The COVID-19 pandemic has driven many public service agencies to increase their investments in digital technologies. Their aim is to become more efficient and flexible and better equipped to handle sudden upswings in demand during times of crisis.

Tight budgets, along with economic and political stress, make this a difficult task. And that’s especially the case given the public sector’s mission, mandate and commitment to serve a diverse customer base equitably. Governments must meet the needs of people with different preferences, needs, digital skills and access. These range from the 80-year-old most comfortable talking live with someone on the phone, to the 18-year-old digital native who prefers to seek the help they need online.

To help government agencies develop a more effective, equitable and whole-person approach to the service experience, Accenture Research conducted a global survey of government service users, homing in on the challenges and preferences of three broad user personas. The findings reveal four key actions that, taken together, can help public service agencies reach their goals:

- embed equity as a performance metric

- actively engage with underserved communities;

- simplify digital tools and processes; and

- redeploy the workforce and provide training to ensure that services are designed with inclusion, diversity and equity to the fore, and delivered with empathy.