Electronic services or e-services are services that make use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The three main components of e-services are: service provider; service receiver; and the channels of service delivery (i.e., technology)
For example, with respect to public e-service, public agencies are the service provider and citizens as well as businesses are the service receiver. For public e-service the internet is the main channel of e-service delivery while other classic channels (e.g. telephone, call center, public kiosk, mobile phone, television) are also considered.Rowley, J. (2006) An analysis of the e-service literature: towards a research agenda. Internet Research, 16 (3), 339-359
Since its inception in the late 1980s in Europe and formal introduction in 1993 by the US Government,Alasem, A. (2009). An Overview of e-Government Metadata Standards and Initiatives based on Dublin Core. Electronic Journal of e-Government, 7(1), 1 – 10 the term ‘E-Government’ has now become one of the recognized research domains especially in the context of public policy and now has been rapidly gaining strategic importance in public sector modernization.Wimmer, M., Codagnone, C. and Janssen, M. (2008) “Future of e-Government Research: 13 research themes identified in the eGovRTD2020 project’. Proceedings of the 41st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, USA E-service is one of the branches of this domain and its attention has also been creeping up among the practitioners and researchers.Lӧfstedt, U. (2005) ‘Assessment of current research and some proposals for future direction’, International Journal of Public IS
E-service (or eservice) is a highly generic term, usually referring to "The provision of services via the Internet (the prefix 'e' standing for ‘electronic’, as it does in many other usages), thus e-Service may also include e-Commerce, although it may also include non-commercial services (online), which is usually provided by the government." (Irma Buntantan & G. David Garson, 2004: 169-170; Muhammad Rais & Nazariah, 2003: 59, 70-71). "E-Service constitutes the online services available on the Internet, whereby a valid transaction of buying and selling (procurement) is possible, as opposed to the traditional websites, whereby only descriptive information are available, and no online transaction is made possible." (Jeong, 2007).Jeong Chun Hai @Ibrahim. (2007). Fundamental of Development Administration. Selangor: Scholar Press.
Importance of e-service Lu (2001)Lu, J. (2001). Measuring cost/benefits of e-business applications and customer satisfaction”, Proceedings of the 2nd International Web Conference, 29–30 November, Perth, Australia, 139-47 identifies a number of benefits for e-services, some of these are:
Accessing a greater customer base Broadening market reach Lowering of entry barrier to new markets and cost of acquiring new customers Alternative communication channel to customers Increasing services to customers Enhancing perceived company image Gaining competitive advantages Enhancing transparency Potential for increasing Customer knowledge
Importance and advantages of E-shopping E-shops are open 24 hours a day. There is no need to travel to the malls or wait at the checkout counters. There is usually a wide selection of goods and services. It is easy to compare prices and quality by using the E-shopping tool. Price reduction and discounts are electronically conveyed.
E-service domain The term ‘e-service’ has many applications and can be found in many disciplines. The two dominant application areas of e-services are:
E-business (or e-commerce): e-services mostly provided by businesses or non-government organizations (NGOs) (private sector). E-government: e-services provided by government to citizens or business (public sector is the supply side).
The use and description of the e-service in this page will be limited to the context of e-government only where of the e-service is usually associated with prefix 'public' as in "public e-services". In some cases, we will have to describe aspects that are related to both fields like some conferences or journals which cover the concept of e-service in both domains of e-government and e-business.
Architecture Depending on the types of services, there are certain functionalities required in the certain layers of e-service architectural framework, these include but are not limited to:
Data layer (data sources), processing layers (customer service systems, management systems, data warehouse systems, integrated customer content systems), exchange layer (Enterprise Application Integration– EAI), interaction layer ( integrating e-services), and presentation layer (customer interface through which the web pages and e-services are linked).
E-service quality Measuring service quality and service excellence are important in a competitive organizational environment. The SERVQUAL- service quality model is one of the widely used tools for measuring quality of the service on various aspects. The five attributes of this model are: reliability, responsiveness, assurance, tangibles, and empathy. The following table summarizes some major of these:
SERVQUALJiang, J.J.; Klein, G. and Crampton, S.M. (2000). A note on SERVQUAL reliability and validity in information system service quality measurement. Decision Sciences. Atlanta: Summer 2000. Vol. 31, Iss. 3; p. 725Kaynama & Black (2000)Kaynama, S. A., and Black, C. I. (2000). A Proposal to assess the Service Quality of Online Travel Agencies: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Professional Services Marketing (21:1), 63-88Zeithaml (2002)Zeithaml, V. A. (2002). Service Excellence in Electronic Channels. Managing Service Quality (12:3), 2002, 135-138Janda et al. (2002)Janda, S., Trocchia, P. J., and Gwinner, K. (2002). Consumer perceptions of Internet Retail Service Quality. International Journal of Service Industry Management (13:5), 412-431Alawattegama & Wattegama (2008)Alawattegama, L. and Wattegama, C. (2008). Benchmarking Asia Pacific National Telecom Regulatory Authority Websites. LIRNEasia Reliability Content Access Access Factual informationResponsiveness Access Ease of navigation Security Business informationAssurance Navigation Efficiency Sensation General informationTangibles Design Flexibility Information/content Consumer‐ related informationEmpathy Response Reliability Background Personalization Personalization Security/privacy Responsiveness Assurance/trust Site aesthetics Price knowledge
The LIRNEasia study [Alawattegama & Wattegama (2008)] focuses more on content than on accessibility and ease of use, unlike the other studies mentioned in the table. Websites are increasingly important portals to government agencies, especially in the context of information society reforms. Stakeholders, including businesses, investors and even the general public, are interested in information produced by government agencies, and websites can help to increase their transparency and accountability. The quality of its website also demonstrates how advanced a regulatory agency is.
E-service cost factor Some major cost factors are (Lu, 2001):Lu, J. (2001). Measuring cost/benefits of e-business applications and customer satisfaction”, Proceedings of the 2nd International Web Conference, 29–30 November, Perth, Australia, 139-47
Expense of setting up applications Maintaining applications Internet connection Hardware/software Security concerns legal issues Training; and Rapid technology changes
Practical examples of e-services in the Developing World Information technology is a powerful tool for accelerating economic development. Developing countries have focused on the development of ICT during the last two decades and as a result, it has been recognized that ICT is critical to economy and is as a catalyst of economic development. So, in recent years there seems to have been efforts for providing various e-services in many developing countries since ICT is believed to offer considerable potential for the sustainable development of e-Government and as a result, e-Services.Ndou, V.(2004)E-Government for developing countries: Opportunities and Challenges, EJISDC 18, 1, 1-24
Many government agencies in developed countries have taken progressive steps toward the web and ICT use, adding coherence to all local activities on the Internet, widening local access and skills, opening up interactive services for local debates, and increasing the participation of citizens on promotion and management of the territory(Graham and Aurigi, 1997).Graham, S. and Aurigi, A. (1997) Virtual Cities, Social Polarisation, and the Crisis in Urban Public Space, Journal of Urban Technology, 4, 1, 19-52
But the potential for e-government in developing countries remains largely unexploited, even though. ICT is believed to offer considerable potential for the sustainable development of e-government. Different human, organizational and technological factors, issues and problems pertain in these countries, requiring focused studies and appropriate approaches. ICT, in general, is referred to as an “enabler”, but on the other hand, it should also be regarded as a challenge and a peril in itself. The organizations, public or private, which ignore the potential value and use of ICT may suffer pivotal competitive disadvantages. Nevertheless, some e-government initiatives have flourished in developing countries too, e.g. Brazil, India, Chile, etc. What the experience in these countries shows, is that governments in the developing world can effectively exploit and appropriate the benefits of ICT, but e-government success entails the accommodation of certain unique conditions, needs and obstacles. The adaptive challenges of e-government go far beyond technology, they call for organizational structures and skills, new forms of leadership, transformation of public-private partnerships (Allen et al., 2001).Allen, A.B., Juillet, L., Paquet, G. and Roy, J. (2001) E-Governance and Government Online in Canada: Partnerships, People and Prospects, Government Information Quarterly,18, 93-104.)
Following are a few examples regarding e-services in some developing countries:
E-services and e-commerce in Rwanda 10 years after the Rwandan Genocide, Rwanda, a small country in Eastern Central Africa, has been bridging the digital divide through e-government. Rwanda has undergone a turnaround from being one of the most technologically deficient countries one decade ago to a country where legislative business is conducted online and wireless access to the Internet is available anywhere within the country.Mawangi, W.(2006) The social relations of e-government diffusion in developing countries: the case of Rwanda, Proceedings of the 2006 international conference on Digital government research, May 21–24, 2006, San Diego, California
E-services in South Africa