India spotlight: 4 ways to build digital trust in government

Trust means different things to different people. From my point of view, it always involves four key factors: consistency, reliability, security, and honesty. If the government can embody these factors, at both the state and national levels, then it can earn the credibility to lead.

As the Indian government strives to deliver its eOffice model and become a $5 trillion digital economy by 2025, digital trust and credibility are crucial.

India has the world’s largest electorate: 1.4 billion people with diverse cultures, languages, religions, and perspectives. Because of the variety of life experiences—all being served by a single national institution—citizens’ trust in government is critical to the country’s success and stability.

Let’s explore what digital trust looks like for India—and how we can strengthen it in the four key areas of the e-governance framework.

1. Government to citizens (G2C)

Perhaps the most important part of the framework is building trust with citizens. Government needs to have user-friendly systems that allow citizens to access high-quality resources consistently and reliably.

It also needs to deliver vital services in times of crisis or disaster. At the outset of the pandemic, for example, governments had to act within days, not months, to keep their citizens well informed and safe. Those that succeeded earned the trust and respect of their people.

ServiceNow worked with a government organization to do exactly that, enabling 18,000 city employees to work from home and launching a fully functional COVID-19 test appointment app within 72 hours.

From a technology perspective, building trust with citizens means optimizing data centers with high-availability architecture, integrated systems, and efficient workflows. That way, government is poised to respond proactively when citizens need it most.

2. Government to business (G2B)

Creating a positive environment for businesses to prosper is another way government can build trust. That means cutting red tape and allowing the entrepreneurial spirit to thrive. This is especially true for vendors working directly with government: They want fast licensing, procurement, permits, and revenue collection.

Making the government easy to work with helps businesses view it as a dependable partner for the private sector. This is possible by incorporating consumerlike experiences, eliminating burdensome processes, and building digital channels for communication.

For example, optimizing procurement through enterprise resource planning (ERP) modernization and portfolio management technologies can simplify the government back office, reducing bureaucracy and streamlining processes.

Standardizing forms, reducing required fields, and providing online content repositories for self-service can provide a better user experience.

3. Government to government (G2G)

Intergovernmental operations are also ripe for improvement. Citizens want transparent, trustworthy public services that run efficiently. Government wants to be a better steward of taxpayer money through better planning and management across departments.

To build digital trust, government must focus on smart governance that uses modern technologies and agile project management. That means implementing effective project portfolio management and role-based access controls. Together, these help government ensure projects progress across silos with accurate and secure data sharing.

ServiceNow is working with government organizations to deliver these kinds of results. In one city, we deployed our Strategic Portfolio Management solution to help the local government manage major projects and provide reports for executive scrutiny. We established centralized IT standards and best practices and helped IT teams use resources more cost-effectively while fast-tracking their activities with confidence.

4. Government to employees (G2E)

The final focus area is establishing trust with employees. If government wants to be efficient and effective, it needs to attract and retain smart, talented people and empower them to get their work done. That’s the foundation for achieving India’s digital strategy objective by 2025.

A powerful ERP solution can give employees the visibility, control, and access they need to deliver projects effectively across all arms of government. Boosting productivity and allowing people to participate in the mission of government can also help improve employee satisfaction and retention.

An integrated picture

ServiceNow understands the importance of building trust with all stakeholders in government. That’s why our global, multi-instance infrastructure employs progressive security layers and rigorous security practices to protect data.

Using the Now Platform—which connects people, processes, and technology organizationwide—government can achieve secure, responsive, effective, and transparent work across departments to earn digital trust.

Find out more about how ServiceNow helps government deliver digital experiences.

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