Abstract
Integrated information systems enable governments to provide better services to citizens. With the aid of such systems, citizens and service agents are able to communicate and resolve issues faster and with ease. The present study looks at an integrated information system employed in a government call centre in South India to gauge its value for the government and citizens. A holistic evaluation of the integrated information system was made in order to identify the impact on governance-centric values for citizen services. Analysis of call logs, process flows, citizen feedback and web-presence led to an understanding of aspects that disable better utilization of the integrated information systems for citizen-centric services. The call centre lagged in efficient resource allocation, agent utilization and process flow that are essential for creating value for the government by improving operations and processes. Citizen-centric values that were affected emerged mainly from the inadequateness in service quality and paucity of digital access. Resource utilization, process efficiency, higher participation by citizens through the digital medium and citizen satisfaction were seen as areas that could impact services offered to the citizens positively.
Keywords
Introduction
Customer or citizen orientation is a concept that is difficult to apply to government institutions owing to the hard-coded structures and processes in place, aggravated more so with the complex arrangement where multiple channels and administrators are involved. However, digitization has created possibilities for governments to provide systems that are efficient, citizen-centric and user friendly. Nevertheless, governments are still grappling with the shift from techno-centric to citizen-centric governance owing to multiple reasons as highlighted by Saxena (2005), namely lack of clear vision, process orientation, performance management system and flexible technology architecture that allow for security, accessibility and scalability. He calls for a shift from computerization to reform in e-government implementations for building an ‘information society’, in the true sense of the term, where all citizens are benefitted.
The call for reform points towards a shift from the existing to the new. Citizens are an important stakeholder in e-government systems and for such systems to be successful a governance system based on a citizen-centric view, as mentioned earlier, is imperative. A citizen-centric system needs to be useful for the citizen and, according to Nielsen (2012), a useful system should combine utility and usability. Davison (2005) observes how reengineering of governments, owing to their bureaucratic systems, is required to derive better value out of e-government. Hence, it is the front-end citizen focus along with back-end transition towards an effective process that will enable better utilization of e-government systems.
India has been in the forefront of digital initiatives in the last few years with its ‘Digital India’ programme. Statista reports indicate (Statista, 2018) that India had 462.12 million internet users as of December 2017. With a population of more than 1.3 billion, there is a considerable proportion of users to be tapped beyond the internet. Further to this, in 2017, 320.57 million people accessed the internet through their mobile phone, a figure which is projected to reach 462.26 million in 2021 (Statista, 2017), thereby indicating the increasing potential for digital services through mobile phone. These figures point towards the need for the Indian government to design services for all citizens keeping in mind their digital behaviour and channel preferences.
Customer relationship management (CRM) systems used extensively in the private sector can be used by governments to achieve better utility for citizens, only that citizens need to be seen as customers. King (2007) advocates for the use of CRM systems by governments and suggests that such systems used by governments should be different from the model followed by the private sector. He adds that the power distribution of the CRM systems should be balanced between the government and the citizen. However, the present government systems in India have not yet reached there.
Better integration of the back-end of an e-government system that aligns with efficient processes along with usable front-end interfaces can provide better value both to governments and citizens. Brewer, Neuhauer, and Geiselhart (2006) argue that IT systems can be designed to increase the agility of public agencies and thereby improve democratic processes. They uphold the importance of democratic values to be employed as a basis for designing an IT infrastructure which can foster good governance. The present study looks at the design of an existing operational integrated information system for a government call centre and assesses the values that it creates for the government and the citizens. In addition, the study also aims to confirm whether the system is designed on values appropriate for a useful e-government system. Hence, the aim of the study is to find out how are governance-centric values influenced in service provisioning through integrated information systems.
Literature Review
Studies on e-government have stressed on a paradigm shift that calls for government institutions to be more citizen-oriented. Walsham (2010) noted in his review of e-government studies conducted specifically in India that the beneficiaries of e-government implementations are almost always not the poorest or most disadvantaged groups. He further acknowledged the difficulties in scaling up initiatives to have effects throughout India and that there was a fundamental issue of an attitudinal and institutional change. Implementing new technologies also brings with it a number of challenges pertaining to uncertainty, acceptance, training, efficiency and support. Walsham argued that ICT can be an important contributor to the benefit of the larger population only when it is integrated in wider socio- technical intervention.
Integrated information systems that are built with proper consideration of their users and their social and cultural contexts can benefit governments whose services reach across all the dimensions of the society. Such a system that is digitally enabled and improves service delivery to citizens by providing citizen-centric services through integration of multiple channels is referred to as citizen service information system (CSIS) by Chen (2010). According to her, ‘An integrated information system implies, at minimum, information integration of various units of government within one public organization or across a number of them’ (p. 429). She adds that such a system also provisions for availability of multiple channels through which citizens’ requests for information and services are fed into a centralized citizen relationship management. Citizens are able to make a call from their phones and report any problem or to get information and can check the status of the same over websites. Though such systems emphasize citizen-centric service delivery, there has been a lack of studies on the value created by such systems.
E-government is built on the values of openness and higher reachability. Transparency, simplicity and timeliness are some other benefits of e-government, which bureaucratic institutions often struggle to achieve. To add to this there are issues such as digital divide that emerging economies have to deal with (Reddick, Abdelsalam, & Elkadi, 2012). Integrated systems can add value by addressing these issues by providing multiple channels for citizens who, based on their convenience and level of comfort with technology, can connect to a centralized repository. Such systems also obliterate the boundaries between departmental silos and enable a simpler process flow, which is of value to the citizens. The digitally illiterate or not-so-literate citizen can also choose to avail the services through a call centre, a walk-in kiosk or telecentre.
Singh and Sahu (2008) discuss the value of integrated systems as a multi-channel medium for citizens to access the government. The authors cite a number of limitations of internet-based citizen interface with the government and propose the usefulness of government call centres in overcoming the digital divide. Citizens call to avail a service or report a problem, which is then updated in a centralized database that integrates data from the different departments and the services. Any information can be retrieved from this central repository by any party through multiple channels—whether it be through telephone, internet or call centres. However, not many studies have been conducted so far on the effectiveness of such integrated systems.
Dwivedi, Weerakkody, and Janssen (2012) stress upon the need to look at e-government in its idiosyncrasies that are far removed from what information system theories and studies done in the business context have to offer. They argue that an e-government is far more challenging than the normal business context owing to factors of accountability, digital divide, legislation, public governance, institutional complexity and citizens’ needs. They uphold the need for considering both the government and citizens’ perspectives when evaluating the idea of e-government along with variables such as success, failure and satisfaction.
Rana, Dwivedi, and Williams (2013) noted in their review of e-government literature that challenges and barriers in the supply side were three times that of the demand side and that citizens’ satisfaction, information accuracy, security and privacy were some of the critical factors for the success of e-government initiatives. The challenges reported by the authors were technological barriers, lack of security and privacy, lack of trust, lack of resources, digital divide, poor management and infrastructure, lack of awareness, legal barriers and lack of IT infrastructure and its resilience. Groznik and Trkman (2009) note that though governments have been quick to adopt visibility in terms of making information available to the citizens, a lot remains to be done in the upstream. They noted that most of the challenges did not lie on the technological front but were instead connected with business process renovation, project management, unclear goals and responsibilities and absence of proper coordination among various ministerial and governmental bodies. Other studies in e-government have stressed on integration that works as a one-stop shop for the citizens (Choudrie, Weerakkody, & Jones, 2005; Daniel & Ward, 2006; Ebrahim & Irani, 2005). However, though there is integration at the technology level, the departments continue to operate in silos (King, 2007).
The purpose of this article is to do a well-rounded evaluation of the integrated CSIS by assessing the value created by it for the government and citizens, that is, the two major stakeholders. The study is an attempt to acquire a better understanding of how to make such systems more impactful. Going forward, the design of such systems should be founded on the values for good governance, which will become a fundamental step towards better impact.
The study responds to the literature that stress on a need for e-government to undergo a fundamental shift towards looking at the whole rather than parts. Bélanger and Carter (2012) advocate for e-government systems to move from technology adoption to value-based services that benefit both agencies and citizens. Rose, Persson, and Heeager (2015) identify that e-government systems prioritize administrative efficiency over service improvement and citizen engagement. Akesson, Skalén, and Edvardsson (2008) endorse the need for studying institutional forces in e-government along with the emergence of service- orientedness. Tat-Kei Ho (2002) emphasized the need for government institutions to undergo a transformation to adopt a supplier approach that concerns cost effectivity as well as a more user-centric approach for better user satisfaction, flexibility and efficient links with parties both external and internal.
Several studies have confirmed the benefits of CRM technologies for citizens (Reddick, 2009). However, these technologies too need to be based on value for government and citizens. Reddick (2010) points at issues of lack of integration between government website and the telephone services. In another study, Reddick (2011) stressed on the importance of bringing about internal change in the impact of CRM technology on governments, rather than just focusing on the outward alone. The present study is based on the premise that the value of e-government is contingent upon the holistic performance of the system both at the back end and front end with focus on citizen-centric service delivery. In doing so, the study primarily takes a ‘service science’ lens in order to understand the complex nature of service systems. The lens helps to obtain an interdisciplinary view of services in understanding the construction, management, analyses and evolution of service systems (Carroll, Richardson, & Whelan, 2012).
Due to lack of proper integration of not only technology but also back-end processes and inability to understand the citizen-specific needs, there has been a shortfall in achieving the best results through digitalization of government systems. The present study happens to be the first one to the best of the author’s knowledge which assesses a government call centre from the perspective of back-end integration and front-end use and service in order to assess the value it creates for both the government and citizens. The findings will have implications for a governance- centric system that benefits the citizens and, in turn, the government. The study is based in the context of a South Indian state and uses a case study method. It proposes that integration in information systems in e-government has to be accompanied with a holistic transformation of agency level process, operations and skills and citizen-centricity.
Research Methodology
A case study method was adopted for the study wherein a government call centre in a state in South India was chosen. The analysis was conducted in multiple phases, as shown in Figure 1, which involved process flowcharts of the calls from initiation until resolution, call logs, observing agents handling live calls and citizen feedbacks collected through telephone interviews. A review of the web service available to citizens for tracking their call status was also conducted.
The call volume was analysed by hours of a day, week and month, followed by average call-handling time by month and geographical locations. Subsequently, complaints lodged by district and channel, and percentages of complaints resolved and pending, were analysed. The interviews with the 25 citizens were done in the vernacular and were translated into English for analysis. An online review was performed by a certified usability specialist (the author) to assess the web presence of the CSIS.
Findings
The study revealed aspects of integrated information systems that spanned across process, operations, skills and citizen-centricity. To give a brief outline of the call centre operations, the call centre received complaints and grievances from anywhere around the globe on a 24×7 basis. The calls that were received through the telephone were attended by the designated agent in the call centre (four in number in each shift). During peak time the calls were placed in queue. The complaint was forwarded to section officer (SO) who verified each and every complaint in detail and forwarded it online to the officer of the concerned department including district level officers, head of departments, secretaries or ministers. The officers were provided individual username and password and were directed to settle the complaints received from the call centre within 24 hours. The SOs were the operational leaders who worked in three shifts with one per shift. Each SO oversaw a staff of four operators. The shift timings were 7
Complaints posted to an officer at a particular level of seniority were copied to all seniors concerned. For example, a complaint posted by the SO to a district level officer were also to be copied to the head of the department, secretary and minister, whereas a complaint posted to the secretary level was copied only to the minister. Each complaint had an associated docket number which served to track the progress of the complaint redressal and could be tracked via the website as well. Figure 2 depicts the process flow of the call centre.
Based on the call log analysis, it was found that the number of calls received during weekdays (Monday to Friday) was 1.5 times higher than those received during weekends (Saturday and Sunday). Also, the number of calls received during first shift (8:00 to 16:00hrs) was higher (one and half times) than second shift (16:00 hrs to 00:00 hrs) and that during second shift was higher (10 times) than night shift (00:00 hrs to 8:00 hrs). The average time taken to handle a call was in the range of 146 secs to 156 secs with an average of 152 seconds. Based on analysis, it was observed that the effective hours of call received on a day (including waiting time) was 12.5 hours (shift-wise break, first shift: 7 hours, second shift: 5 hours, third shift: half an hour). The number of hours the agents worked for (excluding one hour break) was 7 hours in each shift. Based on the traffic intensity on a typical day at respective shift hours, it was observed that the occupancy rate (the percentage of calls answered and resolved successfully) of the agents during the first shift was 22.8 per cent, 14.5 per cent during the second shift and 1.6 per cent during the night shift and probability to wait (i.e., call not answered immediately) was less than 1.5 per cent, as represented in Table 1. Additionally, the probability that a call would be answered in less than a target waiting time (designated as a service level) was more than 98.8 per cent in every shift during weekdays and more than 99.9 per cent during weekends. Based on the traffic intensity during weekends at respective shift hours, it was observed that the occupancy rate of the agents during first shift was 14 per cent, 9 per cent during second shift and 1 per cent during night shift and probability to wait was less than 0.3 per cent. This indicated that though the agents received calls efficiently with less wait time, resolution of calls were not as efficient for the weekdays as well as on weekends. Also, allocation of agents across the shifts was not adjusted in accordance with the varying demand across the day between the three shifts, thereby indicating the need for operational efficiency.
Call Log Analysis for 2014–2015
Fourteen departments, namely general administration, revenue, home, local self-government, general education, motor vehicles, higher education, PWD, food and civil supplies, health and family welfare, personnel and administrative reforms, urban affairs, state electricity board and transport corporation contributed to 80 per cent of the grievances registered in the previous four years; the figure precisely stood at 35,062 out of the total 44,071 grievances. In the previous year, the status of the registered grievances for the 102 departments on an average was 51.83 per cent waiting, 36.57 per cent replied and 11.59 per cent resolved. Furthermore, for the last four years, the same status stood at 25.25 per cent waiting, 24.87 per cent replied and 49.88 per cent solved (Figures 3a and 3b).
It was also found that the average number of total complaints registered in the previous four years (department wise) was 365 with a standard deviation of 1,210, which meant a few departments had a very high number of complaints compared to a large number of other departments having a very few number of complaints (Figure 4). Furthermore, there is no symmetry in the distribution of complaints across the 102 departments; rather it is a positively skewed distribution of skewness +6, which means only a few departments (14 in number) received the maximum number of registered complaints (standing at 80 per cent) in the last four years (Table 2). In addition, most of the complaints concentrated in these 14 departments lead to high kurtosis of 38.5 near to the mean of 365 complaints for each department. The figures indicate the need for relooking into the process flow for call resolution for the 14 departments mentioned above. Also, observing the agents taking live calls revealed that they simply work as medium for logging the calls into the system and report its status when the citizen calls. This could perhaps be a reason for the high response time for call resolution as the agents were not playing active roles in the resolution process using the CSIS. Thus, it was observed that the agents lacked in proper training which would enable and empower them to perform more through access to the integrated information systems and, hence, handle the calls by themselves and perhaps be able to resolve a good proportion of calls at their very origin. The integrated information systems that connect across the departments will equip the agents to access all required information from one central repository and be able to actively participate in and execute the various processes for resolving the citizens’ queries in a satisfactory manner.
Departments Having 80% Cumulative Calls
Overall analysis of the call logs, process flows and observer notes from the floor indicated the necessity of revamping the power structure with adequate transparency across the system. The departments held all responsibilities, with the call centre as the reporting point, which is often the cause for disruption in service flow and longer response time as the call centre agents worked as mediators to channelize the flow of the calls received and had to wait for status updates from the departments. Governments could benefit by responding to the citizens in a faster manner and achieve cost effectivity along with less wait time for citizens if the call centre agents are trained and empowered to handle at least some complaints on their own.
The citizen feedback collected through the online calls revealed the callers’ satisfaction levels with the call centre services. The responses indicated that citizens called for routine (or common) inquiries regarding holidays or strikes. Whereas calls enquiring about government incentive or policies were resolved quickly and there were no repeat calls (which contributes to almost 75 per cent satisfied), calls pertaining to issues such as water, electricity, higher education and so on were not as satisfactory (contributes to the rest 25 per cent satisfied). Further, a large proportion of the calls provided an initial call satisfaction of 72 per cent (Figure 5) when rated on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 for very low to 5 for very high level of satisfaction). However, for repeat calls the satisfaction levels reduced to 65 per cent. Generally, citizens called to know the status of their registered grievances as they were not solved within a month or the stipulated time. The agents were not able to give a time frame for the resolution of several grievances, which led to the repeat calls.
What has been just discussed adds on to the need for proper training of the agents, as highlighted earlier, which would have helped in faster resolution of complaints, sometimes even at the point of origin, hence eradicating the need for repeat calls. Access to integrated systems would have enabled the agents to handle calls better and increase satisfaction levels of service. It is also possible that on receiving constant repeat calls from citizens the agents were hard-pressed to respond in a ‘robotic’ manner. An example of a typical agent’s response to a call, as was observed, would involve receiving a call, often times without a greeting, taking down the caller’s assigned docket number (provided to them at the time of registration of complaint) and giving them the status of the same. Further, absence of any FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on the web has also created an inefficacy in services provided to the citizens and thus they have to rely on phone calls even for simple queries. The analysis also revealed scope for reengineering the processes based on the different call types. There was no such segregation of calls based on routine, generic or specialized intents for each call. At least the routine and generic calls could be adequately handled by the agents themselves, while the other calls can be handled by them either with some degree of specialized training or could be escalated.
Though there was an apparent intention to achieve citizen-centricity, there was a shortcoming in that respect such as making multilingual options available for non-native speaking citizens settled outside the state or for non-state residents settled in the state. A global call centre should be geared for a global citizenry, which is also important for the success of the system. The docket number given to the citizen was not adequately utilized such as for right to information. 1 The use of government IDs such as Aadhaar card 2 could enable the delivery of better services and citizens could avoid remembering or retaining the docket number which in some cases had to be retained for a longer duration given the long call-resolution time. This could also enable a complete analysis of citizen data based on their Aadhaar IDs.
Reviewing the web presence of the call centre services indicated inadequacy in aspects of web service. Issues were found such as difficulty in retrieving the call centre page with a web search engine using common keywords to denote the call centre. The corresponding page within the state government website allows citizens to key in the docket number for learning the status of their calls. However, there were reviews left by citizens on review websites about deficiencies in the system for which there was no clue if those reviews were being attended to or not. Though the tendency to lag in citizen-centric services was not surprising with regard to government offices in India, the new wave of digital systems and service science should ensure best practices that would eventually benefit the government and would be of value to the citizens.
Though the government emphasized citizen convenience by enabling citizens to access the government departments by making a simple call and allowing them to access the status of their grievances through the web, the call centre still needed to improve in various aspects such as operational efficiency, process design, agent skills, web-presence and citizen-centric services. With appropriate remedial steps, a sense of genuine value for governance can be fostered, wherein the government machinery can react and respond fast to citizens’ grievances and they could benefit in terms of better satisfaction levels. A commensurate performance management can enable laying down clear objectives and measuring attainment of higher performance benchmarks. The purpose of an integrated CSIS is to open up a new way which the call centre needs to adopt and adapt to for achieving citizen satisfaction.
Discussion
Government call centres are a convenient way for citizens to avail government services. The goal of the call centre is to achieve higher reachability and effective response to citizen services. Our study found that there is more that the call centre needs to do to achieve value for its two primary stakeholders—government and citizens. The steps to achieve higher value are multipronged, starting from the back end as well as the front end. Earlier studies as covered in the literature found the need for a well-rounded approach that considers the back-end process along with the front-end focus. In assessing the value of the integrated citizen information system services, we found that more needs to be done beyond just implementing integrated technology.
Managing resources better based on the traffic was required for better cost efficiency. The call volumes were high at specific times of the day and for specific days of the week, and most of the calls were for a few of the departments. Redistribution of agents across weekdays and specific times of the day was needed for efficient handling during high-traffic slots. Distinguishing call types on a scale of high priority to low priority and routine calls can enable better response. The departments worked in silos and this required the agents to step in and redirect the calls accordingly. Though the call centre had a process in place to remind department authorities of pending complaints with Cc (copy) to higher levels, it is not sufficient to create value in governance unless it effectively enables call resolution and utilizes the power of the digital media. Also, there is no way to know if the repeat reminders were actually effective or not. In line with the literature, our study indicated that a process- reengineering exercise was needed for better service delivery. Empowering agents to resolve queries and providing them access to online department systems keeping with the standards of privacy and security were seen to improve the impact of CSIS by enabling faster resolution of citizen calls. In its current state, there is deficit in value that can be potentially achieved. A performance measurement system that can track the key performance indicators is going to help in creating value for government by evaluating the system currently in use and planning for the future. Additionally, training of the agents to handle citizens better would create value for citizens. The present study adds to the literature in that it looks beyond adoption and assesses an operational call centre system.
Digitization has brought in immense possibilities where citizens can help themselves with getting answers to the queries or to check the status of their complaints. With increasing ownership of smartphones in India, the mobile internet user penetration in India is estimated to grow to 34.85 per cent by 2022 (Statista, 2017). However, the website presence of the call centre was not in line with the increasing penetration of digital users. There was inadequate web presence and the process of call-status retrieval was not judiciously designed. Undeniably more needs to be done keeping a citizen-centric view that assures better user-friendly systems and services for the citizens using proper search and browse features. Citizens should be seamlessly able to access the status of the grievances using their government IDs. Achieving to create a user-friendly system is not an end to itself, rather a continuous process for achieving the benchmark of good systems, which keeps changing with new technology and expectations. Literature points to the need for e-government systems to shift focus from technology adoption to value-based service. Citizens’ access to the system will furnish them with the value that digital technology can afford and hence reduce the dissatisfaction of having to make multiple repeat calls to know the status. A proper framework in place to inculcate citizen-centric assessment of digital systems will go a long way in creating value for citizens.
The study agrees with the call for e-government systems to undergo a well-rounded assessment in the literature. It was found that the use of integrated CSIS is a benefit for the government and the citizen which can be realized only with right policies, processes and workflow that are pro-governance and in line with the vision accorded by the ‘information society’. The present study brings forth some of the issues of an integrated CSIS in creating value that is beyond just adoption as was found in the existing literature. The design of integrated systems should be based on good governance values such as higher participation, better utilization of resources, process efficiency in service delivery and citizen satisfaction, among others.
Conclusion
The existing literature has emphasized integration of back-end processes for delivering better value to citizens, but not much has been studied about value created by such systems. Integrated CSIS systems go halfway in fulfilling citizen-centric services if they are not designed based on governance-centric values. We found that though the call centre has the required technology for citizen services, issue with service operations including resource allocation, departmental processes, skills of the agents and web-based access reduced its impact. The study highlighted the importance of contextualizing the CSIS implementation with focus on resource utilization, process efficiency, higher participation by citizens through the digital medium and citizen satisfaction. Systems can be useful as long as the people who use it benefit out of it. In that regard, rebuilding the power structures where agents and citizens are empowered to use the system can be of value to both the agency and the citizens. Government call centres need to identify the socio-technical aspects that lead to effective utilization of resources for better public services.
Implications of the Study
The results of the present study have implications for governments who are ready to commit to provide citizen-centric services through digital systems. Designing citizen-centric systems should be based on the values for good governance that look at various aspects beyond the purview of technology. A holistic implementation that addresses proper resource allocation, process efficiencies, agent skills and web presence with focus on the citizen can be instrumental in achieving better citizen-centric services and also help in achieving better return on investment from technology implementation.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect
to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.
Funding
This study was partly funded by a consultancy assignment.
Footnotes
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Professor Siddhartha Padhi of IIM Kozhikode for his kind inputs in the study.