ICT and service delivery integration at the Thusong Centres.

Abstract

Service delivery integration, quality and satisfaction are key concepts that need not only be understood by companies, but by government too. For customers or consumers to stay loyal to a brand or company, they need to be satisfied with the product or service. Similarly to most citizens in any country their party loyalty is derived from the services rendered by the ruling party at that time. The performance of the government is continuously assessed by citizens and dissatisfaction leads to unintended strikes. South Africa is a constitutional state with rules, laws, checks and balances. Every year government spends billions of rand on providing a better life for our people. In the 2009/10 fiscal year, the budget for government spending was R773 billion. It therefore becomes very important for government to know how to measure the quality of the services they offer and assess the impact of the investment, especially infrastructure investment such as ICT. For government to stay relevant and continue to surpass the needs of its customers or citizens, it will require a framework that will reduce duplication of services, support integration of services, and improve the performance of the public service and ICT plays a vital role in achieving. The main purpose of this research is to find out how ICT can better be deployed to ensure service delivery integration; the focus of it being at the Thusong Centres. The research does not seek to assess the quality of service offered, but aims to assess whether government can achieve service delivery integration through ICT.