Personalization - in which services are tailored to the individual needs of users - offers some beguiling promises that cut to the very heart of the delivery of citizen-centric services. The question as to how far to extend choice to citizens is as old as democracy itself. Personalization promises to extend citizen choice, empower citizens, bring the marginalised back into society and involve taxpayers in demonstrating value for money.
Vertex, as a company that interacts with 1 in 5 of the UK population every week, believes that the personalization agenda holds a radical promise to citizens but with potentially significant costs. These costs will grow exponentially once citizens really understand what personalization means for them and demand for such services increases. The genie, promising wishes and choice for all, will have been released from its bottle.