Customer Service Excellence

GovLoop GuideSEPTEMBER 2011

government - tech - customer service - leadership - opengov - gov2.0

IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE DELIVERY PAGE7

SOLICIT TIMELY CUSTOMER FEEDBACK PAGE11

IMPROVE ONLINE SERVICESPAGE13

CustomerserviCeexCellenCe

&

&

The

To

BLOGS, FORUMS & OTHER RESOURCESWhat’s your customer service strategy?

PAGE15

WELCOME/ CONTENTS SEP 2011

Customer Service Guide3 About the GovLoop Guide Series

3 About Our Sponsor, RightNow

4 Introduction

Improve Customer Service Delivery7 E.O. Requirement: Publish Your Customer Service

Plan

7 From the GovLoop Symposium: How to Improve

Customer Service Delivery

7 GovLoop Tip: Use Search.usa.gov

Advance Customer Service through Innovative Tech9 E.O. Requirement: Develop a Signature Initiative

9 From the GovLoop Symposium: Social Media Tips

to Improve Customer Service

9 GovLoop Tip: How to Improve Customer Experience

Solicit Timely Customer Feedback11 E.O. Requirement: Use a Broad Set of Tools for

Active Engagement

11 From the GovLoop Symposium: Soliciting

Customer Feedback Tips

11 GovLoop Tip: Prioritize the 80/20 Rule

Improve Online Services13 E.O. Requirement: Eliminate Redundancies, Update

Web Policies and Guidelines

13 From the GovLoop Symposium: Ways to Improve

Online Services

13 GovLoop Tip: When Appropriate, Move to Digital

5 Reasons Why Government Should Engage In a Cross- Channel Contact Strategy14 Customer Service Checklist

GovLoop Blog Posts15 Written by Members of the GovLoop Community

Resources15 List of Additional Customer Service Resources

15 Learn from the wisdom of the crowd through insightful blog posts at Gov-Loop.com

02WELCOMECONTENTS

govloop

ABOUT THEGOvLOOP GUIDE

In partnership with RightNow, GovLoop has been preparing resources to help agencies meet the requirements of President Obama’s Customer Service Executive Order. GovLoop developed the Customer Service Hub that has been the go-to resource for cus-tomer service content. Gov-Loop and RightNow have created over twenty blog posts and discussions on customer service strategies for government. Recently,

GovLoop held a Customer Service Symposium to fa-cilitate a discussion about how federal agencies can improve customer service. At the symposium, federal workers shared resources and ideas on how they are working to meet the re-quirements of the Custom-er Service Executive Order. In the spirit of GovLoop, we wanted to connect govies who are working on the same challenges, and work towards finding solutions

to improve government.

RightNow helps public and private organi-zations deliver customer experiences and interac-tions that are rewarding and beneficial to both parties. RightNow helps to improve efficiencies, reduce costs and increase revenue. Their customers find answers to questions and resolution to their needs quickly, easily and in ways that create a positive

and beneficial relationship. Since 1997 RightNow has pioneered technological delivery of the mechanisms to deliver those experienc-es and provided training and insights as to how to achieve them. RightNow is headquartered in Bozem-an, Montana, employs over 1,000 people and serves 2,000 organizations, both public and private, world-wide. RightNow is listed on the NASDAQ under the symbol RNOW.

Govloop Team:STEVE RESSLER- Founder and CEO

DOUG MASHKURI- Director of Business Development

PAT FIORENZA- Graduate Fellow

JEFF RIBEIRA- Creative Director

Contributors:MELISSA HARDT- RightNow Director, Industry & Public Sector Marketing

ALL GOVLOOP MEMBERS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS FROM THE CUSTOMER SERVICE SYMPOSIUM

Created & Developed by:

In Partnership with:

GovLoop, in partnership with various companies and organizations has created a set of guides on a variety of subjects to provide managers with the information they need to know.

AcknowledgementsPublished by GovLoop in partnership with RightNow, 743 15th St. Washington, D.C. 20005

SERIES

GovLoop is the premier social network connecting over 43,000 government innovators from federal, state and local govern-ment. The community is a great resource for all people in and around government, whether they are looking to connect with peers, collaborate on projects or discover career-building opportu-nities. GovLoop is the place to be for today’s government leaders.

PAST GUIDES• New Hire Handbook• Core Project Management

Process (For Small Projects)• Managing the PMF Applica-

tion Process• Guide to Getting an MPA 2011

On April 27, 2011, President Barack Obama issued Executive Order 13571. The Executive Order was a re-newed vow by President Obama to improving customer service by Federal Agencies. In the Executive Order, President Obama reminds us “the public deserves com-petent, efficient, and responsive service from the Fed-eral Government.” Government has traditionally been criticized for poor customer service and weak service delivery. With new and emerging technologies, President Obama has issued a challenge to Federal agencies to capitalize on the available technology to improve cus-tomer service processes and operations for citizens.

In a memo by Jeffrey Zients, Federal Chief Perfor-mance Officer and Deputy Director for Management, “Implementing Executive Order 13571 on Streamlining

Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service,” Zients walks you through some steps to make sure your agency complies with the Executive Order. The four over-arching categories that Zients identifies are:

1. Improve Customer Service Delivery

2. Advance Customer Service through In-

novative Technology

3. Solicit Timely Customer Feedback

4. Improve Online Services

Below we have mapped out each area and provided some insights from the GovLoop Community as to how best meet the requirements of the Executive Order and improve your customer service. Be sure to check out GovLoop and our Customer Service Hub for even more great resources to improve customer service within your agency.

All data presented in this guide comes from the Au-gust 2011 study entitled, “Uncle Sam at Your Service The 2011 Federal Customer Experience Study.” The study was produced by MeriTalk and underwritten by RightNow.

CUSTOMER SERVICEINTRODUCTION

“With advances in technology and service delivery systems in other sectors, the public’s expectations of the Government have continued to rise.The Government must keep pace with and even exceed those expectations. Government must also address the need to improve its services, not only to individuals, but also to private and Governmen-tal entities to which the agency directly provides significant services. Government managers must learn from what is working in the private sector and apply these best practices to deliver services better, faster, and at lower cost.”

04GOvLOOPGUIDE

ERIC R. PAyNEORGANIzATION ExCELLENCE

CONSULTANT, BOOz ALLEN HAMILTON

TAKE AWAy:Agencies with superior service show others what is possible. Aim high!

“PROvIDING REAL, LIvE

CUSTOMER SERvICE

REPS AT THE POINT-OF-

SERvICE CAN BE COSTLy,

BUT IT PROvIDES FOR AP-

PROPRIATELy AWESOME

CUSTOMER SERvICE”

How satisfied are you with Federal customer service?

Who are considered the “best” agencies?

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Department of StateDepartment of Education

Social Security Administration (SSA) US Postal Service (USPS)

05GOvLOOPGUIDE

R. ANNE HULLPRESIDENT, HULL STRATEGIES, LLC

“CUSTOMERS (INCLUDE yOUR-SELF HERE) ARE SATISFIED WHEN THEy GET WHAT THEy WANT, WHEN & HOW THEy WANT IT.”

TAKE AWAy:There is still a lot of work to be done. It’s time to close that gap!

06GOvLOOPGUIDE

IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE

DELIvERy

Executive Order Requirement

Publish your Customer Service Plan

To fulfill the requirements of the Executive Order, and an easy way to improve customer service, be sure to publish your Customer Service Plan. All customer service plans must be posted within 180 days of the Executive Order. The plan should be posted to your Open Government website. A template of how to structure your plan can be found in the appendix.

Jeffrey Zients recommends that by developing a Custom-er Service Task Force your agency will be able to easily exchange best practices. Further, OMB will be creating a Customer Service Task Force, which will be comprised of agencies that provide significant services. This task force will meet regularly to discuss their Customer Service Plans and exchange best practices.

If you are an agency that is heavy in customer service, your agency has already nominated a representative to serve on the OPM Customer Service Task Force, which meets regularly to discuss best practices on how to im-prove customer service.

From The GovLoop Symposium

How to Improve Customer Service Delivery

At the GovLoop Symposium, we found that in order to move forward and improve customer service, agencies need to take a hard look at themselves, the services they provide and the mission of the agency. One of challenge we heard at the symposium is for agencies to “untangle the knots” and the ability to quickly solve problems re-lated to customer service. Agencies sometimes struggle identifying the right point of contact and finding the right information to resolve a customers complaint.

Some suggestions that emerged from the symposium to improve customer service are to start by identifying your customers. Think critically about what they want to accomplish and what the relationship looks like. Chart out a map that walks you through each contact point and interaction with the customer, at each level, decide how you can improve the customer experience. In doing so, you might see numerous redundancies and ways to streamline the customer experience. In order to best serve your customers, you need to be able to walk a mile in their shoes, understand their frustrations, identify pos-sible solutions and understand the dimensions of being a customer.

Mapping out the experience is critical. You need to know who is doing what, when, why and how - identifying each layer of customer service will allow you get a stronger picture of the entire customer service experience and improve the end process.

Due to the current fiscal landscape, all levels of governance have

been called to do more with less. With increasing budget constraints

agencies need to find new and innovative ways to improve how they

interface with their customers.

GOvLOOP TIP:Use Seach.usa.govSearch.usa.gov is a great resource for you to find informa-tion across government. Be sure to check out the site and see what other agencies are up to in terms of customer service. This tool is a great way to make sure you are no recreating the wheel and learning from colleagues in government fac-ing similar challenges.

07GOvLOOPGUIDE

WENDI POMERANCE BRICKPRESIDENT, CUSTOMER SERVICE ADVANTAGE, INC.

“IT’S ExTREMELy IMPORTANT TO HAvE

A STRONG ORGANIzATIONAL CHANGE

AND TRANSITION COMPONENT TO HELP

PEOPLE ADAPT TO THE NEW ENvIRON-

MENT AND ExPECTIONS.”

TAKE AWAy:Americans ask agencies to point them in the right direction. Simplify the search and watch for trends!

Mobile Apps and the American People

for example...

08GOvLOOPGUIDE

ADVANCE CUSTOMER SERVICE

INNOvATIvE TECH

Executive Order Requirement

Develop a Signature Initiative

Obama’s Executive Order requires that each agency es-tablish a signature initiative to improve customer service. This signature initiative must use technology to improve the customer experience, clearly articulate how agencies will interact with customers using new technology, show efficiency gains and improve current customer service systems. The signature initiative should be placed in the customer service plan that your agency publishes.

Various examples of potential signature initiatives are programs that enable customers to:

• Reserve an office appointment online• Reducing time spent waiting in line• Complete an entire transaction independently

online, limiting the need for calls or office visits• Track the status of a service online, allowing ac-

cess to updates via a mobile device• Set up mobile text alerts for notifications on

a range of topics, including emergency an-nouncements

From The GovLoop Symposium

Social Media Tips to Improve Customer Service

At the GovLoop symposium, we looked at various tech-nologies that could be used to improve customer service. Using social media tools was brought up as one potential solution. Participants stated that with social media plat-forms it is important to have a dedicated person looking up comments and complaints, keeping a database of what people are asking, and having a system to manage comments. Numerous participants also mentioned the concept of having a multiple channel customer service approach. At your agency, customers have access to numerous engagement channels and there must be a consistent message across all channels. Regardless if a customer is calling you on the phone, chatting online, or submitting questions on your website, information must be consistent and accurate across all channels.

There is no doubt that as we witness improvements in service delivery

systems, there is an increase in customer’s demands for improved

customer service.

GOvLOOP TIP:How To Improve Customer Experience• Provide Options for Self-service

• Automate the process through the phone and on the web to help people find the information they want quickly

• Ask the right questions, develop the right FAQ’s

• Use video as a way to engage with customers

THR

OU

GH

09GOvLOOPGUIDE

STEvE RESSLERFOUNDER- GOVLOOP.COM

“CUSTOMER SERvICE IS MUCH

LIKE ANyTHING IN LIFE IN THAT

A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF

ITEMS (THE 20%) REPRESENT

80% OF OvERALL CALLS”

TAKE AWAy:Most Americans report connecting with the government online. Embrace a multi-channel approach!

Understand Customer Connections

010GOvLOOPGUIDE

SOLICIT TIMELY CUSTOMER

FEEDBACK

Executive Order Requirement

Use Broad Set of Tools For Active Engagement

President Obama’s Executive Order expands the defi-nition of customer and encourages agencies to use a broader set of tools to solicit comments, respond promptly, capture insights, and identify early warning signals.

From The GovLoop Symposium

Soliciting Customer Feedback Tips

Providing timely feedback to your customers is critical. A lesson learned from the GovLoop Symposium is that developing a new method or using a new platform is not necessarily an indication that you have improved cus-tomer service. If comments or concerns lay idle on your new channels of communication, you are simply provid-ing a new, innovative way to provide bad customer ser-vice. You need to be invested in the new technologies to capitalize with the new tools. Be sure to set up a strategy and properly staff your agency to capatilize the potential of the new tools you are using.

Agencies should think of new ways to gather customer feedback and

improve how they manage comments, respond to complaints in a

timely manner, and develop methods on how to turn customer sug-

gestions into action to improve service within the agency.

GOvLOOP TIP:Prioritize for the 80/20 RuleExcerpt from GovLoop Founder and President, Steve Ressler’s Blog, 3 Ways to Improve Cus-tomer Service

“Customer service is much like anything in life in that a small percentage of items (the 20%) represent 80% of overall calls. In customer service, out of the 10,000 calls or emails you get a day, I’m sure about 80% are the same.

When I was in NyC with their 311 call center, their magic item was alternate-site parking (where people have to move their cars from one side of the street to the other on certain days). That was a large large percentage of the calls. So they prioritized that to one of the 1st things you hear when you call 311, so they can funnel those 80% calls away and get to the more urgent issues.”

011GOvLOOPGUIDE

STEvE RESSLERFOUNDER- GOVLOOP.COM

“IN 2011, CITIzENS WANT IMMEDI-

ATE CHANGES (NEW PASSWORD

NOW) AND I THINK THEy WANT

ALL THINGS DIGITAL”

TAKE AWAy:Use cautious optimism. Americans believe agencies can continue to improve.

91%39%of Americans are willing to share some personal informa-tion (such as their address and contact information) for the Federal government to store in a “customer profile” if it means improved customer service.

of Americans want to tell their story only once. So, if they are on a service call and are transferred to another person, they already have the background to their question.

Optimize Customer Data

Support for Continued Change

012GOvLOOPGUIDE

IMPROVE ONLINE

SERvICES

Executive Order Requirement

Eliminate Redundancies, Update Web Policies and Guidelines

Jeffery Zients identifies that more than half of all Ameri-cans accessed a Federal website in 2010. Many services are now provided online and citizens are expecting more services to be available to them. Many agencies have al-ready adapted their websites to improve service delivery. Some websites still remain hard to navigate, outdated, or poorly maintained.

In a post by Candi Harrison, Eliminating Websites, Consolidating Others = Better Customer Service!, Candi expresses the power of consolidating websites and the enormous impact on customer service. By consolidating websites, information is easier to find by users, decrease the time spent looking for information and increase user satisfaction on the website.

From The GovLoop Symposium

Ways to Improve Online Services

There are numerous other ways too that customer ser-vice can be improved by improving online services. The GovLoop community has provided other solutions to improve web practices for customer service.

• DevelopaLiveChatFeatureforCustomerSer vice

• ProvideAutomated,PersonalReminders• CreateInternal/ExternalFAQandmakeitsearch

friendly• Don’tforgetaboutthePlainLanguageAct

President Obama signed the Plain Writing Act of 2010 on October 13, 2010. Agencies are required to use “clear Government communication that the public can under-stand and use.”

As more and more Americans turn to the web for information, agencies should

be sure that websites post information that is easy to find, accessible, and time-

ly for citizens. Make sure your website is up to date, and is providing the content

that your customers demand. Also be sure that you are providing a consistent

message across all your channels of communication.

GOvLOOP TIP:When Appropriate, Move to Digital

An excerpt from President and Founder of GovLoop, Steve Ressler’s blog, 10 Ideas on Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service:

“I’m not sure if it’s still the case but TSP used to mail me a new password when I wanted it reset. Really? In 2011, citizens want immediate changes (new password now) and I think they want all things digital (I don’t know what to do w/ my print TSP statements they keep sending me - I’d love to store them online). If you think about it, most banks, 401k style companies have transitioned most of the interactions to digital.”

013GOvLOOPGUIDE

5 REASONS WHYGOvERNMENTGovLoop member and RightNow employee Melissa Hardt identifies 5 reasons why Government should be engaging in a cross-channel contact strategy.

RESAON #1

Significantly Reduced Communication Work-loadCross channel contact centers resolve problems more quickly and are better able to provide the right information the first time. It promotes self-service by

ensuring that the informa-tion available is the same as what an agency subject-matter expert would pro-vide over the phone.

RESAON #2

Consistant, Accurate, and Up-to-date An-swersWe’ve all had an experi-ence where we have received bad informa-tion. However, in many cases, when a government agency provides a wrong answer it significantly

impacts the ability to get quality healthcare, or the consequence could nega-tively impact the environ-ment or national security. As a result, it is critical for agencies to manage and deliver knowledge effec-tively across all channels.

REASON #3

Rising Constituent ExpectationsAs consumers of private sector products and servic-es, citizens are accustomed to real time responses. As a result, citizens strug-gle to understand why these experiences can’t be replicated by a government agency. To keep pace with the private sector, govern-ment agencies must raise service levels across all channels. The impact of not doing so is poor perfor-mance, low staff morale and frustrated citizens.

REASON #4

Better Insight Into Emerging IssuesAgencies that implement multi-channel contact centers know more about the people they serve than those that don’t. They can consistently track what people are asking by phone, email, the web, and chat. They can re-spond to that information with better policies and processes. They can also use that information to improve website content, and thereby deliver better

service at less cost.

REASON #5It’s very Do-ableMulti-channel communica-tion management requires new thinking about how inquiries are managed and how knowledge can be effectively leveraged. However, it does not re-quire major investments in technology infrastructure and may not even require the involvement of IT at all. That’s because todays on demand citizen experience

solutions are available via the internet. Instead of deploying a complex CRM application in your own data center, you can get multi-channel case man-

CHECKLIST

Publish Customer Service Plan

Establish a Customer Service Task Force

Establish your Agencies Signature Initiative

Create a “Fast Track” Review Process

Provide Guidance on Customer Feedback Options

Freeze Establishment of New Federal Executive Branch Domains

Update .Gov Domain Policy and Guidelines

Eliminate Duplicative and Outdated Websites

GOvLOOPGUIDE

Should Engage in a Cross-Channel Contact Strategy

Customer Service

014

RESOURCES

• Implementing E.O. 13571

• Presidential Executive Order -- Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service

• RightNow for Gov Group

• Customer Service in Government Group

• Citizen Engagement and Customer Service Group

• 10 Examples of Shockingly-Excellent Customer Service

• Why zappos Pays New Employees to Quit -- And you Should Too

• Citizen Engagement Training Webinar

• HowTo.gov Website

WANT TO COLLABORATE WITH US ON A GUIDE?

We love making guides! Here at GovLoop we’re all about telling the stories of public servants. Whether it be customer service, leadership best practices, or the latest and greatest piece of tech, we’d love to work with you to create one of these amazing resources for the government community.

Email: [email protected]

GOvLOOPGUIDE

GOvLOOP BLOG POSTS Customer Service Hub on GovLoop

10 Ideas on Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service

A Time for a Change?

22 Ideas to Improve Customer Service

Service Where you Serve

It’s All About Knowledge

3 Ways to Improve Customer Service

Too Many Websites, Too Little Time

Does Customer Service Matter for Gov’t? 5 Examples for Change

10 Ideas on Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service

Executive Order - Improving Service

Eliminating Websites, Consolidating Others = Better Cus-tomer Service!

Stop Complaining About your Local DMv! How Would you Improve It?

The New USAJobs - Great Customer Service!

What Do you Think About New Executive Order on Cus-tomer Satisfaction?

What Is the Best Customer Experience you’ve Had?

Challenges in Customer Service & Measurement?

This Guide Created & Developed by:

In Partnership with:

agement and knowledge base management capabil-ities delivered to your PCs using nothing more than your web browser. Under this hosted delivery model, the service provider man-ages all the software and underlying server infra-structure.

Technology is available and citizens expect to leverage

new and improved chan-nels to communicate with government. Government is adept to these changes and continuously looking to accommodate new com-munication channels. Now it is time to advance from offering a multi channel strategy to an integrated cross channel strategy.

015