Customer experience is a federal priority. Policies like the President's Management Agenda and the 21st Century IDEA Act highlight the importance of providing a positive, streamlined experience for U.S. citizens as they interact with government agencies. And yet, many agencies are slow to implement technologies and processes to improve their CX, and citizens are taking notice.
In fact, in the 2019 Forrester CX Index, federal agencies were ranked last of 16 industries studied in providing a positive customer experience for its citizens.
But while there is much work to be done in the public sector, there are several agencies making major strides in the CX space. Agencies like the General Services Administration and the Veterans Affairs and Agriculture departments and more have helped to lead the way, and other agencies could learn a thing or two from their CX programs.
Lesson 1: Make CX Your Culture
In order for customer experience to be effective in the public sector, agencies need to engrain it into their cultures. Putting the customer at the center must become a practice that the entire agency preaches, not just one individual. While agency leaders may not realize it, CX is directly aligned with the mission outcomes they work so hard to drive forward. And what’s more important to an agency—and its people—than the mission?
A few federal agencies have made CX a part of their everyday culture. As Agriculture Secretary, Sonny Perdue drives change from the top-down, turning his passion for CX into tactical methods of “making the USDA the most customer-centric department in all of government.” Additionally, the United States Postal Service has lessons federal agencies learn their peers
