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A Publication Featuring The Information
Services Technology of Maine State Government
| Volume V, Issue 12 | December 2002 |
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By Carrie Gott
2002 was a year of expansion and continued growth for InforME. The State of Maine’s 2002 eGovernment initiative continued to strive for excellence in creating an accessible and informative portal as well as a cadre of easy-to-use on-line services. Across the state and beyond, teachers, businesses, licensed professionals, parents, vehicle owners, farmers, visitors, and many others are able to interact with their government through more than 200 on-line services and hundreds of information websites that are ADA accessible and user tested. It’s clear that Internet technology has a place in nearly every facet of public life, and that Maine eGovernment has made jobs easier and lives better, and will continue to do so.
Highlights of the 2002 year:
New Service Delivery: The Paytixx IVR (Interactive Voice Response) service allows users to pay their moving violations by telephone! This service has seen a higher adoption than its web counterpart, revealing that offering multiple service options equals good customer service. Paytixx is the first InforME eCommerce IVR service, and is believed to be the first in the country.
Excellence: The State of Maine continues to attract national attention as it takes yet another step up the eGovernment ladder. Government Technology Magazine placed Maine.gov 2nd in the nation in its esteemed 2002 annual eGov competition.
Maine.gov has also been featured in national publications including: Government Technology Magazine and eGoverning, as well as a variety of state publications including the Kennebec Journal, Portland Press Herald, and Mainebiz, among others.
Reaching Users: The massive Maine.gov re-branding campaign of 2002 was an initiative of the InforME Board, the Information Services Policy Board’s eGovernment Committee, the office of the Secretary of State, and the Chief Information Officer. The Maine.gov re-branding and re-design came about after extensive user testing. Portal enhancements included a more citizen centric categorizing of links and information, a helpful How Do I? section, seasonal links, a personalization feature, state wide press release page, additional on-line services, frequently used links, and a fresh and attractive design, among other features.
Users Reaching Maine.gov: Portal statistics show that visitors have increased 75% in 2002 as compared with 2001. Customer satisfaction is at 94%, and the fall and winter photo contests drew nearly 250 photo entries.
Service Expansion: The Secretary of State’s Rapid Renewal Service doubled in the number of participating municipalities in 2002, reaching a total of 40 municipalities; the Parking Ticket application is in the process of expanding to a second municipality; the Corporations, Elections, and Commissions Bureau of the Secretary of State’s office take the lead as their long line of services is considered to be the most comprehensive electronic suite of services as compared with any other Secretary of State office in the nation.
Noteworthy: Maine state agencies are benefiting from the Auto Forms software provided by InforME to any state agency. Any state agency may now create fillable forms for the use of their Internet customers. In only two months, nineteen accounts have been set up for agencies to use the Auto Forms tool. For more information about Auto Forms, please visit the Webmaster Galley resources page: http://www.maine.gov/webmasters/technical/index.html.
Contract Renewal: The State of Maine and the InforME Board signed a 2-year contract renewal with New England Interactive, Inc. (NEI) to continue management of the InforME portal. The renewal lasts through July 2004.
On a Personal Note: Tamara Dukes, President of New NEI, has stepped down as General Manager of InforME. Ms. Dukes moved to Maine in 1999 to work with the State on developing its self-funded portal, known as InforME. Under her management, the InforME portal has experienced widespread success and has taken the lead in service ingenuity, serviceability, and has gained national recognition through a multitude of eGovernment awards. Maine’s success has attracted attention from neighboring New England states which has resulted in National Information Consortium (NIC) contracts with Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Ms. Dukes will remain in the Maine office, but will be acting as the Eastern Regional Manager for NIC, the parent company of NEI.
Carrie Gott has assumed the role of General Manager. Ms. Gott started at the InforME portal in 1999, then moved to Rhode Island to build the RI.gov portal. Under Ms. Gott’s leadership, Rhode Island experienced its first national eGovernment award, a First Place in innovation from the MIT/Accenture Awards. She is delighted to be returning to Maine and to InforME.
If you should have questions regarding InforME, please do not hesitate to call! The InforME number is: 207/621-2600 or visit: http://www.maine.gov.
