Make accessing web services more convenient for citizens.
That was the goal.

With this in mind, the Provincial Identity Information Management Program, within the Ministry of Citizens Services worked with Sierra Systems and FreshWorks Studio to create the BC Services card app mobile solution. A team of 15 developers from three different companies came together to develop a mobile app that allows British Columbians to securely login to their accounts using their registered mobile device.

The innovative approach taken here to improve citizen convenience has impressive results:

• 10,000+ downloads in the first six months
• 40,000+ total logins

Every download and login represents a BC resident that has used this app to simply and securely access citizen services, which means many have already benefited from this digital transformation in the public sector.

How do you make it more convenient for BC residents to use your services? And how do you ensure that the people logging into your services are actually who they say they are? 

Services BC was facing exactly these issues when they decided that one of the main goals they would like to focus on was “citizen convenience.” While most services were already accessible through the web, there was still the issue around forgotten passwords or ensuring the person logging onto the system was the owner of the account.

In November 2016, a FreshWorks project manager and team of app developers started working on the prototype with support from Sierra Systems, IDIM BC, and Service BC. 

As it is with many prototypes, it wasn’t always clear whether it would go into full time production. When production was a go in early 2017, the 15 developers from Sierra Systems and FreshWorks worked on the app relentlessly to assist in fulfilling Services BC’s goal of improving citizen convenience.

To ensure the person accessing the app is the person associated to the BC Services card, a level of assurance 3 proof needed to be implemented. This means that the approval authority, in this case Services BC, has completed a strong identity verification process.

As the project went on, more and more people came on board to provide feedback and help the progress along. From meetings to demo days, the FreshWorks mobile app dev team was leading the way. The app was launched in April 2018 and immediately saw a high adoption rate.

The secure mobile app was written in Swift and Java and utilizes Apple’s Keychain and Android’s Keystore.

Launched in November 2017, the BC Services Card app has received over 74,000 ratings on the Apple App Store and over 12,000 ratings on the Google Play Store.

With a solid foundation since the launch of the app, Services BC has taken major steps towards making it even easier for BC residents to conveniently access the services that are offered to them. With the move to the BC Services Card mobile app, Services BC has further established its hold on the spot of the innovator in the provincial government. Additionally, the app has allowed citizens to gather a better understanding of what services are offered to them. 

In line with public sector innovation and the shift to e-goverment, the mobile card has also been touted as a possible way to verify someone’s identity if the province considers electronic voting in the future.