Page 16 - FCW, November/December 2019

Customer Experience
Using data to
solve societal challenges
Tackling complex issues requires the ability to quickly measure the effectiveness of solutions
Kevin Richards
Vice President and Head of U.S. Government Relations, SAP
epidemic, world hunger, sustainability and climate change.
And if possible, we always encourage testing a solution on a small scale so that agencies have an opportunity to receive feedback and make adjustments before new technology is deployed across the organization.
Visualizing trends in real time
It’s often easier for governments at the state and local level to move quickly and try innovative approaches, so at SAP, we use those examples to talk about the art of the
AGENCIES AND ELECTED
officials ultimately serve the
public. Therefore, understanding the customer experience is fundamental
to their ability to understand whether the government is performing efficiently and delivering value to constituents. Without that knowledge, there’s a significant disconnect between agencies and the public in terms of the value of the government and its services.
Fortunately, we’re seeing a fundamental shift in how the government approaches services. White House leaders have made understanding the effectiveness of programs fundamental to their mission and have incorporated objectives for improving citizen services into the President’s Management Agenda. That document spells out priorities in a clear way and can be used as a guide for creating a solid path forward when agencies need to respond to new mandates from Capitol Hill or the White House.
In addition, data is a core focus of the Office of American Innovation and of
U.S. CIO Suzette Kent. Quick feedback — ideally, in real time — is a key factor in being flexible enough to make changes from an operational standpoint, and the emphasis on sharing more federal data is giving agencies the ability to make a transitional and transformational shift in terms of understanding the customer experience and delivering government services.
Understanding the role
of technology
Congressional oversight is often a good incentive for agencies to adopt changes,
and even though they must meet certain milestones and timelines established by lawmakers, it takes time and training for the federal workforce to know how to use new solutions.
It’s essential for industry to work
in partnership with the government
to understand the products that are available and how they can benefit the constituents agencies are serving. That’s why the government relations team at SAP educates congressional leaders about using technology and data to solve important societal challenges — such as the opioid
davooda/Shutterstock/FCW Staff
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