Improving Citizen Experience Identified as Top 2016 Priority in GovDelivery Digital Government Engagement Trends Report

ST. PAUL, Minn., Jan. 21, 2016 -- GovDelivery, the leading provider of cloud-based solutions enhancing the citizen experience, today released its annual report and infographic detailing the top trends for digital government engagement, based on a survey of more than 1,100 public sector communicators across federal, state & local and UK organizations. The report and infographic reveal key 2016 challenges and priorities across all levels of government and detail how the public sector intends to meet them.

In this year’s report, 82% of those surveyed identified “improving the citizen experience” as a top 2016 priority.  Respondents recognized that the public sector is lagging behind its private sector counterpart in its ability to adapt quickly to meet modern citizen needs and expectations.  Despite this focus on delivering a better experience, 58% of the government professionals cited a real lack of budget and resources as their biggest communication challenge in the coming year.

“As citizens become more accustomed to the quick, convenient and rewarding digital interactions they have with businesses, thousands of government organizations, including GovDelivery’s clients, are rethinking how to bridge that gap,” said Steve Ressler, CMO of GovDelivery. “This report illustrates that these public sector communicators are not only prioritizing a better citizen experience, but are turning to technology to improve that experience and create real change for the people they serve.”

This year’s survey results highlight an industry-wide shift toward improving the citizen experience by enabling digital government. Agencies are turning to advanced digital solutions to create better experiences, with 60% of those surveyed planning to add more online services in 2016, including self-service transactions and on-demand learning. Nearly the same number of respondents are looking to improve service delivery efficiency with automation and simplified processes.  More than half of these public sector communicators want to build greater transparency and make valuable data more available.

The report also reveals which channels government communicators see as having the greatest impact for citizens, highlight a continued focus on open data initiatives and identifies learning and training as a valuable untapped opportunity for the public sector. In addition to identifying key trends, this year’s report delivers insight into how organizations can prepare for the challenges, and maximize the opportunities, expected in 2016.

Readers can discover how their digital engagement priorities for 2016 trend against peers in the public sector and get ideas for planning and delivering more successful digital communications throughout the year. For a complimentary access to the report, visit http://direct.govdelivery.com/GD_Digital_Gov_Engagement_Trends2016-PR.

About GovDelivery

Over one thousand public sector organizations use GovDelivery’s highly-secure cloud solutions every day to enhance the citizen experience for more than 100 million people. GovDelivery offers leading solutions for managing government communications, internal and external learning, and open data. The GovDelivery Network offers a unique and impactful way for public sector organizations to work together to cross promote content and increase digital reach. Organizations using GovDelivery see higher utilization of citizen services and greater citizen engagement. GovDelivery is an Actua (Nasdaq:ACTA) company.

• govdelivery.com
• @govdelivery
• facebook.com/govdelivery

Media Contact:
Kelsey Lund
Marketing Communications Manager
Ph: 651.925.5766