Governments see the internet primarily as a channel for service provision. For example, many municipalities are busy setting up their websites as 'digital counters'. That term has (fortunately) disappeared, but the concept is more popular than ever. This is partly due to the trend towards top tasks in government. A useful trend, but governments must look further. Into the future, for example.
The government versus the commercial world
That future is already visible. The government is developing less quickly than the business community and 'civil society'. That certainly applies to service provision and online communication. In those areas, it is already visible how people are helped and involved by companies, and therefore also what they will expect from the government.
The examples I will mention below come from the commercial world. But for governments, isn't the situation very different? Yes and no. The government offers other services and products and has other responsibilities. But they serve the same people. Anyone who is used to fast delivery of goods by companies also expects this from a municipality. Anyone who is used to being able to contact a company or service through all kinds of channels will be surprised by the channel management that many municipalities currently uphold: they discourage telephone contact and force you to use a suboptimal website.
crosschannel...almost
No channel
Many municipalities and other governments have already started thinking multi-channel in their online communication. For example, Twitter is used as a communication channel: not only to send, but also to answer questions, for thailand mobile phone number list example. The next step is cross-channel, where you connect the channels. You then know that someone has asked a question on Twitter and therefore comes to your counter, or makes an appointment via your website.
The point is that people nowadays no longer distinguish between channels. Everything is mixed up. For example, someone at Albert Heijn can use their mobile phone to see if the detergents are cheaper elsewhere and possibly place an order right away. Another example: you see someone on the street with a coat that you like, your Google Glass glasses react to that and show you an offer for that coat. Ordering and paying happens on the spot. This is what people will (probably) be used to in the future.
One person's shopping channel, another person's mobile ordering channel. It's not about those traditional 'touchpoints' anymore, it's about the moment. The moment someone is shopping, in this case.
The bigger story
The top tasks websites are based on the idea that people come to perform a task. These are of course tasks that fall within the well-known services of a municipality. Think for example of subjects such as applying for a passport or having waste collected. You have to facilitate this execution as well as possible. The tasks that are important for the majority of the target group are then given priority. The Top Tasks methodology is based on this principle. The website of the municipality of Liverpool is considered a best practice. In the Netherlands, for example, Tilburg.nl is based on this model.