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Published: 30 November -0001
Though portals can ease interaction with government agencies, Jim Dillon says, they'll never totally replace government offices and won't offer immediate ROI. To New York state CIO Jim Dillon, portals have the capability of revolutionizing the way government attends to citizens and employees. Yet, he doesn't see them as a cost saver--at least when it comes to directly serving citizens--anytime soon.
True, New York has seen a 500% increase in each of the past two years in the number of residents using online self-service apps to renew driver's licenses and vehicle registrations, Dillon pointed out Wednesday at a teleconference sponsored by the Center for Digital Government. But the state still needs to staff offices to handle the millions of people who demand in-person and other nontechnical ways to register. "We can't target a specific demographic like Amazon does," Dillon says. "My 89-year-old mother will never renew her license online.
"Our budget people want to know if this new E-government initiatives will save money. They ask, 'Will there be fewer full-time equivalent'" workers? Dillon's answer: "No."
Still, he says, Web technology should cut costs as the state tailors to meet the job needs of state workers.
A main goal Dillon has established as New York refines existing portals and develops new ones is to create a common look. He cited two travel-agency sites as good examples: Orbitz and Expedia, which have the same interface for booking a flight, reserving a hotel room, and renting a car. Why is that important? "So people don't have to learn different skills as they navigate through government Web sites," he says. "We don't want to drive people away from online services but draw them into them."
Quelle: Information Week
