Citizen Engagement Blog

Federal, State and Local governments are promoting shared services to check some critical boxes:

• Saving money by taking greater advantage of existing IT resources
• Improving citizen customer service with limited resources
• Reducing redundancy from multiple distributed and duplicative IT functions
• Taking the next step in IT optimization, which began with datacenter consolidation
• Supporting the move from on-premise infrastructure to the cloud

Take stock of shared service options and benefits to increase citizen customer service efficiencies. These facts and proof points will help.

While the world watches as Donald Trump is inaugurated as the President of the United States, many government administrations and programs wait in limbo. What will this mean for citizen services, state of customer service in the near future, and frankly, your job?  Citizens will always need customer service, and agencies will always need affordable, effective options to solve citizen needs.  Technology modernization is a critical component of that future outlook.

Governing Institute’s new study “Citizen Engagement Modernization in the State Contact Center” examines how the modernization of contact centers can both improve citizen engagement and address operational needs. In Part 1 of this post series, we examined how research results identified methods to improve the citizen experience. Now in Part 2, we discuss how research results identify backend modernization needs  that address outdated technology, inefficient processes, and staffing and operational burdens to improve state worker productivity.

New research by the esteemed Governing Institute validates that state governments realize the impact outdated technology and inefficient processes have on citizen engagement and operational burdens. In this post, we examine the research findings that answer how modernizing contact centers can improve citizen engagement. Watch the early findings video, read more, and get the Governing Institute infographic.

Now, more than ever, health and human services agencies face a variety of challenges in your efforts to protect and enhance the health and well-being of your constituents. You are under pressure to balance resources and demands while executing your services effectively and efficiently.  

A recent Governing Institute study on Citizen Engagement investigated where state agencies stand on contact center modernization to support their citizen engagement efforts.  HHS leaders were strongly represented in the survey results.  Let's take a look at how they're doing... 

These are the calls that no one wants to make:

• That first call to establish eligibility for unemployment insurance (UI).
• The call to file an initial claim for UI benefits.
• And all the follow-up calls to maintain eligibility, schedule required appointments with the local program office or resolve issues.

It’s bad enough to be jobless through no fault of your own. Insult is added to injury if the customer support system for the UI program requires waiting on hold for a representative, standing in a long line at the local office, or accessing a website that doesn’t provide interactive, live support.

Healthcare is a touchy subject. Throw in program management complexities government healthcare participants don’t see and your program will develop chronic aches and pains at the 10-point level.

For example, the well-publicized, glitch-filled Affordable Care Act enrollment launch last year shined a spotlight on citizen frustration with government health insurance programs. The Healthcare.gov website has since been fixed, but the fallout has been slower to dissipate. State and local health programs, particularly Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and the health insurance exchanges (HIX) are under greater scrutiny than ever.

While there appears to be latent demand for mobile apps from constituents of government prepaid card programs like SNAP, WIC, and TANF, there has still be very little adoption by government agencies despite robust citizen engagement technology being available today. 

Human services programs address fundamental needs for children, pregnant women, and needy families. Recipients of SNAP, WIC, and TANF disbursements, child support payments, and other emergency and child advocacy programs depend on these funds for food, shelter, and other necessities.

So it’s especially important for government entities to provide a fast, flexible, easy-to-use support solution for their human services programs without outdated processes and technologies standing in their way.