2 Discussions
VICTORIA BATISTA
YesterdaySep 15 at 6:49pm
The Mayor’s decision to consolidate the local administrative district call center into a single city wide call center seems like a logical decision but in some terms, it could result in unachievable expectations. I would have to disagree with the mayor’s decision as there may be too many implications the call center will face. The mayor’s decision to combine the call center into a single city wide call center would not be effective in being able to deliver citizen satisfaction. There could become implications involving public service provisions. In this case, public service provisions will have to be monitored more carefully since the call center will be “linked to a shared database that contains in-depth information about city services…” (440) and with a large city wide call center the database can be used by anyone and may result in data leaks.
It also effects the accountability the citizens will have on the call center. There could be a mass number of people trying to reach the call center and not all calls can be answered rapidly if need be or having the calls transferred from the call center to city official in order to solve the citizens issue. As stated in the reading, “Democratic governments that have a history of strong hierarchical arrangements tend to pay less attention to citizen accountability and instead place greater emphasis upon the role of institutional elite” (448). In this case if the call center were to consolidate local administrative districts this would intentionally become a place of strong hierarchal arrangement which in this case would not be able to accommodate time for its citizens. The call center also plays an important role in where the administrative district stands. As this is being viewed from a political stance local city officials will be influenced by the mayor without given the knowledge of implications the call center will face.
Collapse Subdiscussion NICOLE ZEPHERIN
YesterdaySep 15 at 4:25pm
So far, we’ve seen several benefits of the government adopting new technology such as e-government. This week, according to the article by Im, Porumbescu, and Lee, we see how the increase in the government’s use of ICT (information and communications technology) affects citizen interaction and engagement. The Seoul Dasan’s Call Center, like many others, is meant to “provide government with a way to connect directly to citizens” (Im et al., 2013, pg. 438) which increases the exchange of information and promotes better performance. The Dasan Call Center oversees the handling of all customer inquiries and directs their calls to the corresponding departments when necessary. Citizens can call for just about anything and their questions will be handled by a consultant through some form of communication be it a call, email, video, etc. The consultants are provided a shared database which they can search information for the callers and only when it cannot be found do, they forward to a city official. Only a few calls are transferred directly to a government employee.
Im, Porumbescu, and Lee found that although the consolidation of the call center was “extremely effective and efficient” (Im et al., 2013, pg. 446) it limited citizen interaction with the government. As they mentioned earlier in the article, government-citizen interaction is important to increasing opportunity for external accountability and organizational learning. There are three models used to describe how the application of ICT does just that and the one most used is the managerial model. This model is used to gradually enhance an already existing process and make them more efficient rather than making drastic changes. This way organizational learning occurs in a single-loop which “can be seen as a coping mechanism that applies new information to ensure the functionality of existing processes rather than create new processes” (Im et al., 2013, pg. 443). During this two-way interaction between the call center employees and citizens, information is exchanged and added to the database, aiding in democratic governance.
Based on the findings in the article, I would agree that the Mayor’s decision was a smart one as “the Seoul Metropolitan Government uses the Dasan Call Center as a means to simultaneously satisfy citizen demands for greater external accountability and ensure the primacy of its influence over the local administrative districts” (Im et al., 2013, pg. 451). Citizens are satisfied with the way the call center operates, transparency is present as well as citizen interaction, and internal accountability is strengthened. Also, rather than having a million calls directed to city officials who are juggling numerous problems, consultants can filter unrelated calls and immediately assist citizens.
Reference
Im, Porumbescu, Lee. (2013). ICT as a Buffer to Change, Public Performance & Management Review, 36(3): 436-455