84% of the UK public think more government services should be
available online, and half want more streamlined access through one
central sign-in across Government services
LONDON, Oct. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The pandemic
has significantly changed how UK residents engage with online
public sector services according to new research from
Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader
in next-generation digital services and consulting. The research
has revealed that online accessibility, convenient single sign-on
and human-centricity will be key to the long-term success of public
sector digital services.
The survey of 1,500 people living in the UK revealed that 8 in
10 people accessed government online services since the onset of
the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents highlighted their appreciation
of how inclusive and convenient it is for government services,
previously only available in person by visiting local council
offices, to be available online and at any time. Yet, while more
than a third (34%) of people in the UK used mainly digital
services, they still had to use some in-person or phone services
not yet available digitally.
While digital engagement has increased during the pandemic, more
than a quarter of people (28%) that used mostly digital services
still prefer human interaction and are likely to return to in
person services when they can.
If local councils and government want the public to benefit from
the efficiencies of offering digital services and focus their
'in-person' services on the most digitally excluded, the research
highlighted areas where improvements could be made.
While most (90%) people believe security is the same or better
than the private sector, more than one in five (22%) people
struggle to remember the multiple passwords required. In fact, over
half (53%) want a single sign-in process for public sector
services.
"The UK Government's National Data strategy deliverables,
'driving better delivery of policy and public services' and
'creating a fairer society for all', hinge on the continual
development of digital public services and on more people adopting
an online approach for the long-term. With more than 40 million
adults engaging with local and national government during lockdown
and 18 million people now accessing these services primarily
online, experience and inclusivity should be the key focus of
government's digital transformation," said Mohit Joshi, President, Infosys.
Inclusion and accessibility
The research revealed an
overwhelming expectation that digital services should be a catalyst
to increase inclusion. More than four in five people (85%) think
public sector digital services should be more inclusive to disabled
people, think better access should be given to people in remote
areas (86%) and believe that more can be done to appeal to people
with low digital skills (83%).
With increasingly ethnically diverse populations, local
authorities also face the challenge of offering services in many
languages. More than 3 in 5 people (63%) think public sector
digital services should be available in more languages. This rises
to nearly three quarters (72%) of people born overseas or for whom
English is not their native language. Technology has the potential
to shrink the digital exclusion gap, providing a greater range of
services in multiple languages.
The human experience
Despite people accessing public
sector digital services more frequently as a result of lockdown,
human interaction is still favoured, whether in council or
government offices or over the phone for all ages. What's more,
half (51%) of respondents said it was important for their digital
experiences to feel human and show empathy.
This is where technology such as chatbots can bridge the human
divide. 71% of respondents stated they appreciate a more
interactive approach to digital experiences, and technologies such
as chatbots that can show empathy through AI could be of great
benefit when encouraging more people to use digital services.
"The UK is built on diversity, and this must be reflected in the
services and experiences that citizens access. Our research has
really shone a spotlight on the importance of streamlining public
sector digital experiences online, humanising those experiences,
and bridging the digital divide to ensure equitable access for all.
In doing so, in-person and human interactions will be more
available to the most vulnerable who need them
most," concludes Mohit
Joshi.
Explore this Infosys research report - What's Next for UK Public
Sector Digital Services here.
Methodology
Infosys commissioned independent market
research conducted by Pollfish in early 2021, surveying 1,500 UK
residents aged 18 and over.
About Infosys Ltd.
Infosys is a global leader in
next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients
in more than 50 countries to navigate their digital transformation.
With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and
workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients
through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise
with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of
change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to
deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight.
Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement
through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and
ideas from our innovation ecosystem.
Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE, BSE, NYSE:
INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.
Safe Harbor
Certain statements in this release
concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and
plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients
and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify
for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and
uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not
limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the
effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its
spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in
India, the United States and other countries around
the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions,
fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates,
our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services
including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage
increases in India, our ability to
attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost
overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client
concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment
concentration, our ability to manage our international operations,
reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions
in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to
successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions,
liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the
companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments,
withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives,
political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on
raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual
property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and
the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation.
Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are
more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange
Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the
fiscal year ended March 31, 2021.
These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time
to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking
statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to
shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any
forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or
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For more information, please contact:
Dena Tahmasebi
Head of Communications EMEA
Infosys
Dena.Tahmasebi@infosys.com
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