Customer-centric government is no longer a buzzword, and rightfully so. Citizen customer service has become a priority of federal and state and local agencies.
Data has become a shared electronic commodity around transactional government. While technological advancements have enhanced capabilities in IT infrastructures, it has also put privacy at risk with data cybersecurity threats. In an era of connectivity, health care records, loan applications, veteran's benefit records, and security clearance investigations have become targets of criminals and adversarial nation states. Citizens need to be informed of the implications and consequences. Most importantly, this requires rapid and scalable responses by government to the public to help contain and rectify any damages.
To help address the many challenges associated with customer government-centric IT, the U.S. Digital Service was created "to improve and simplify the digital experience that people and businesses have with their government," in the words of a White House document. Clearly, a priority mission of government engagement with citizens requires an upgraded and transparent IT structure. And the creation of the U.S. Digital Service is evidence that government recognizes the need for accountability to constituents.
More:Improving Citizen Service Delivery
Government has also accepted the reality that the wheel does not have to be reinvented. The operational experience and systems for customer engagement already exist in the private sector. Commercial best practices are a strong starting point for the evolving framework of improving citizen customer experience. Following the lead from the private sector, government is now creating the role of "chief customer officers" in several agencies.
According to Forrester Analyst Rick Parish, improving customer experience – or CX -- also makes for healthier, more effective government organizations. In his words: "CX isn't a cost center — it's a force multiplier. That's because better CX sparks internal efficiencies, employee engagement, and great ideas that can make federal agencies run better."
The Education Department's Federal Student Aid office and the Social Security Administration are already saving millions every year thanks to efficiencies gained by better CX, he noted, and SSA employees are also happier because a popular new digital self-service channel has reduced their workload.
In the private sector, company customer experience practices are sophisticated and metric based. Industry has integrated capabilities with new technologies, training and analytics. For example, contact centers (call centers and service desks) allow for real-time monitoring, interface tools and techniques to handle calls and information requests or other transaction requests with fewer resources and better quality.
Multiple levels of end-user support and reporting are available and processes have been refined to assure that problems or incidents can be addressed quickly. Data analytics allows for more predictable and scalable allocation of government resources. And because of the integration of these tools and processes, contact center employees are much better trained and more accountable for the resolution of customer needs.
As we move forward, government and industry cooperation aimed at improving the customer experience is an imperative as well as a priority. Industry innovation and experience instills confidence in constituent oriented government operations. Moreover, proven commercial technology-enabled services are performance force multipliers for government, especially in times of budget constraint. Citizen customer service is here to stay and just like the commercial foundation it is based on, delivers an outcome that we all demand.
Terry A. Weipert is senior vice president of Sutherland Government Solutions, a unit of Sutherland Global Services.
