I think it’s likely that you’ve sent and received at least one text message today. Maybe you texted your friend, your partner, your boss, or maybe you got a text message from your local pub telling you what band is playing tonight, or your bank sent you a message to say that someone has withdrawn $1000 from your account. Have you sent a text message to the government today though?
Over the summer, our intern Lucy Weston-Taylor and I did some research into how different parts of the New Zealand government have been using text-messaging either as a communications channel or for service delivery, and together we’ve written an Introduction to Government Use of SMS. The paper is still being reviewed for publication, but I’ll be presenting the findings at the next Govt Online Services Forum on March 13.
SMS or texting has a high adoption rate in New Zealand. Some government agencies are using computer-to-mobile texting to deliver their services to New Zealanders in a direct way. SSC has prepared case studies from four different government agencies who have trialled SMS. This presentation will discuss lessons learnt. It provides a starting point for agencies considering SMS as a solution for service delivery or communication with their customers.
If you work for the New Zealand government in the area of online services, you’re very welcome to come along to the presentation. To register, email gosforum@ssc.govt.nz. And do it soon - places are filling up fast.
You can find out more about the forum at the Govt Online Services Forum. Otherwise, if you’re interested in the Introduction, please send me an email to joanna.mcleod@ssc.govt.nz and I’ll be in touch as soon as we’ve published it.
