The UK has come out on top in a study of EU public sector organisations' preparedness to meet growing mobile usage by citizens.
In a report on European e-Government services for the European Commission, researchers at Capgemini Group said that public authorities are moving towards bringing services online for citizens but that progress is laboured.
According to Capgemini, which surveyed 10,000 websites across the EU member states, Europe is gaining digital maturity by bringing more services and information online, however users are being let down by a lack of personalisation – such as mobile accessibility.
More must be done in to improve user experience, including responsive websites, increasing transparency and simplifying services, says the report.
Governments are failing to make the most of the great opportunity offered by mobile devices. But there's one exception: the UK.
In Britain, mobile-friendly websites are provided across public sector domains, whereas in the rest of Europe, just one in four public websites is mobile friendly. This has resulted in public sector websites in the UK more than doubling the mobile traffic of their European counterparts, said the report.
Capgemini explained: "As soon as websites are designed for mobile, the number of users increases exponentially."
Organisations are failing to build trust, causing people to go offline, the report continued. "Trust is essential to attract more online users and subsequently realise the cost savings that online services potentially hold," it said.
And when it comes to simplifying services, "potential efficiency gains are not yet being realised", the report stated.
The Digital Single Market – backed by the EU as key to growth in the region – is not yet in sight, the researchers added. Cross-border mobility has improved but remains poor, with "very few" online transactions possible for citizens applying for public services in other European Union countries.
"Europe must embrace the power of modern technology to transform public services to keep up with other regions globally. Europe is currently in a position of potential. The key question is whether it can use that potential to truly deliver an advantage. Preparing digital strategies for realising a Digital Single Market is now more relevant than ever," commented Dinand Tinholt, vice president and global EU account director at Capgemini.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Shannon Greenhalgh
Quelle/Source: Misco, 25.06.2015
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