Digital transformation offers key to improving citizen experience

Digital transformation as a means for improving customer service is not just for the private sector anymore. Federal agencies are beginning to catch up.

There’s a global push by government agencies to modernize public-facing services by dynamically engaging cloud and mobile technologies. While businesses focus on improving what is known as CX, or customer experience, these far-sighted officials are leading the way to improving another kind of CX, citizen experience.

To enhance that experience to a level today’s citizen wants (and more often than not expects) without sacrificing day-to-day services, these federal IT leaders need more than vision. They need to leverage the support of a managed workplace package that brings together critical services like connectivity, communications, equipment and network management without tying down staff.

Putting people first

The need for remaking U.S. government services around the principles of efficiency and convenience has been around for a long time and enjoys broad support. On December 13, 2021, an executive order was signed for “Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government.”

“Every interaction between the federal government and the public, whether it involves renewing a passport or calling for a status update on a farm loan application, should be seen as an opportunity for the government to save an individual’s time…and to deliver the level of service that the public expects and deserves,” the order read.

Citizen experience uptake has been visible at some agencies, with Federal Chief Information Officer Clare Martorana calling out specific innovations at the Departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs in a September 2022 interview. She added that more can and is being done to make user experience a priority.

“We used to design systems in a vacuum,” Martorana said. “The difference is in using human-centered design and working iteratively.”

Prioritizing citizen experience where it counts

The need for a more flexible and human-centered service model in federal government can be best seen in its uptake in other countries. The 2022 United Nations E-Government Survey spotlights Denmark, Finland and South Korea as leaders, with the United States in the second tier.

Access to digital services is cited as a key differentiator among top-performing governments. No longer does today’s citizen simply want to avoid long lines; they also expect quick answers and more efficient resolutions to their public service needs.

Imagine being able to manage income taxes from a mobile phone, or connect with a VA administrator via a video conferencing tool. Many routine tasks can be streamlined for greater ease of use with the help of the Internet of Things (IoT) and bots, while artificial intelligence solutions can channel callers to offices where their specific concerns can be most directly addressed.

The vast array of technologies available to today’s federal IT officials can seem daunting, particularly when one takes into account current federal service responsibilities being managed with small staff and tight budgets. Fortunately, there’s a way to simultaneously harness tech-driven innovations without draining human and material resources.

Managed service partnerships offer federal managers and IT directors unified approaches for bringing together several core components needed for a citizen experience makeover. These components generally include high-speed fiber connectivity, a simple yet dynamic communications system, a network platform with integrated WiFi and a powerful cloud-based central portal from which all key operations are controlled. Critical too is the enhanced security these partnerships provide for countering increased threats from malware and intrusion and raising alarms at the first sign of a breach.

Moving to smart spaces

More and more, the concept of enhanced customer experience centers around the need to develop “smart spaces,” locations equipped with sensors and other devices that communicate with networks via the IoT.

Smart spaces can serve a vital purpose for the federal government. This can be as simple as tracking waiting times or designing an office that better suits mobile users. Often, it involves more elaborate functions, such as AI-enhanced traffic engineering for federal roadways.

The need to develop smart spaces in federal government is spurred not only by improving citizen experience but the need to make better use of space in the wake of belt-tightening and cost-cutting. A recent Federal News Network article notes a growing trend around different agencies sharing office space, buildings and even floors. With their emphasis on optimizing technical resources, smart spaces help to make the most of physically limited work areas.

To capture the value of smart space technology and better design services around citizen experience, government agencies should consider an array of networking solutions. These include the establishment of a centralized platform, routing, WiFi and a portal from which information from a multitude of cameras and sensors can be collected and processed. This in turn can establish metrics for overall improvement of how a federal agency interacts with the people it serves.

Promoting a culture around citizen experience

Improving citizen experience involves more than tools; it requires a change in culture. Digital.gov, an official U.S. government website, is cultivating a “culture of engagement” with the aid of videos, training and reimagined onboarding techniques.

Being able to network with other Federal employees with the aid of video conferencing and instant messaging is critical to developing a better sense of what a culture of engagement means and how it can be best realized. An emphasis on real-time, high-speed connectivity is as crucial to the internal workings of a Federal enterprise as it is for connecting with citizens.

In many cases, digital transformation in the private sector has dramatically expanded how much and how quickly data is used to better serve customers and accommodate workforces. A similar drive is well underway in federal government, as citizens expect to do more from their mobile devices and after regular work hours. 

More of today’s leading businesses are employing fiber internet with ultra-high speed capacity to make better use of innovations like Big Data and cloud services; federal agencies that want to maximize their citizen experience offerings should consider this, too.

The time is now

When it comes to improving citizen experience, federal government leaders have their work cut out for them. A July 2022 McKinsey & Co. survey shows Federal government falls at the very bottom of a list of customer satisfaction scores.

Many federal leaders emphasize the need for an incremental approach that identifies specific opportunities to improve citizen experience, achieves measurable results and builds from them. But such quick successes, while helpful, need to be rapidly followed by a broader commitment to change the way government gets things done.

How can your Federal enterprise improve citizen experience while improving Federal services for those who depend on them? Learn how to exceed your business goals today and tomorrow with Spectrum Enterprise solutions.