Accenture's fifth annual global e-government study

2004 key findings
The personalization of eGovernment services can
be seen as an evolution of the intentions-based
approach where a basic form of segmentation was
used. Current personalization efforts engage in
greater segmentation. The goal is to develop personalized
services that interpret available data within
the context of a particular time, whereby the services
and information offered change as certain life
events occur.
In 2004 we found some evidence of personalization in
governments’ approaches to online service, specifically
in relation to their eGovernment portals. However,
implementation appears to be in its infancy.
For example, France is planning to establish a personalized
portal, myservice-public.fr, as one of its
main priorities for 2004. In January 2004, Singapore
launched a more personalized portal in pilot form,
my.eCitizen, where citizens can customize and
personalize their view of the eGovernment portal,
removing links and information about services that
are not relevant to their particular life situation.
The Canada site (www.canada.gc.ca) offers an option
for users to create their own customized page. The
government offers alternate versions of
its main site, such as for use on a mobile phone or
through a Blackberry device. This is personalization
not in the sense of personal interests, but in the
sense of preferred channels.
Personalization is not without its challenges. Aside
from privacy concerns, there is the risk that citizens
will be disinclined to undertake much effort to
create a personalized site. From the government’s
perspective, a consequence of privacy protection
means that there are legislative limits to how much
personal information can be gathered. Therefore, the
real trend regarding personalization may be how far
governments can take the concept of anonymous
personalization. The concept is about maximizing
the amount of services that can be matched to citizens’
interests and needs for a minimum amount
of confidential information. For example, personalization
based on usage patterns in Internet-based
transactions is a form of anonymous personalization
that is widely used by commercial organizations. It
drives loyalty (good for commercial revenues) and
transaction efficiency. Similarly, call patterns in call
centers and visit patterns in offices, when combined
with segment analysis, could be used to improve
transaction quality and efficiency and balance channel
operations. Some countries currently allow users
to view personalized services based on location
through entry of a postal code. Anonymous personalization
balances citizens’ service desires with their
privacy concerns and governments’ automation
goals with their legal limitations. It will be a theme
to watch for the future.
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