Omni-Channel Overtures: Defining the Concept and Its Applicability in Public Sector Channel Management

The channel landscape and citizens’ channel behaviors are continuously evolving. This challenges how governments manage service delivery and their available service channels. To address these challenges, a new type of strategy has surfaced in the literature on private sector channel management; omni-channel management. But could the omni-channel concept be applied in the public sector context as well? More importantly: could it address the current challenges in the channel landscape? Currently no comprehensive studies exist that examine omni-channel management in a public sector setting. Therefore, we present relevant developments in the channel landscape and discuss how an omni-channel approach could be applied in the public sector.