Online Services
What It Is
Offering easy access to online services is a best practice for managing your agency’s website. You should display them as prominently as possible on your site.
Why This is Important
Website visitors want self-service, and they want it fast. They want to know – right away – what they can do on the website to help them solve their problems or achieve their goals. Agencies can save time and money and by putting services online. To be effective for visitors, federal public websites need to prominently display the most requested and most used online services, so visitors can find out what the website can do for them.
OMB Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites require agencies to (#1A) “disseminate information to the public in a timely, equitable, efficient and appropriate manner,” and (#2A) “maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information and services provided to the public.” By providing easy access to your agency's online services, you can help the public quickly get things done on your website, without having to call, email, or go in-person. This can save valuable time for both your agency and the public, and can lead to better customer service.
How to Implement
- Identify the most commonly requested and commonly used online services on your websites and make sure that they are advertised prominently and can be reached quickly.
- As new online services are added to the website, highlight them appropriately.
Examples
Many federal public websites follow this best practice. This practice is part of the guidelines and best practices published by the Interagency Committee on Government Information to aid agencies' implementation of OMB Policies for Public Websites.
Page Updated or Reviewed: December 14, 2005
