Bp citizen satisfaction

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Customer Satisfaction and E-Government: The Digital Investment Pays Off

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Customer Satisfaction and E-Government


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Overview: e-Government initiatives build a track recordPrivate sector companies have been embracing digital channels for customer service and customer engagement for several years. But in the public sector, the uptake has been less even. With budgets under pressure and sequestration creating even greater financial impacts, federal agencies are struggling to invest in innovative digital communications strategies.

However, the emphasis on e-government and the Digital Government initiative at the federal level have resulted in an increased commitment in using digital communications to support stakeholders. According to ongoing research from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) E-Gov Satisfaction Index, conducted by ForeSee, these efforts are paying off. Forward-looking agencies that invest in digital communication strategies are reaping the benefits of more satisfied citizens, increased trust and overall cost avoidance.

For agencies that have been waiting on the sidelines or are concerned about budget, customer satisfaction research provides compelling evidence of the benefits of focusing on digital strategies. This paper examines the implications of the research for agencies juggling constrained budgets with increasing citizen expectations.

Customer Satisfaction with Online Federal GovernmentThe customer experience analytics company, ForeSee, tracks customer satisfaction with both commercial and federal government websites. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) E-Gov Satisfaction Index, provides valuable insight into the efficacy of existing e-government initiatives.

The ACSI measures the citizen experience with federal government websites. The fourth quarter survey that is cited in this paper is based on almost 250,000 responses collected across 100 federal websites. It shows that citizens are embracing federal websites for transactions, news and information, and portals. In fact, the highest-performing federal websites outperformed some of the best-known private sector companies in satisfaction scores.

Overall, the aggregate satisfaction with e-government was 75 on a 100-point scale – outperforming satisfaction with government in general, which scored 68.4. More importantly, the data shows that citizen satisfaction with government sites has significant add-on benefits.

Highly Satisfied Vs. Less Satisfied E-Gov Users' Future Behaviours1

Future Participation

Recommend Return Trust

67

45

92

50

96

53

65

9791

57

Highly satisfied visitors (80 or higher) likely future behaviours Less satisfied visitors (79 or lower) likely future behaviours

Source: ACSI ForeSee E-Government Satisfaction Index (Q3 2012)

Primary Resource












http://www.foresee.com/research-white-papers/acsi-egov-q3-2012-form-foresee.shtml

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A government agency with a robust online presence, including digital properties (website, blog, etc.), email and social media, can increase the public’s perception of the agency as the go-to source for information. When government websites result in ‘highly satisfied’ citizens, the benefits rebound to the agency. According to the data, the highly

satisfied citizens are:

Another interesting point is the relationship between public trust and citizen satisfaction with government digital properties. The report notes that visitors who are satisfied with their experience visiting a “federal government website rate their trust in the agency 60% higher,” and satisfied citizens are 49% more likely to give feedback than those citizens who were not as satisfied.

The lesson: an effective and engaging online presence can actually help government agencies improve public trust, thereby better fulfilling mission goals.

How Do You Improve Customer Satisfaction?When it comes to citizen satisfaction, the ForeSee research indicates that digital

channels are key.

“While satisfaction with the overall federal government increased for the second year in a row (from 66.9 in 2011 to 68.4 in 2012), the online experience (satisfaction of 75) continues to be the preferred way for citizens to engage with federal agencies.”

ForeSee, “Entering the New Era of E-Government”

The average citizen has become accustomed to finding whatever they want or need to know with the click of a button. Private companies have reconfigured their marketing efforts and customer service policies to meet the new demands of universal access to unlimited information often through social media. Companies that quickly adapt and provide on-demand information and customer service grow their base of satisfied and trusting customers, which naturally increases profits.

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However, most government agencies aren’t revenue-focused and have to follow strict policies concerning public outreach. At the same time, they are serving the same average citizens, who demand easy access to information and a high level of customer service. With more citizens using online resources repeatedly throughout the day, the opportunity for government to become a more effective and efficient communicator is hard to ignore.

BEST PRACTICES FOR IMPROVING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION FOR GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS

Drawing on the experiences of more than 1,000 government organizations, here are three tactics that can be implemented immediately to improve your organization's customer satisfaction:

1. Publish information across key digital channels. Of course, your website is goingto be your main hub of information, but how often does your content change? It can be difficult for stakeholders to remember to continually check your website. So move beyond the website, and offer stakeholders the option to receive proactive email updates, text messages, or social media posts when new information is available. It might also be helpful to provide links that direct stakeholders back to your website for more detail. This tactic is critical as it ties directly to ForeSee's conclusion that citizens prefer to engage with federal agencies online.

2. Promote your digital presence. Pushing out information through key digital channels isn't enough. How is anyone going to know about your email/SMS alerts or social media page if you don't promote those channels? The truth is every stakeholder is different. One may want to get email updates, while another prefers to get information from Twitter. If you have a Twitter or Facebook page, have direct links to your website, email or text message sign-up options and vice versa. By promoting (and cross-promoting) your digital presence, you'll increase customer satisfaction by meeting your stakeholder where he or she is.

3. Offer customers the option for specific topics to better align communications with audience needs. Your interests are going to be different from your co-worker, your parents, your siblings, etc. The same is true for your customer. If you aren't offering specific, subscription options for your customers, it's extremely difficult to know what they kind of information they want. Having a general newsletter for your organization is not enough. If you're a health organization that has information for healthcare workers, health administrators, the public, and medical companies, a single newsletter is not going to satisfy any of those groups. To truly enhance customer satisfaction needs, you need to offer targeted topics that can provide just the right information -- and then offer the customer the ability to sign up to receive information on those topics of interest to him or her.

As government organizations use proactive communication and user-friendly content to improve their ability to meet the needs of stakeholders, public trust naturally increases and government is seen as a primary resource. Improved customer service and trust continuously drive stakeholders back to the agency, leading to better engagement between citizens and government.












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Exploiting the Budget Connection Although sequestration and continued budget concerns are no doubt delaying some e-government initiatives, the fact is that, in addition to improving citizen satisfaction, digital communications can also deliver drastic cost savings.

Online services are by far the most cost-effective method for interacting with the public, compared with alternatives such as call centers and postal mail.

Additionally, any increase in a citizen’s use of a government organization’s website means less labor or money spent elsewhere. A government agency that engages its stakeholders via online methods will save money in the long run – potentially hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars over time.

Beyond the cost avoidance issues, effective digital communications can enhance government efficiency and efficacy, while improving public confidence. An effective engagement strategy can be the difference between accomplishing your mission objectives or coming up short and over budget.

Think it cannot be done with your agency? Think again. The Social Security Administration (SSA) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are tasked with responsibilities essential to the public, but are often thought of as bureaucratic behemoths. Yet, the websites for both SSA iClaim and USCIS Resource Center are among the top performers in the E-Gov Satisfaction Index – proof that even the most complicated mission objectives can still score high on the public satisfaction meter.

Social Security Administration: Making Transactions Simpler Filing for Social Security benefits can be a daunting task. SSA iClaim is a simple and intuitive online system that gives seniors a paperless, point-and-click experience.

Average cost to print & deliver a document

Average cost of handling an inbound phone call

$0.881

$6.251

1 Local Gov Association, UK












http://socialsecurity.gov/applyonline/

http://socialsecurity.gov/applyonline/

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With a whopping 87 percent of senior citizens now using email and search engines (according to Pew Research Center, 2010), this solution is inevitable and very effective. SSA has reworked a historically cumbersome process, using digital tools to rethink how to better accomplish its mission objectives. The application lets people save in-progress applications and view video tips on filing.

It is no wonder that iClaim, along with the Retirement Estimator, were ranked the highest on the E-Gov Satisfaction Index – outperforming every private sector e-commerce site measured by ACSI, including Amazon. As SSA continues to set the bar high, the stereotype of government technology and customer service being miles behind private companies may begin to fade.

USCIS Citizen Resource Center: Streamlining InformationAnother government organization that scored high on the Index was the USCIS Citizenship Resource Center. While this site has the straightforward mission of providing citizenship-related resources to the public, it serves an increasingly varied audience, which you can see from looking at their website.

Despite its vast repository of information and documentation, USCIS keeps it simple. Are you applying for citizenship, part of an academic institution, or a related organization? By guiding visitors with straightforward options, providing prominent links to the most popular resources and offering stakeholders the option to sign up for email alerts, USCIS takes away the confusion or guesswork the public may have in determining what information is most valuable to them.












http://ssa.gov/estimator/

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/citizenship

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/citizenship

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Conclusion: The Virtuous Cycle of Digital CommunicationsAs agencies better communicate with the public, the trust between citizen and government is strengthened. Increased trust leads to better customer engagement – helping the agency further target its messaging and improve customer service. In short, the right digital communications strategy can become a virtuous cycle of improvement

and satisfaction – with a continuing side effect of cost reduction.

“One of the things that the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) E-GovSatisfaction Index continues to demonstrate every quarter is that people prefer to interact with their government online versus traditional means.”

Leveraging digital tools and satisfying the public does not mean complicated processes

or a large IT purchase. Effective customer service comes from effective engagement

with the public. By focusing on the most fundamental needs of your audience,

providing an easy-to-navigate interface for finding information and proactive, targeted

digital communications, your agency can build a deep relationship of trust with your

customers.

A citizen that can easily find relevant information is much more likely to interact with

the government website in the future. Better connections through digital channels

cuts the funds needed to pursue traditional, more costly means of communication,

such as advertising blitzes. By engaging the public through the use of a digital communications platform and a well thought-out, customer-focused strategy, government agencies can increase public trust while reducing costs.

EffectiveEngagement

IncreasedTrust

CustomerSatisfaction

Targetedmessaging

Proactive Digital

Communications












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About GovDelivery GovDelivery enables public sector organizations to connect with more people and get those people to take action. More than 1,000 organizations, from the smallest local parks to the largest national agencies, trust GovDelivery’s secure, scalable platform to deliver highly impactful communications. In total, GovDelivery connects its clients with more than 60 million people. GovDelivery’s enterprise-class, cloud-based technology allows organizations to meet mission and program goals, resulting in safer communities, happier commuters, healthier families, and better government. GovDelivery is an ICG (Nasdaq: ICGE) company. For more information, visit www.govdelivery.com.












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Bp citizen satisfaction