Mobile is the Next Frontier for e-Government
Satisfaction, According to ForeSee

User Satisfaction with E-Government Websites Remains Strong

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (April 24, 2012) — A poll of ForeSee federal government clients shows that one-third
of e-government websites currently has a functional mobile site or mobile app and more than half (53%) are planning or developing a mobile site, app, or both, providing evidence that federal government agencies
are beginning to recognize the benefits and opportunity of the mobile channel for serving citizens. The new findings come as part of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) E-Government Satisfaction Index,
a quarterly report on the state of customer satisfaction with e-government, which customer experience analytics firm ForeSee produces in partnership with the ACSI.

"Consumers are adopting smartphones and tablets in droves, and these mobile devices are transforming the way people access the Internet," said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee. "It is commendable that some federal agencies are budgeting for mobile platforms development when the are facing other hurdles—like tighter security requirements and budget cuts—that private-sector companies don’t necessarily have to worry about."

Meanwhile, the quarterly update of the ACSI E-Government Satisfaction Index, also included in today’s report, shows that satisfaction with federal government websites remains high. The E-Government Satisfaction Index scores 75.2 on ACSI’s 100-point scale. More than 300,000 survey responses were collected during the first quarter of 2012 to produce the Index. Satisfaction, though high, has hit a plateau and hasn’t varied more than 0.3 from the current score over the last seven consecutive quarters.

Satisfaction with government websites drives government efficiency by increasing the likelihood that citizens will turn to the website before other more costly channels. High satisfaction also increases the likelihood of positive word of mouth recommendations. As smartphones and other mobile devices continue to proliferate, government agencies will have another efficient channel with which to serve their constituents.

“The online sectors of the economy generally outperform all other sectors in the ACSI, in part because the web is convenient and provides access to a plethora of information and options at the click of a mouse,” said Claes Fornell, founder of the ACSI. “Mobile has the opportunity to take that convenience a step further because few people leave the house without their cell phone. It is as ubiquitous as your keys, and smartphones are still proliferating.”

“Federal agencies are lagging the private sector in building their mobile platforms, but federal employees are smartphone users too, and e-gov webmasters are among the more tech savvy government employees,” said Dave Lewan, vice president of public sector business at ForeSee. “They see how mobile affects their own lives, how could they not see it as a part of future citizen engagement?”

About ForeSee

As a pioneer in customer experience analytics, ForeSee continuously measures satisfaction across customer touch points and delivers critical insights on where to prioritize improvements for maximum impact. Because ForeSee’s superior technology and proven methodology connect the customer experience to the bottom line, executives and managers are able to drive future success by confidently optimizing the efforts that will achieve business and brand objectives. The result is better business for companies and a better experience for consumers. Visit www.foresee.com for customer experience solutions and original research.

About the ACSI

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is the only uniform, national, cross-industry measure of satisfaction with the quality of goods and services available in the United States. In 1999, the federal government selected ACSI to be a standard metric for measuring citizen satisfaction. Over 100 federal government agencies have used ACSI to measure citizen satisfaction with more than 200 services and programs.  The Index was founded at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and is produced
by ACSI, LLC. ForeSee sponsors the E-Government Satisfaction Index.