Letters | Hong Kong government complaints app is easy to use: so why are so few using it?
- Launched in 2011, the 1823 app can filter public enquiries and complaints more efficiently
- For the app to realise its full potential, the government must promote it through closer coordination between departments
In addition to text messages, the 1823 app also allows users to record audio messages and upload photos and videos. I have used the app several times and have been impressed by its user-friendly interface design and the efficiency of the 1823 staff when handling my cases. Nevertheless, government departments must work together more closely before the app can realise its full potential in connecting the government with the community.
From 2011 to 2017, the app had been downloaded only 133,203 times, a rather small number relative to the 5.7 million smartphone users in the city. A total of 75,055 complaints and 37,471 enquiries were sent through the app in 2017, only 16 per cent and 1.9 per cent, respectively, of the total number received.
To promote the app more effectively, the government should monitor app usage – for example, by tracking the number of monthly active users and analysing user behaviour patterns. With more precise information about the app usage, the government can then launch a promotional campaign aimed at people likely to use the app.
The 1823 team should also further integrate its services with various government departments. In 2017, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department received nearly 3,000 reports of faulty traffic light incidents, but only 380 of such complaints were made through the 1823 app.
Similarly, of the 13,560 reports of road damage and defects in 2017, only about 28 per cent were sent to the Highways Department through the app. Since the app allows users to mark the case locations using GPS, complaints involving location information, including those related to faulty traffic lights and road damage, could be handled more efficiently if the government departments work together to promote the app.
Simon Wang, Kowloon Tong
