There is no difference between Business to Business and Government to Business relationships

This is the final blog in a three-part series which explores the relationships between citizens and public services providers. Each blog includes a reader poll to get your point of view, so please do share your thoughts!


In an uncertain and disrupted world, there is increasing pressure on governments to deliver world class Government to Business experiences that improve productivity and reduce administrative burden.

Governments should provide a unified ‘account’ focussed approach to service delivery

Governments have recognised the importance of departments working together to improve the user experience. Businesses want to be able to access government ‘as a whole’, rather than engaging through isolated interactions with different departments. A particular frustration is the repetition of providing the same information to different departments’ grant applications, revenue and customs procedures and licensing agreements.

Businesses feel that government should ‘know them’ as soon as one department holds their information. This departmental integration in delivering services should be a priority in order to create seamless, painless experiences for businesses (although this is currently hampered by data-sharing restrictions). While there are examples of individual Government to Business services rivalling customer experiences in the private sector, the development of a unified ‘multi-departmental’ Government to Business account focus still needs to be refined.

A common theme in the private sector (with bespoke services being provided to global multi-billion dollar companies) is a wholly unified account management approach which spans across service lines. Applying a similar principle through a unified departmental approach would help improve the delivery of Government to Business services.

Government services should rival private sector Business to Business service excellence

Where should government measure their benchmark in service delivery? As discussed, governments must be able to market their services effectively in order to attract and retain international businesses. To rival the leading practices of the private sector, government services should be able to meet the speed, accuracy and reliability expected by consumers. In a world that increasingly relies upon automation, there is no need to suffer a trade-off between these key components of service excellence.

What do you think?

Is there no difference between Business to Business and Government to Business relationships? Please follow this link to our final polling and share your thoughts.


As a Partner in Strategy at EY London Radhika Chadwick specialises in Complex, Transformational and Digitally-Driven Change in Government. She believes we will see a monumental change over the coming decade in both which services government delivers to its citizens, as well as how those services are delivered. New technologies have the potential to help redefine and recharge the relationship between citizen and state, away from largely bureaucratic touchpoints and towards a much more meaningful and citizen-centric relationship. She is delighted to have the opportunity to work across the UK’s central government departments to help make those changes happen for the benefit of our economy and our society. She has 25 years of experience working with both private and public sector organisations in rethinking complex strategic issues and refocusing organisations for success. She is a Trustee of national charity The Restorative Justice Council, and a Sloan Fellow in Strategy & Leadership from London Business School. If you would like to find out about the services Radhika’s team can provide to your department, please get in touch at RChadwick1@uk.ey.com.

Read the most recent articles written by Radhika Chadwick - Diversity in tech: in conversation with Kevin Cunnington

Share this page