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Endnotes
[1] Comptroller of Public Accounts, “Streamline Grocery Store Regulation,” Disturbing the Peace, December 1996, p. 341.
[2] The focus on customer service is being achieved in many different ways. Organizations use benchmarking to gauge their customer service against that of competitors or exemplary organizations. Surveys in many forms are used to obtain customer feedback; many organizations also use “mystery shoppers” to covertly obtain insight into customer treatment. Customer service training is used to convince employees of the need to be courteous to customers and to recognize them by name whenever possible. Call centers provide personal assistance and give customers the option of speaking to a “live person,” rather than an endless series of automated call-answering devices. Performance management techniques, such as service standards and measurements, are important as well. Finally, the tracking and analysis of customer complaints is a proven means to avoid future mistakes and improve customer satisfaction.
[3] Telephone interview with Steve Kolodney, State of Washington Chief Information Officer, Olympia, Washington, August 2, 2000.
[4] Government of Australia, Centrelink, “About Us” (http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/
3f4a8c0972793f0eca25651d001da65d/791a246f74025dc0ca256798001facd1?OpenDocument#ataglance). (Internet document.)
[5] IVBB Aktuell, interview with Matt Poelmans, manager of the Dutch government’s OL 2000 Program (http://www.ivbb.de/newsletter/00-1e/3.html). (Internet document.)
[6] Deloitte Consulting and Deloitte & Touche, “At the Dawn of e-Government: The Citizen as Customer” (http://www.dc.com/obx/pages.php?Name=RsyEdawnegov). (Internet document.)
[7] As a major step toward true electronic government, the state must establish a uniform online payment system that all agencies can use. The payment system developed by the Comptroller’s office and the state’s private-sector partner in the Texas portal, KPMG, can process electronic funds transfers or credit card transactions through an “epay” system. (KPMG has developed the portal for the state in return for a share of the fees taxpayers will pay for using the system.) The portal will be able to accommodate additional online applications as other agencies become able to handle electronic funds transfers. The joint payment system ultimately will handle thousands of transactions daily.
[8] Jeremy Sharrad, “Sizing US eGovernment,” The Forrester Report, Forrester Research, August 2000, p. 5.
[9] Steve Towns, “Portals in the House” Government Technology (May 2000)
(http://www.govtech.net/publications/gt/2000/may/portals/portals.shtm). (Internet document.)
[10] Interview with Roy Cales, Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Donna Arduin, Budget Director, State of Florida, June 18, 2000.
[11] Interview with Regina Gallatin, Economic Researcher, Texas Department of Economic Development, April 26, 2000; and e-mail from Regina Gallatin, Office of Permit Assistance, Texas Department of Economic Development, to Greg Harm, research analyst, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, July 13, 2000
[12] Interview with Harry Loleas, associate commissioner of Occupational and Professional Licensing, Maryland Department of Labor Licensing and Regulation, November 15, 2000; and Maryland Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation, “Clear News”, Summer 2000 Newsletter (http://www.clearhq.org/newsletter.htm). (Internet document.)
[13] National Governors' Association, “Information Technology: Creating Real Change for Small Business,”, p. 13 (http://www.nga.org/Pubs/IssueBriefs/2000/SmallBiz.pdf). (Internet document.)
[14] In recent years, convergence in the telecommunications industry has brought mergers, acquisitions, and alliances among communications, information, and entertainment firms. From a government perspective, government convergence or consolidation of similar functions could help eliminate the ineffectiveness of separate governments attempting to deliver separate services in an area that is completely integrated economically.
[15] Telephone interview with Steve Kolodney, State of Washington chief information officer, August 2, 2000.
[16] Jeremy Sharrad, “Sizing US eGovernment,” p. 5.
[17] The Sunset process allows the Legislature to look closely at an agency and make fundamental changes to the agency’s operations if needed. The Sunset staff works with the agency, interest groups, professional organizations, and the public to ensure that all stakeholders have input into the process and proposed changes. This is an ideal process for reorganizing back-office operations.
[18] Telephone interview with Maura Campbell, Public Relations Media Director, Michigan Department of Consumer & Industry Services, Lansing, Michigan, July 5, 2000; and Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services, "Serving Michigan...Serving You, " July 3, 2000 ; and Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services, "Overview," June 1, 2000 (http://www.cis.state.mi.us/overview.htm). (Internet document.)
[19] The Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) will be able to compile and present the information related to special districts with existing resources because central appraisal districts currently report ad valorem tax rates to the Property Tax Division on an annual basis and the Revenue Accounting Division of the CPA compiles sales tax rates for special districts statewide. Existing local government analysts of the CPA would compile the information submitted to the Property Tax and Revenue Accounting divisions and build an Excel spreadsheet to centralize the information without requiring local governments statewide to incur any additional costs or reporting requirements. Once the Excel spreadsheet is compiled, current CPA staff in the Information Technology and Local Government Divisions possess the necessary expertise to manipulate the data and present it in a format that is user friendly for public access via the CPA’s Web site and/or the State of Texas portal.
[20] Federal Trade Commission, “Privacy Online: Fair Information Practices in the Electronic Marketplace” (A Report to Congress), May 2000, p. 2.
[21] Brian Fonseca, “Security means never having to say ‘I love you,’” Civic.com (July 7, 2000) (www.civic.com/civic/articles/2000/0703/web-2lov-07-07-00.asp). (Internet document.)
[22] Stephen Goldsmith, “The Coming Digital Polis,” City Journal (http://www.city-journal.org/html/10_3_the_coming_digital.html). (Internet document.)
[23] Testimony at the e-Texas Competitive Government Task Force public hearing, Austin, Texas, March 21, 2000.
[24] Silicon Valley Joint Venture, “What is Smart Permit?” (http://www.jointventure.org/initiatives/smartpermit/what_is.html). (Internet document.)
[25] E-mail from Auditor James Wells, Denton County, Denton County, Texas, July 12, 2000.
[26] Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board, “Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board Master Plan,” Revised January 27, 2000 (http://www.tifb.state.tx.us/masterplan/masterpln-table.htm). (Internet document.)
[27] See for example: NielsonNetRatings, August 21, 2000, (http://www.nua.ie/surveys). (Internet document.) and Dr. Sharon Strover and Dr. Joe Struabhaar, “E-Government Services and Computer and Internet Use in Texas, A Report from the Telecommunications and Information Policy Institute,” University of Texas. Copies are available at (http://www.dir.state.tx.us/egov/).
[28] This number comes from a Forrester Research study cited in: Blake Bailey, “The Private Sector is Closing the Digital Divide,” Brief Analysis No. 331, August 7, 2000, National Center for Policy Analysis, Dallas, Texas.
[29] Boardwatch (http://www.boardwatch.com). (Internet document.)
[30] Telecommunications and Information Policy Institute (TIPI), University of Texas, “E-Government Services and Computer and Internet Use in Texas,” p. 2, June, 2000 (http://www.utexas.edu/research/tipi/). (Internet document.)
[31] Catherine Greenman, “Life in the Slow Lane,” New York Times, May 18, 2000 (http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/05/circuits/articles/18rura.html). (Internet document.)
[32]Vernon’s Civil Statutes, Article 5190.6.
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