Page 10 - FCW, November/December 2019

Customer Experience
By gaining a clear vision for improving their customers’ experiences, agencies can have a profound impact on mission outcomes
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.”
The government is the sole provider of certain services — such as driver’s licenses, passports, Social Security
payments, veterans’ benefits and building permits — so it may seem unnecessary to be concerned about whether customers are pleased with those services. Nevertheless, Digital.gov states that CX “is even more important in the public sector than in other organizations.”
A poor experience can damage the bottom line for companies. In the government’s case, it affects agencies’ abilities to achieve their missions and can negatively impact the public’s trust in government.
S-8 SPONSORED CONTENT
AnastassiaVassiljeva/Shutterstock/FCW Staff