Innovation in Government® Report
Shining a Spotlight on the Customer Experience

The terms "speed" and "customer service" have not historically been associated with the government, but that’s changing as agencies put a greater emphasis on the customer experience. Taking a page from the private sector, where companies rely on positive consumer interactions to stay in business, officials at all levels of government are recognizing the value of establishing and maintaining solid relationships with both internal and external customers.

For the government, customers include the general public, contractors, other partners and employees, each of which interact with agencies in specific ways. The General Services Administration’s Digital.gov, which offers guidance to help agencies build better digital services, defines customer experience (CX) as “the sum of all experiences a customer has with your organization.” A poor experience can damage the bottom line in the private sector. In the public sector's case, it affects agencies’ abilities to achieve their missions and can negatively impact the public’s trust in government.

The terms "speed" and "customer service" have not historically been associated with the government, but that’s changing as agencies put a greater emphasis on the customer experience.

The General Services Administration’s Digital.gov, which offers guidance to help agencies build better digital services, defines customer experience (CX) as “the sum of all experiences a customer has with your organization.” A poor experience can damage the bottom line in the private sector. In the public sector's case, it affects agencies’ abilities to achieve their missions and can negatively impact the public’s trust in government.

The government is the sole provider of certain services — such as driver’s licenses, passports, Social Security payments, veterans’ benefits and building permits. Ensuring these services are accessible and intuitive is imperative for all agencies to achieve their mission goals. Read the latest insights from industry and government thought leaders in CX, including:

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  • Stephanie Thum, Chief Adviser for Federal Customer Experience at Qualtrics, explains how the need to adapt to evolving expectations is driving government focus on CX and the "experience economy."
  • Carmen Krueger, Senior Vice President of North American Enterprise Sales at Qualtrics, details how focusing on how optimizing the employee experience will improve customer satisfaction and mission outcomes.
  • Kevin Richards, Vice President and Head of U.S. Government Relations at SAP, discusses how tackling complex issues requires the ability to qucikly measure the effectiveness of solutions.
  • Greg Simons, Vice President of Support Services and Business Development at SAP NS2, explains why the push to improve CX is intertwined with agencies' modernization efforts.
  • Anahita Reilly, Chief Customer Officer at the General Services Administration (GSA), discusses the agency's comprehensive approach to improving the customer and employee experience.
  • Michele Bartram, Customer Experience Officer at the U.S. Census Bureau, explains how the Census Bureau identifies and addresses the needs of a wide range of customers, including 2020 census respondents.

Learn more from Carahsoft and our CX partners when you download the full report:

Learn more from Carahsoft and our CX partners when you download the full report:


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