Study: The customer is king

As governments expand their online services, Accenture Ltd. is encouraging chief information officers to embrace customer relationship management techniques to improve their programs. Stephen Rohleder, group chief executive in the government operating group of the Hamilton, Bermuda-based company, presented findings from Accenture's new report, "eGovernment Leadership: Engaging the Customer," in a keynote speech April 8 at the FOSE conference in Washington. In addition to using customer relationship management techniques that are gaining acceptance in the private sector, Rohleder said it is also important for governments to involve users in developing new services. Accenture's report gave high marks to Canada's e-government efforts for its cross-agency, multiple-channel approach to providing services. On a tier below Canada were Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.E-government programs must clearly identify their objectives, put only the right services online and find ways to measure their success. Governments need to know what works, Rohleder said.