4: Transparency and Accessibility

Focus on improving transparency, accessibility of information and the means for people to address government directly, so that customers can hold governments accountable for the quality of services delivered.

Other Information:

Be transparent. Be accountable. Ask for and act on feedback. If they are to build trust and encourage co-production, governments need to become more transparent and accountable. They need to inform people about their policies, programs and services actively and regularly. Doing so—as some forward-thinking government organizations that have allowed citizens extensive access to information and systems are discovering—actually enhances the economic and social value of this information. It enhances the value by helping citizens make better decisions and choices, and enabling them to search for services that match their specific interests and needs. Furthermore, governments are being pressed to provide greater visibility and give customers more control of the customer-service process; for example, by allowing service requests to be tracked online. People also want the government to report more regularly performance data on outcomes—the actual results that show how quality of life is improving—so that they can compare their public services with those in other areas and see how the quality of services is changing over time. 04 Involving citizens in establishing, implementing and evaluating measures of performance can only help to foster a broader awareness and sense of ownership among citizens, and a willingness to act as co-producers. The flip side of involving citizens in this way, of course, is that governments have to make it possible for people to voice their concerns and complaints. It is the ability to effectively identify and resolve issues—when they arise—that has the most significant impact on customers’ perception of services and trust in government. Easily accessible and transparent ways for citizens to raise and follow up on complaints are therefore vital, and governments must also demonstrate that they are ready to learn from these complaints and identify and resolve systemic issues. Our research has uncovered some excellent examples of governments doing this well, but has also revealed that there is widespread complacency and a lack of focus on this crucial aspect of customer service.

Objective(s):

4.1: Outcome Information

4.2: Accountability Information

4.3: Complaints Procedures

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