During the COVID-19 pandemic Canadians had to rely on social services more than any time in our modern history. Millions of citizens were kept safe and received economic lifelines by programs that were created and deployed by governments and their private sector partners with unprecedented speed.Canadian services agencies were at the front line of the crisis navigating an explosion in demand and workload.  While the overall response has been extraordinary, the pandemic has also revealed vulnerabilities in many organizational structures, delivery models and systems and provided us with some issues to consider about the next generation of citizen services.While the recent election campaign will be remembered as pandemic election, it was primarily focused on vaccines, and to a lesser degree the post pandemic economic recovery. I believe the generational advances in citizen services made during the pandemic were welcomed by Canadians and had a lasting impact.  Our research indicates that Canadians and their civil servants welcome the change they saw and want to see more it.Accenture recently published a global survey of more than 7,000 people who'd received a social service within the past two years, and 600 executives currently leading social services, employment, public pension and child welfare agencies. Canada was one of the 10 countries include in the study- and we fared generally well.The survey revealed that nearly a quarter of Canadians (24%) expect to use more social services in the future. With an aging population we will also see increased demand and complexity for health and social services.Are we ready for this change? Our senior public servants are not so sure.   The survey shows that 46% of Canadian public service executives rated their own organization as highly prepared for current and future challenges, down from 49% pre-pandemic.What is clear is that “business as usual” won't be enough to meet future demands—and that citizen services must be reinvented to meet society's changing needs and expectations. As these forces play out, what do the ultimate end users—residents themselves—think of the social services they're currently receiving?We found that more than half (58%) of Canadian recipients of assistance said agency performance during the pandemic was strong or very strong, on par with peer countries (55% in the UK and 62% in Australia).Our survey also identified several bright spots to build on. For instance, Canadian respondents reported receiving services in new ways:

• Services delivered to them virtually during the pandemic (23%),
• New kinds of services were immediately made available (18%),
• Services closely tailored to their specific needs (15%).

Further, 82% of executives and 76% residents agree or strongly agree that strongly services will look very different in the years ahead. As agencies think about how to get there three priorities stand out.This past June, the Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Digital Government, released the Government of Canada's Digital Government Strategy, strategy detailing the work underway to modernize the digital capabilities of the federal government to deliver quality digital services to Canadians.From a service delivery perspective, the following elements should be key priorities to help guide the implantation of the Government of Canada's Digital Strategy.Become More ResponsiveCanadians identified frictionless speed as the best way to provide them value.  The world's most effective agencies go beyond responding to residents' needs with new and more personalized services. They also anticipate demand and “bundle” their offerings to ensure the right combination of services is easily accessible to the right resident at the right momentParents in Singapore can now use a single smartphone app—developed by the country's Early Childhood and Development Agency—to register a child's birth, find and choose schools and access health records.Become More AccessibleOur research indicates clearly that improving accessibility and transparency helps build trust and belief in the leadership and support offered by government. Most Canadians we surveyed (82%) said they lack sufficient guidance on what social services they are eligible to access.Interacting with social service departments—online, over the phone or in person—should not add unnecessarily to the burdens people already face. But this is often not the case. The best way for social services to meet residents' needs in the future? Shorter waiting times and better communication around eligibility for services. The top reported barriers to receiving services in Canada were Long Wait Times (35%), No Face-to-face Option (26%), and No clear guidelines on eligibility (25%). These difficulties make accessing services more discouraging and slower, especially for those first-time social services users.Even as vaccines roll out and social distancing rules relax, residents will be seeking to access more services virtually going forward.Embrace new technologies with human ingenuityThe switch to remote working that many social services agencies made almost overnight. While this sudden shift posed fresh challenges, especially initially, our research confirms that it has also created new opportunities.Keeping pace with residents' needs also requires agencies to capitalize on this new reality to develop new ideas and technologies.We found that the move to virtual work increased the Ability to Innovate (61%) the most; but came at the cost of Information Security Risks (56% increase), Employee Productivity (decrease 41%) and Employee Morale (decrease 38%). Investments in virtual work prior to the pandemic was the top wish (68%) of social services executives in Canada.ConclusionCanadians can be proud of the way our federal, provincial, and municipal governments have responded to the pandemic. Citizens have experienced innovation and they like what they have seen- and they want more of it. Citizen's expectations have been raised, it is clear that governments will need to address the growing demand by citizens for improved services.By Mark Lambert, Canadian Federal practice lead, Accenture