8. Conhaim, Wallys W., "Maturing French Videotext Becomes Key
International Business Tool, " Information Today, vol. 9, no. 1 (January
1992), p. 28.

9. Service to the Citizen Intergovernmental Task Force, Report of the
First Service to the Citizen Conference, Richmond, Virginia, June 1993
(Washington, D.C., July 1993), p. 4.  (Draft.)

10.  National Academy of Public Administration, The Information
Government: National Agenda for Improving Government through Information
Technology (Washington, D.C.,1993), p. 14.

11. John F. Kennedy School of Government, Program on Strategic Computing
and Telecommunications in the Public Sector, "Service to the Citizen:
Information technology and customer service excellence in government,"
Harvard University, May 1993, p. v.  (Draft.)