Customer Experience in Government: Helping Captive Customers

Have you ever felt like a captive customer when dealing with Government organisations? Many of us have been in this situation - there is nowhere else to go for the service and when things go wrong we can feel trapped and vulnerable.

For those of us working in local or central government, our customers are (generally) captive. They are unable to access the product or service anywhere else. Historically, this has led to an organisation-centric focus.  When the customer enters the service cycle with a government organisation, they often experience a ‘we only do it this way’ culture.  When it goes wrong, instead of being adaptable, the process can erode trust and damage our reputation. Those of us in government leadership roles need to question this approach.  Are we creating unnecessary friction for people in our communities? Can we adapt, provide real value to rate or taxpayers, and deliver a superior experience?

Captive customers are unable to access the product or service anywhere else.

At first glance, we all want to cry – yes!  The reality, however, can be a different story.  I came from the banking industry where channel migration and innovation were an investment that was valued and resourced within the organisation.  Local government struggles to budget for the bare minimum. Innovation is stifled by staff that aren’t ready for it and are focused on just getting through. I was shocked to enter an industry where people would openly say, ‘no, I am not going to do that, it is not part of my role.’  It was another symptom of operating in a fiscally restrained environment with a team that wasn’t recruited for adaptability. 

Before you stop reading, I have some great news!  There is an opportunity to evolve your government organisation in a way that can harness your team and make the best of the resources you have.  While private enterprise focuses on improving the bottom line for shareholders, government agencies have a remit to provide social wellbeing and value for money to citizens.  This remit can be fulfilled by changing the focus from organisational to people-centric processes. The shift benefits both your community and your staff.

In my experience, there are many ways to adapt that will only cost you and your team some time and energy but will provide enormous value to your customers, staff, and the governing body. Here are 6 ways you might consider in your organisation.

1.     Resolve your most important customer complaints

Review your customer complaints for the last 6 – 12 months – and not just the high-level categories – read the commentary from customers and look for your top three issues from your most accessed services. 

2.     Try out your own service

Experience the service for yourself as a customer – your own mystery shop if you like.  I recently did this and found multiple pressure points that we can now work through to resolve. 

3.     Get feedback from your regular users

Contact regular users of your service. For example, in New Zealand solicitors interact with our council daily.  We organised to meet with local firms and sought their feedback on our services.  Internally staff had believed they would not wish to pay more for the services we provided, even if we improved the turnaround times.  That myth was busted in the first interview. The majority were excited to know that if we could improve the service level then they would welcome a higher fee. 

4.     Engage with your staff to improve your processes

The next step is observing, listening and engaging with staff completing the processes for customers.  What changes would they like to see, how do they think we can improve processes, what slows down the process for them? 

5.     Assess and manage the risks

Complete a risk assessment of the new process and assess whether changes would create an unacceptable risk.  I have not yet found an unacceptable risk; your people know how to deliver what is necessary!

6.     Implement the change

The next challenge is bringing all the internal cogs in the process into a room and putting together a plan to implement the change.  Remember to get everyone that may interact or be involved in the process and be selective in creating this team.  You need a mix of those who are well-respected internally and those who are change leaders and innovators.  We all have them, we just need to create the space to let them shine. Your role as a leader is critical – engage with the senior leadership team and get their support.  You have the potential to deliver on your organisation’s remit, improve your staff and customer experience, and drive a project from the ground up – this is what most organisations crave. 

7.     Test with a soft launch

After you have the new process refined and tested internally, have a soft launch and involve your regular customers – you need to iron out the kinks in a safe environment. One blessing of working in the government ‘captive customer model’ is testing is easier than in private enterprise. Your test customers are normally motivated to help because they have nowhere else to go and want improvements.

8.     Celebrate and talk about your success

Sing from the rooftops and get the message out in whatever way your community prefers.  Engage and seek feedback from them. Finally, tell your governing body about what you have done, what you have improved, and what the impact has been.  Give them data. The most common question you will receive is, “so what will you improve next?”

A few final notes on what I have learned along the way. Be open to challenging your resource needs – perhaps a skilled application specialist would have far more benefit to the team than two data entry roles that have previously existed.  Ask your suppliers if they will offer a discount on your pilot.  The worst they will say is no, and the best will understand that success on your project might mean more future work.  Be brave – it is natural to avoid change or shy away from being the person responsible for ‘making waves. When we approach change from a human perspective, it creates an opportunity to support and build relationships along the way, and this can be valuable for your career.

Creating value is still a tough ask in local and central government where the traditional outweighs innovation and adaptation.  Gradual steps interspersed with some quick wins will get you through, and call on your colleagues for support. If we learned anything in 2020, it is that we are all in this together and as government leaders, our remit to improve the well being of and value for our communities should not be taken lightly.

Trudie Hurst works as the Group Manager Customer Delivery for the most southern territorial authority in New Zealand - Southland District Council. The area boasts iconic natural landscapes including the Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound.

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