A Playbook for Enhancing Government Customer Experience

Customer service has always been an important facet of the relationship between government and citizens. But it’s now more of a necessity than ever—especially as citizens expect the same convenient digital experiences they enjoy in their personal lives.

The past few years have exposed gaps in the customer experience, forcing the public sector as a whole to re-imagine what customer experiences with their agencies could look like.

In addition, prioritizing and delivering enhanced government customer experience (CX) capabilities is now being mandated. For example, the goals outlined in both the CX Executive Order and the President's Management Agenda (PMA) provide a roadmap and opportunity for agencies to leverage digital transformation efforts and deliver CX capabilities for the citizens they serve.

With CX rising in priority, how do public sector experts feel about the current state of their customer service offerings? Where do they see CX gaps, and how are they prioritizing strategic CX investments?

In partnership with the Government Business Council (GBC), Docusign recently surveyed 200 federal, state and local professionals to answer these questions.

Summary of findings and an actionable playbook

To effectively respond to the customer service needs of their constituents, GBC and Docusign are offering a playbook based on insights from the survey. The playbook is designed to put your agency on the right path to bringing CX fully to life. Download the full playbook here.

Play #1 – Understand the baseline

This play will help you identify, understand and address your agency’s key CX gaps. It’s critical to speak directly with your constituents to get their feedback and understand how they interact with your agency and the services it provides.

While 95 percent of government leaders say customer service is a priority, only 32 percent believe that their agency is consistently collecting feedback from its users.

Play #2 – Identify the gaps

Next, you need to identify the processes and systems that impact customer experiences. What are the challenges and barriers for making significant CX improvements?

When it comes to manual processes, 64 percent of respondents say that paper-based processes cause delays and slow response times. And 27 percent of respondents state that budget and outdated IT systems are the main challenges to improving these manual processes.

Play #3 – Make the link

With an understanding of the challenges, how do you create a solution? First, start by meeting customers where they are online, and make the link between where these gaps are and what can be done about them.

While over 80 percent of respondents say that their agency offers information online, about half do not yet offer digital-first, mobile-accessible services. In addition, 21 percent of respondents say that their agencies do not use technology or digital tools to improve their CX.

Play #4 – Strategize for success

Finally, think about the scale of impact and the ways your agency can further optimize for a better customer experience. Focus on fixing the foundational infrastructure by streamlining all critical processes with robust investments into both technology and agency culture.

More than 40 percent of respondents point to a document management solution as a way to accelerate processes, support faster turnaround times and boost overall productivity.

Modernization is a key part of any customer experience strategy. But for many agencies, the biggest challenge is determining how to get started. For agencies looking to build a responsive and efficient CX strategy, it’s critical that they not only understand where they are, but also how to bridge the gaps to achieve their goals.

This playbook breaks down the areas for agencies to focus on, including migrating from outdated technology infrastructure, implementing change management protocols and increasing accountability of stakeholders who provide services to the government.

Click here to download the full report.