Getting paid is one familiar problem. But people complained about paying more for a service that is substantially cheaper for the state to provide online than the old way. Transactions on the Web site doubled last year, to 9 percent of all registrations and 25 percent of specialty-plate purchases. Best of all for state politicians, benefits aren't limited to the computer-savvy. With volume diverted to the Web site and an automated phone service, waiting times at motor vehicle offices have been slashed from 28 minutes to 15 minutes.
Experts see governments' migration to the Web passing through evolutionary stages.
Next come online transactions, such as paying parking tickets. Finally, there are amalgamated portals, where services are offered in ways that consumers can easily grasp. Before its slick new Web site went up last month, California's site merely listed state departments in alphabetical order. An Internet presence that makes sense can shine a hot light on government processes that don't. A Web site that is not just pretty but functional, says Anne Reed, head of global government business at computer services giant EDS, involves marrying that front-end piece with streamlined internal systems.