Research and Best Practices eNewsletter 10/29

Research
1. Strengthening agencies customer service efforts (10/27/2010) – GAO surveyed 13 government services within major agencies and found each had established customer service standards. Although the standards exist, many were not made available to the public or were difficult to find. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-44?source=ra
2. Innovation doesn’t happen by accident (07/2010) – Center for American Progress report identifies what government leaders can do to foster innovation. Includes practical ways organizations can help generate the flow of great ideas.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/07/dww_capitalideas.html
3. Study finds government workers inefficient at searching (10/20/2010) – Meritalk survey of federal employees revealed that employees whose jobs required them to search agency databases lose an hour of work every day due to poorly designed databases. Agencies need to standardize search approaches and develop interagency guidelines for filing and saving documents. http://ohmygov.com/blogs/general_news/archive/2010/10/20/New-study-finds-government-workers-terribly-inefficient-at-searching.aspx
News
1. Arkansas Goes Mobile (10/10/2010) – In 26 counties citizens can submit secure mobile payments via any mobile device. Includes inmate trust account deposits, probation and parole payments, personal property and real estate taxes, and proof a company is in good business standing. http://portal.arkansas.gov/services/Pages/ServicesMobile.aspx
2. Are mobile apps “empowering the empowered?” (10/22/2010) – Mobile is the final frontier in helping bridge the digital divide, with 82 percent of American adults having a cell phone and six in 10 going online wirelessly with a laptop or mobile device. As governments consider where to invest limited resources they should make web apps that will work with different products to provide the most access. http://radar.oreilly.com/2010/10/is-there-a-government-app-for.html