CX in Government: CX Mini Masterclass – E50

Decoding the Customer

This CX Mini Masterclass explores 3 trends that are on the rise with how governments are embracing CX practices. Special guest and CX thought leader Stephanie Thum speaks about how this trend is gaining global momentum, the importance of adapting government experiences for the modern world, and the growing influence of oversight bodies to ensure that governments are doing right by consumers. If you’re wondering how CX is being applied beyond the private sector, then this episode is for you.

Insights from a special guest

Stephanie has amassed deep expertise through her diverse professional background in the field of customer experience. While she’s often best known for her experience as one of the US federal government’s first agency CX leads, she has also been a practitioner and consultant in the B2B world, working with small and mid-sized companies and was one of the founding members of the CXPA. She’s a CCXP and has remained active with the association, even spending some time as part of the association’s HQ team. She’s written an ebook, Where Customer Experience Practices Haven’t Landed in Business. If you’d like to get in touch, connect with her via LinkedIn or Twitter.

Stephanie Thum, CCXP

CX beyond the private sector

When we think about customer experience, the default is often to consider the implications for the private sector, but consumers don’t check their expectations at the door when they go to the DMV, grab a book at the library or go for a hike in a national park. And they certainly don’t forget these experiences when they go to the ballot box. Consumer expectations are on the rise across the board, and the public sector is also responding.

Trends in government CX

Stephanie shares 3 trends for how CX is taking hold within governmental organizations:

• Global momentum – CX is being embraced by governments and public sector agencies around the world. The governments of New South Wales in Australia and the City of Dublin in Ireland are just two examples of how government agencies are getting serious about CX by establishing permanent roles and putting funding behind government CX initiatives.
• Adapting experiences for the modern world – Historically, citizens have had to engage with governments through formal in-person formats like city council meetings. That’s just not always conducive to the modern digital consumer lifestyle. As a response, governments are looking at how they can use things like opt-in online surveys to engage with consumers and understand what’s important to them.
• The rise of oversight bodies – The government accountability office and inspector general’s office are two examples of how the US federal government is establishing permanent ongoing customer advocacy among agencies. These oversight bodies keep tabs on fraud, waste and abuse, along with government CX pain points such as customer wait times.

Want to keep learning about CX?

If you’d like to checkout more of these CX Mini Masterclasses or listen to my longer format CX expert interviews, check out the full listing of episodes for this CX podcast.

And if you are looking to super-charge your CX skills and continue learning, be sure to check out CX University. They have a great array of CXPA accredited training resources available on a flexible monthly subscription plan. Use the code PODCAST10 to get 10% off your first month’s subscription and support this podcast.

Decoding the Customer is a series of customer experience podcasts created and produced by Julia Ahlfeldt, CCXP. Julia is a customer experience strategist, speaker and business advisor. She is a Certified Customer Experience Professional and one of the top experts in customer experience management. To find out more about how Julia can help your business achieve its CX goals, check out her customer experience advisory consulting services (including customer insights, CX measurement, leadership alignment and CX change implementation) or get in touch via email.