A new website is being developed by the Isle of Man Government that will eventually replace www.Gov.im.
Launched today (Monday 29 October 2012), the team behind the new beta site http://cf.gov.im/ is now seeking public feedback to influence its future direction. A beta site is a secondary website used for testing and development. The existing Gov.im site remains fully functional.
The new website is being developed by the Customer First team based at the Department of Community, Culture and Leisure working in partnership with the Information Systems Division of the Department of Economic Development. It must be emphasised that content on the beta site is not complete at this time. The team hopes to have full information on department services available by the end of this year and will start adding content and services from other government agencies, boards and offices from early 2013.
Minister Graham Cregeen MHK said: ‘The new website is one element of the work that the Customer First team is undertaking with the aim of streamlining how services and information are delivered to customers, as part of the cultural change across government. This fits with the Chief Minister’s stated aim of a “smaller, simpler Government based on providing essential services in a sustainable, cost-effective and efficient manner, using new options for service delivery where appropriate”.’
Customer First, part of the Transforming Government initiative, is managed by the Department of Community, Culture and Leisure.
Justine Gale, Customer First project lead, explained: ‘Planning the new website started in September 2011 and a significant amount of progress has been achieved since then with a very small team. We want to develop a modern website for government primarily because the old Gov.im is coming to the end of its life. Technology and customers’ expectations have moved on. People want the convenience of transacting their business with government online when it suits them, and the new website will improve how this is done.
‘The new website will enable customers to find the information or service they require without needing to know which part of government provides that service. We are continuously reviewing how the new website functions and would welcome feedback from users in order to help us best meet customers’ needs.’
Visitors to the beta site are invited to complete the survey accessible at the top of every page. Alternatively, comments can be emailed direct to the team at customerfirst@gov.im.
The wider objectives of Customer First also include improving government services delivered to customers in person and by phone. More details can be found here.
http://cf.gov.im/about-the-government/departments/community,-culture-and-leisure/customer-first/)
People will be able to keep up with changes and improvements on the new beta site by following @govim on Twitter, or by visiting http://cf.gov.im/ regularly to see the new content.
