The main goal in customer service is to provide for customer needs and preferences. Through data and feedback, agencies can revitalize and refocus services to best support customers. At Carahsoft’s 2023 Government Customer Experience and Engagement Summit, panelists reviewed the usage of data in improving the customer experience (CX).
Maintaining Pace with Customer Needs
Expectations from customers have changed rapidly. The pandemic forced customers to increasingly operate via the internet, from important telehealth visits with doctors to completing the mundane task of buying groceries. To match audience needs, Government services must follow suite and digitize.
While digitization is vital, agencies must begin by investing energy and resources into the foundation of CX. To create successful digitization, agencies must focus on swiftly delivering value. Components such as success, personalization and digital equity will follow naturally. Implementing iterative feedback strategies and routines to talk one-on-one with the people directly involved refines usability in agency services.
Providing Equitable Service Through Data
Creating swift and efficient Government services can be difficult and gathering data on customer feedback is the key to improving them. By collecting data through live user testing, agencies can demonstrate how well services are working. This insight can be utilized to encourage the Federal Government to continue or increase funding for State and Local initiatives.
Agencies should encourage reviews as much as possible. By gathering feedback, agencies can use the information gained from data to implement measures alleviating processes that customers carry out. Feedback on digital services can be used by agencies to revitalize their websites around customer needs. Digital services should be simple, accurate, equitable and accessible. Sometimes, this means agencies will need to continue redesigning initiatives, even if they performed adequately in test cases. While this can be cumbersome, being equitable for all users is a vital part of customer service. Pilot programs and generative artificial intelligence can alleviate this process and aid in experimenting with new technologies or designs.
With the overwhelming switch to digitization and the automation process, agencies must not lose sight of maintaining security standards to protect the sensitive information they hold. Implementing data protection and resiliency ensures that in case of data loss, agencies can get services back up and running again.
Equitable service means considering the audience. Whether the audience even has access to technology or in-person services, is a large factor in how CX is provided. For services geared for older customers, such as Medicaid, physical copies may be necessary to reach a large part of the audience. Some customers may need help accessing information. Government agencies can make a difference in these communities by offering additional assistance, including teaching seniors how to use technology or signing them up for medication deliveries. Without considering the audience, and without providing an extra helping hand, Government agencies cannot ensure equitable and proper service to their customer base.
Ultimately, agencies need to stay relevant, accurate and up to date with customer needs while also recognizing that it takes time and effort to perfect services. However, by interpreting data to consider different perspectives and needs, and by applying that data to expand support services and platforms, agencies can provide excellent customer service and experiences.
Read the previous blog and check back soon to read the rest of Carahsoft’s insights from CX industry thought leaders at the summit.
To learn more about the latest in the CX landscape and how Carahsoft’s industry-leading partners can support your Customer Experience initiatives, please visit our resource hub to access all on demand recordings and information from the 2023 Government Customer Experience and Engagement Summit.
