Mary-Louise Hoffman
A survey conducted by Accenture indicates almost half of social service recipients in the U.S. would download and use mobile applications to seek assistance from caseworkers.
The research also found that telephone and in-person visits are the primary methods for human services agencies and their clients to communicate, Accenture said Tuesday.
Only nine percent of respondents said they use online portals to access social service programs.
Debora Morris, managing director at Accenture’s integrated social services business, estimates that government agencies could save up to $14 million a year by implementing mobile access to human services.
The likelihood of mobile-based social services utilization between the survey’s millennial and middle-age respondents are nearly the same, Accenture said.
Eighty-two percent of millenials and 78 percent of middle-age people surveyed will likely use mobile apps to handle different human services-related activities, it added.
