One on One with Sapient's Teresa Bozzelli

The world has gone digital in just about every aspect of life, and the Federal Government is no exception. Today's citizens expect a government that provides platforms and services that make all facets of government-citizen interaction easier and more efficient. Teresa Bozzelli, President of Sapient Government Services (SGS) is at the forefront of the drive to leave no citizen behind when it comes to accessibility of government, and looking to usher in an age of digital democracy where all citizens have access to the services they need, when they need it. Consulting sat down with her to talk about SGS' efforts to help governments through technology improve relationships with its citizens.

Consulting: What are some of the big shifts making the biggest impact on government?

Bozzelli: Part of it starts with the citizens demanding a different experience. And we've seen that first with mobile. A few years ago the governments would say we want a mobile application, and we'd ask why. We wanted them to really think about the technology and innovation that mobile can bring, not for the sake of doing something different, but really using technology innovation as a component to move the mission connection to the citizen forward. So we'd push back a little bit, and say it's not about the innovation of mobile, but it's about innovative use of mobile as an integrated channel. The other innovation I'm hoping we get to is really creating a different engagement model with the digital citizen. Our community, the younger generation, expect to be served differently. It's an opt-out model we deal with in the private sector and in government it's opt-in, so we really need to see that shift. It isn't necessarily a new technology innovation, but an innovative use of technology to change the engagement model from citizen to service.