Beyond COVID-19: How government agencies must innovate for the future

This year, Elavon’s 2021 Government Consumer Insights Payment Report again polled consumers who had made a payment to a local or state government agency, higher education institution, DMV, or mass transit authority for fees, fines or services within the past 12 months. The results confirmed that COVID-19 has been the “Big Bang” for the digital transformation of how we work, learn and play. Everything from shopping and entertainment, to learning and healthcare, and how we interact and communicate with our friends and co-workers in social and business settings has changed. And there is no going back.

The jolt from the pandemic was felt throughout businesses, schools, and government agencies. It also became the catalyst for adopting modern payment methods as lockdowns, social distancing, and fear of contracting the virus forced consumers to seek alternative ways to pay. As a result, market growth projections for digital payments have been revised upward by almost 14% from initial forecasts for the period from 2021 to 2026.

The results from our 2021 Government Consumer Payments Insight Report underscored the enormous impact of the pandemic on the government payments landscape.

Governments catching up with a modern payment experience

The good news is that consumers noticed—and appreciated—the efforts of government agencies to adopt new payment acceptance methods. According to the survey, 56% of respondents surveyed said the government is keeping pace with payment innovation in other industries. This is up a full 10% over the results of the 2020 survey.

With government offices closed, and staff working from home, the need to send bills via electronic means became a necessity. Local and state municipalities, agencies and utilities quickly instituted digital delivery.

When asked which payment methods this year’s participants have used to pay government-related fees and bills, participants gravitated to payment methods that allow bills to be paid via phone or digitally—online, mobile, email, or text— versus in person and by mail. While the rise in the usage of digital payment methods is not a surprise considering government office closures during lockdowns and social distancing measures, it is evident that these will continue to be preferred methods going forward in 2022 and beyond.

Additional information the report covered regarding how citizens like to pay their bills as well as their opinions for future improvements include:

• Top ways participants feel government payments could be innovated.
• How government agencies could improve their constituent’s payment experience.
• How do respondents feel about service fees?
• How concerned are consumers about security and data breeches?
• Participants feel there is room for improvement for the DMV experience – what preferences are they requesting?
• What payment methods do students prefer?

To read more about how government agencies might better understand opportunities for improvements and deliver a better constituent financial experience, download the free report today. Or visit us online: Government Specific Payment Solutions | Elavon

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