Abstract
Problem Statement. The addition of automated service delivery systems has provided greater efficiency and flexibility for bureaucracies and their clients. However, not all clients can receive services through automated means. The differences in the design of automated and live service channels can lead to inequalities in client outcomes. Purpose. The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to determine what factors affect the service delivery channel clients choose, and (b) whether clients with equal traits and conditions receive better outcomes through the automated service channels than live service channels. Theoretical framework. The theoretical framework for the study is Prottas's people processing as in the context of Lipsky's street-level bureaucracy and Bovens and Zouridis's systems-level bureaucracy. Methodology. The study compares the outcomes for residential clients of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) who requested a payment extension during a 1-year period. The effects of eligibility, digital proficiency, and urgency of the request on client channel choice were calculated using multinomial logistic regression. The 4 decisions comprising the payment extension transaction were compared to the written policy. The mean divergence from policy in each case was compared using independent sample t tests. Findings. The study finds that urgency affects channel choice. Eligibility and digital proficiency limit client options but have no significant effect on channel choice. The live channels provided twice as many positively biased outcomes as negatively biased outcomes in granting or denying an extension, while the automated channels provided no biased outcomes. Conclusions. The preference for the live channels is the result of ineffectual system implementations. LADWP does not have adequate tools and training to ensure equity in client outcomes. Recommendations. Updating the written policy, relaxing extension requirements, and implementing system controls that reduce employee discretion are recommended to increase automated channel traffic and create equal outcomes across channels are recommended. LADWP needs to integrate business goals with system design and improve manager training to achieve its long-term goals for the customer interface.