Serving Enterprises and the Public Well

Can procuring government services be as easy for enterprises and members of the public as buying something online? According to Shanghai's trademark integrated online government services platform, the answer is a resounding yes! 

Upon entering the Xuhui District Administrative Service Center, which is the only national-level demonstration zone for the integration of Internet technology with government services in Shanghai, I was greeted by a bright space with a clean design and lots of decorative plants. Deputy director of the center Guan Yi told me, "Our hope is that when people visit government offices, they get the same feeling of modern style that they would get from a big brand store, the same feeling of welcome that they would get from a coffee shop, and the same feeling of convenience that they would get from shopping online." 

In the center's 24-hour self-service area, I heard a positive review of the automated equipment from Zhao Zhengrong, a computer programmer who works nearby. He said, "Today I came to check the status of my social insurance and public accumulation fund accounts. I got a ticket with a QR-code on it in the self-service area, which I then scanned with the self-service machine. After the machine scanned my face to confirm my identity, I was able to look up the information I wanted. There was no need to line up at a counter, and everything was done within minutes." 

The machine he referred to was one of the integrated online platform's super self-serve terminals, which offers services from many government departments, including records, police, and medical insurance-related services. With these machines, users can get on-the-spot services for common matters such as updating residence permit information, requesting and supplementing medical records, printing certificates and licenses, and searching records. The machines can even handle other matters like applications for maternity insurance, subsidies for people with flexible employment, and medical-related issues for non-residents. 

A staff member offers assistance to a woman using a super self-serve terminal in the 24-hour self-service hall at the Xuhui District Administrative Service Center in Shanghai, June 11, 2020. Xuhui District has vigorously promoted the provision of government services through an integrated online platform in order to make the services available anytime on demand. PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE XUHUI DISTRICT ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE CENTER 

"By establishing the first 24-hour self-service hall in Shanghai, Xuhui District has solved the problem of overlap between the hours of government departments and the working times of residents and enterprises," Mr. Guan told me. "This center has consolidated the self-service functions of departments concerned, and independently developed 24 standardized, integrated, and large-scale super self-serve terminals providing convenient services including online preliminary review, self-serve processing, smart file review, examination of testimony, and checking the status of requests. More than 730 different matters can be handled here on the spot." 

Just like Mr. Zhao, more and more residents are now able to access government services nearby and at any time of day. By offering self-service machines that never close, Xuhui District is becoming a testing ground in Shanghai for the provision of government services in a completely self-help manner. 

The key to resolving problems faced by businesses and members of the public when seeking services such as having to run around and provide excessive documentation is to provide one-stop service so that matters can be completed at one counter and in a single visit. According to Fang Shizhong, Head and Deputy Party Secretary of Xuhui District, "We at Xuhui District are working hard to fuse the speed of the online platform with the warm experience of in-person service delivery, thus creating a government service system featuring seamless integration of online and offline components." 

The head of the Shanghai office of Griffith Foods (China) Co., Ltd. described to me that when opening up a restaurant in Xuhui, one used to have to make three different trips to administrative offices to get a food business license and an alcohol sales license and to receive inspections for fire safety and use as a public space. Thinking it over, he said, "Now all you have to do is log onto the Xuhui District portal of the integrated online platform, fill out an online application form, and submit your paper documentation at a general services counter. Then you wait seven working days, after which you can pick up all the permits you need at once." 

Mr. Guan explained, "We have set up general government service counters for receiving requests in a uniform fashion. The matters subject to administrative review in each department have been consolidated into a single office, while the review offices of different departments have been merged into the district's administrative services hall. As a result, we have cut the original number of 83 counters that were dedicated to different departments down to 18 general counters, and now enterprises can get all the help they need at a single counter." 

At present, 68% of the requests handled at the Xuhui District Administrative Service Center are resolved on the spot, and time spent waiting in line has dropped by a third. 

In 2018, Xuhui District launched a series of innovative reform measures centered on efforts to build the integrated online government services platform. These reforms were met with a 99.97% public satisfaction rate, and earned Xuhui the honor of being named one of the 50 most outstanding cases of Internet Plus government integration in China. 

No matter how small their beginnings, initiatives that benefit the people are bound to succeed. Aimed at addressing the demands of enterprises and the public and serving them well, Xuhui District's innovative reforms have made it easy to get government services. This has given the district's residents a greater sense of wellbeing. 

(Originally appeared in Qiushi Journal, Chinese edition, No. 16, 2020)