Using Customer Experience to Set Apart Government Services

Throughout the day, every day, you experience multiple interactions. Whether it be picking up your morning coffee, going to your daily meeting, or something else, you are left with a feeling about a service, person, or organization that, over time, and through constant interaction creates a perception.

Are you happy with the services you receive? Do you generally leave the interaction satisfied?

Customer Experience is the result of an interaction between an organization and a customer over the duration of the relationship. It’s what keeps you coming back to the same place for that coffee and is the foundation for the meeting that can determine the rest of your day.

Government agencies are focusing on improving the customer experience (CX) in areas like taxes, airport checkpoints, housing, and farming. Identifying the moments that matter most in a customer’s journey is what makes it possible to support them in using Government services.

Making CX an organizational priority not only benefits the customer but the organization long-term for these reasons, and, in the government’s case, helps improve delivery of services and information to the public.

A strategic and intentional CX focus at an agency:

• Forms Positive Perception Quickly — Customer Experience engages customers by making them feel understood, supported, and accounted for right away. This positive “customer first” mindset encourages the customer that they have found the right organization for their needs

• Increases Engagement – Customer Experience increases the number of people that rely on your services and thus the number of people that are more likely to reach out to the government for help and resources regularly. This encourages the word of mouth phenomenon and expands its customers

• Adds Lasting Value – Customer Experience puts your customers at the center of your organization and allows you to stay up to date with their changing needs. By prioritizing your customer’s experience, you increase trust, and have a front seat to customer expectations, allowing you to deliver quantifiable results

Prioritizing Customer Experience in Government organizations identifies human-centered priorities for agencies. Better Customer Experience has a measurable impact on mission outcomes, morale, and public trust. By focusing on this organizational priority, the government can target their investments to align with the customer journey and make a big impact with their mission.