Joined up services that make sense to customers3
- Anticipate the needs and centre services around people, not the agencies who provide them.
- Organise services around life events – so that people can easily find and access the services that they need, when starting a business, or getting a job, dealing with a bereavement or having a baby.
- Simplify administration and legislative frameworks by aligning data definitions and processes across government, to standardise information requirements.
- Share near real-time information, with consent where relevant, so that customers do not need to provide the same information multiple times (both within an agency as well as inter-agency) for once-only communication.
- Build in the open, using widely accepted practices, frameworks, components and open standards.
Why it matters
When done well, joined up services benefit both governments and customers by improving service and compliance while reducing customer burden. Customers can easily find information, provide data once for multiple purposes, and conduct business more smoothly. Governments receive better quality information and see improved compliance, reducing the need for enforcement.
People's lives don't align neatly with specific agencies, and many systems span multiple agencies, making it complex to understand who does what. A life event approach can make public sector services more efficient and user-friendly for customers.
Governments that organise digital services around life events benefit from economies of scale and provide more flexible, high-quality services.
Building services openly encourages innovation, builds trust, and improves services. Re-using solutions for similar transactions helps users become familiar with the process, promoting digital adoption.
3
OECD (2020), One-Stop Shops for Citizens and Business, OECD Best Practice Principles for Regulatory Policy, OECD Publishing, Paris
Citizen services for life – Personalizing eGovernment through a life events approach