CX2: The Next Generation of Citizen Engagement · experience, increased customer service efficiency, and increased citizen engagement. However, progress is hampered by various bureaucratic

CX2: The Next Generation of Citizen

EngagementA CANDID SURVEY ON CITIZEN TRUST IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

Underwritten by

Government’s core ethos is to serve the people — and in this day and age, that means pursuing ever more innovative means of ensuring secure, high-quality interactions with citizens. To explore how federal organizations are seeking to bolster citizen experience, Government Business Council (GBC) and Accenture launched an in-depth research study in October 2017.

Research MethodologyGBC and Accenture deployed a survey on October 11, 2017 to a random sample of Government Executive, Nextgov, and Defense One subscribers. 809 federal employees responded, including those at the GS/GM-11 to- 15 grade levels and members of the Senior Executive Service. 55% are GS/GM-13 and above, and respondents include representatives from at least 35 civilian and defense organizations.

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CX2: The Next Generation of Citizen Engagement

Executive SummaryStreamlined citizen experience is a core requirement for governmentA large majority of federal employees agree that trusted interactions with citizens are essential to mission success; furthermore, respondents rank improvement of services to be their organization’s most important objective.

Citizen trust in government is decliningWhile federal organizations have taken steps to ensure smooth, secure interactions, nearly 80% of respondents feel that citizen trust in government is weak or weaker than ever — a development spurred and reinforced by lack of confidence in government/organization leadership, poor customer service, cyber breaches within government, and overall lack of effectiveness.

Many respondents support the provision of more personalized citizen servicesRespondents highlight various potential benefits of personalization, such as improved customer experience, increased customer service efficiency, and increased citizen engagement. However, progress is hampered by various bureaucratic and technological constraints, including limited budget, outdated systems/technologies, lack of leadership, and cultural inertia.

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Research FindingsMost federal leaders emphasize the importance of conducting trusted interactions with citizensOver 80% of respondents agree or completely agree that trusted interactions are required for their organization to succeed.

Records Management A majority of federal employees are confident in their ability to handle agency records

Government Business Council<Page 1

To what extent do you agree with the following statement: “Trusted interactions with citizens are required for my organization to succeed.”

Percentage of respondents, n=710 Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding

1% 3%

13%

37%

44%

Completely disagree Disagree Neither agree nor disagree

Agree Completely agree

62% are confident or very confident in their ability to identify and retrieve relevant records within their organization, 17% are neutral, and 19% of respondents are not at all or not very confident. Over 60%

of respondents feel confident in their ability to identify and retrieve records.

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Respondents rank improving services as the most important objective for their organization to focus on, followed by increasing efficiency, building citizen trust, adopting new systems/technologies, and various other aims.

Rankings and total scores are displayed here using the Borda count method, where each answer choice earns points based on the order in which respondents placed them. Each respondent’s top answer choice receives the maximum score of n points for that respondent, where n is equal to the total number of options. Each subsequent choice receives 1 less point than the one ranked ahead of it. Unranked answer choices receive zero points.

Streamlining identity management processes can yield a range of benefits

Top Organization Objectives<Ranked by respondents according to importance

Ranked by Borda count, n=712

Improving services (5039 pts) 1st

Increasing efficiency (5016 pts)

Adopting new systems/tech (4142 pts)

Maintaining current services (3942 pts)

10th Reducing headcount (2176 pts)


Organizations can expect a variety of benefits from the creation of an enterprise-wide identity management platform.WWWhen asked to rank benefits according to the impact they would have on organization effectiveness, most respondents select customer service as holding the most potential weight, followed by security/privacy, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, confidence in online services, and collaboration with other groups.

Respondents were asked: “Please rank the following according to their potential impact in improving your organization’s effectiveness.” Rankings and total scores are displayed here using the Borda count method, where each answer choice earns points based on the order in which respondents placed them. Each respondent’s top answer choice receives the maximum score of n points for that respondent, where n is equal to the total number of options. Each subsequent choice receives 1 less point than the one ranked ahead of it. Unranked answer choices receive zero points. Please see Appendix for further detail.

Building citizen trust (4149 pts)

4th

2nd

3rd

5th

Research Findings

Reducing redundant/duplicative services (3914 pts)

Reducing fraud, waste, and abuse (3748 pts)

7th

Maintaining current systems/tech (3553 pts)

8th

Increasing transparency (3481 pts)

9th

6th

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Federal employees highlight eroding citizen trust in government.Nearly 80% of respondents feel that citizen trust in government is weak or weaker than ever. A plurality cite

lack of confidence in government/organization leadership as a primary contributor to this confidence deficit, followed by poor customer service, cyber threats/data breaches within government, and lack of effectiveness.

Agencies have many motivators for optimizing data centers


Which of the following do you believe has most contributed to eroding citizen trust?

Percentage of respondents, n=548WRespondents were asked to select all that apply

“Citizen trust in government is ________.”


Data Center Optimization

0%

6%

4%

6%

9%

12%

13%

13%

14%

22%

None of the above

Other

State-sponsored hacking

Active threats

Large commercial data breaches

Lack of process/service transparency

Lack of effectiveness

Cyber threats/data breaches within government

Poor customer service

Lack of confidence in govt/org leadership

10%

1%

10%

46%

33%

Don't know

Stronger than ever

Strong

Weak

Weaker than ever

According to respondents, federal organizations seeking to optimize data centers are primarily automating records management processes (36%), consolidating data centers (28%), and adopting cloud services (25%). A plurality say that agencies are automating records management processes (36%); however, fewer respondents say that their agency is consolidating data centers (28%), adopting cloud services (25%), migrating to inter-agency shared services (23%), and virtualizing servers (19%).

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Perhaps as a result, nearly 60% of respondents feel that citizens are less willing to provide government organizations with necessary information than they were in the past.



To what extent do you agree with the following statement: “The public is less willing to provide necessary information than they were in the past.”


2%

12%

29%

42%

16%





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The federal government is making an effort to secure its interactions with citizensOrganizations are taking various measures to help bridge potential gaps, including interacting with customers through

official websites and requiring authentication. Federal employees are an essential part of this effort: accordingly, respondents highlight training they’ve received on organization policies, IT best practices, and incident response.



What training do you receive to help protect customer data?


How does your organization conduct trusted interactions with citizens?



2%

2%

5%

5%

6%

9%

17%

20%

33%

None of the above

Don't know

Other

Penetration exercises

Spot inspections on best practices

One-time training on best practices

Phishing exercises

Regular training with IT personnel

Training on organization policies

3%

15%

3%

4%

8%

12%

13%

17%

25%

None of the above

Don't know

Other

Authentication through biometrics

Providing a transaction receipt

Two-factor authentication

Authentication through PII

Authentication through a password

Interaction through official website


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However, respondents point out that organizations can do even more to bolster trust — possible steps include building accountability for customer experience improvements, increasing accountability around breaches, and expanding transparency efforts.

Respondents identify a range of barriers to effective data management


What steps do you think your organization should take to promote citizen trust?

Percentage of respondents, n=677 Respondents were asked to select all that apply

1%

5%

2%

5%

5%

8%

10%

11%

11%

14%

14%

15%

None of the above

Don't know

Other

I believe we are already doing enough to promote citizen trust

Expand advertising/PSAs

Provide better-authenticated interactions

Increase secure self-service interactions

Provide more information about government privacy/security

Allow for more face-to-face interaction

Expand transparency efforts

Increase accountability around breaches

Build accountability for customer experience improvements

Data Governance & Strategy

35% of respondents cite outdated data infrastructure as a top barrier to organization data management

Other commonly identified barriers include budget constraints (43%), lack of a coherent data management strategy (30%), and lack of automated records management solutions (29%).

“ Promoting improved data management is like pushing a rope in my organization. People recognize the need but can’t get behind it enough to make it work.

Survey Respondent

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Many respondents support greater personalization of citizen servicesOrganizations are increasingly receptive to more service delivery models: nearly 40% of respondents feel that their organization should provide more personalized customer experiences.



To what extent do you agree with the following statement: “My organization should prioritize delivering more personalized citizen services.”


3%

12%

47%

29%

9%





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Respondents identify a range of benefits to personalization, including improved customer experience, increased customer service efficiency, and increased citizen

engagement. However, progress is hampered by various obstacles, including budget constraints, outdated systems/technologies, lack of leadership, and cultural inertia.



Personalized Citizen Services: Barriers


Personalized Citizen Services: Benefits

Percentage of respondents, n=247 Respondents were asked to select all that apply


4%

6%

4%

4%

7%

9%

12%

14%

18%

23%

None of the above

Don't know

Other

Inability to access necessary customer data

Customer data privacy regulations

Lack of training

Cultural inertia

Lack of leadership

Outdated systems/technologies

Budget constraints

0%

2%

1%

6%

9%

10%

11%

12%

14%

15%

19%

None of the above

Don't know

Other

Increased citizen willingness to share PII

Increased citizen compliance

Improved ease of use

Decrease in citizen complaints

Faster customer service

Increased citizen engagement

Increased customer service efficiency

Improved customer experience


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Final ConsiderationsMoving forward, federal organizations should...

Continue bolstering citizen trustWhile enhancing citizen experience is a definite priority across the federal government, respondents point out further room for improvement. Moving forward, organizations should focus on building responsibility for customer experience improvements, increasing accountability around breaches, expanding transparency efforts, and other initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of citizen interactions. Consider delivering more personalized citizen servicesThe dizzying technological advancements of our age have created a savvier, more sophisticated breed of customer: citizens expect simple, streamlined interactions, and that requirement extends to government. By crafting personalized experiences for citizens based on their evolving needs and preferences, organizations can help government transcend its reputation of cold, inefficient bureaucracy. However, various obstacles — including budget constraints, outdated technologies, and cultural inertia — must be addressed before government can achieve this next stage of citizen experience.

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Respondent ProfileSurvey respondents are largely senior federal leaders

“Other” includes those employed under other pay scales or ranking systems (e.g., Military, Foreign Service, Federal Wage System, Executive Schedule, etc.)

46% of respondents are supervisors who oversee at least one employee, either directly or through direct reports.

32% of respondents lead/manage programs that directly engage citizens.

Current State of IT Over a third feel that their organization prioritizes legacy systems over new technologies


Do you lead/manage programs that directly engage citizens?

Percentage of respondents, n=654 Note: Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding

No 68%

Yes 32%

51% of those feel qualified to respond say that their organization invests more heavily in sustaining legacy systems.

Many organizations have yet to prioritize modernization: while 49% of respondents say that their organization invests more heavily in implementing new technologies, 51% say that their organization primarily focuses on sustaining legacy systems.

Respondent Profile Survey respondents are largely senior federal leaders

Job grade

Reports/oversees

Percentage of respondents, n=654WNote: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding

55% of respondents rank GS/GM-13 or above, including members of the Senior Executive Service (SES).

8%

11%

9%

16%

22%

19%

11%

3%

Other

GS/GM-10 or below

GS/GM-11

GS/GM-12

GS/GM-13

GS/GM-14

GS/GM-15

SES


19%

14% 6% 5% 2%

54%

1 to 5 6 to 20 21 to 50 51 to 200 Over 200 None


“Other” includes those employed under other pay scales or ranking systems W(e.g., Military, Foreign Service, Federal Wage System, Executive Schedule, etc.)


Respondent Profile Survey respondents are largely senior federal leaders

Job grade

Reports/oversees


55% of respondents rank GS/GM-13 or above, including members of the Senior Executive Service (SES).

8%

11%

9%

16%

22%

19%

11%

3%

Other

GS/GM-10 or below

GS/GM-11

GS/GM-12

GS/GM-13

GS/GM-14

GS/GM-15

SES


19%

14% 6% 5% 2%

54%

1 to 5 6 to 20 21 to 50 51 to 200 Over 200 None


“Other” includes those employed under other pay scales or ranking systems W(e.g., Military, Foreign Service, Federal Wage System, Executive Schedule, etc.)






No 68%

Yes 32%



55%of respondents rank GS/GM-13 or above, including members of the Senior Executive Service (SES)





No 68%

Yes 32%



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Respondents represent a wide range of federal agencies and job functions.

Respondents were asked to choose which single response best describes their primary job function.

Departments and agencies are listed in order of frequency.

Respondents represent a wide range of federal agencies and job functions

Departments and agencies represented

Job function

Departments and agencies are listed in order of frequency. Respondents were asked to choose which single response best describes their primary job function.

10%

1%

2%

2%

3%

4%

4%

4%

5%

5%

6%

7%

7%

7%

7%

11%

15%

Other

Healthcare professions

Communications/public relations

Facilities, fleet, and real estate

Policy research/analysis

Customer service

Information technology

Legal

Agency leadership

Audit/inspectors general

Law enforcement/public safety

Finance

Administrative/office services

Human resources

Acquisition/procurement

Technical/scientific

Program/project management


Agriculture

Interior

Treasury

Homeland Security

Air Force

Army

General Services Administration

Health and Human Services

Navy

Commerce

Office of the Secretary of Defense

Social Security Administration

Transportation

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Justice

Education

Labor

Energy

Veterans Affairs

Environmental Protection Agency

Congress/Legislative Branch

Housing and Urban Development

Office of Personnel Management

Marine Corps

Agency for International Development

Intelligence Community/ODNI

National Science Foundation

Small Business Administration

Government Accountability Office

State

Other departments/agencies


Respondent Profile

Respondents represent a wide range of federal agencies and job functions

Departments and agencies represented

Job function

Departments and agencies are listed in order of frequency. Respondents were asked to choose which single response best describes their primary job function.

10%

1%

2%

2%

3%

4%

4%

4%

5%

5%

6%

7%

7%

7%

7%

11%

15%

Other

Healthcare professions

Communications/public relations

Facilities, fleet, and real estate

Policy research/analysis

Customer service

Information technology

Legal

Agency leadership

Audit/inspectors general

Law enforcement/public safety

Finance

Administrative/office services

Human resources

Acquisition/procurement

Technical/scientific

Program/project management


Agriculture

Interior

Treasury

Homeland Security

Air Force

Army

General Services Administration

Health and Human Services

Navy

Commerce

Office of the Secretary of Defense

Social Security Administration

Transportation

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Justice

Education

Labor

Energy

Veterans Affairs

Environmental Protection Agency

Congress/Legislative Branch

Housing and Urban Development

Office of Personnel Management

Marine Corps

Agency for International Development

Intelligence Community/ODNI

National Science Foundation

Small Business Administration

Government Accountability Office

State

Other departments/agencies


Respondent Profile

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As Government Executive Media Group’s research division, Government Business Council (GBC) is dedicated to advancing the business of government through analysis, insight and analytical independence. As an extension of Government Executive’s 40 years of exemplary editorial standards and a commitment to the highest ethical values, GBC studies influential decision makers from across the federal government to produce intelligence-based research and analysis. www.govexec.com/insights

Report Author: Rina LiSenior Research AnalystGovernment Business Council

Accenture Federal Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Accenture LLP, is a U.S. company with offices in Arlington, Virginia. Accenture’s federal business has served every cabinet-level department and 30 of the largest federal organizations. Accenture Federal Services transforms bold ideas into breakthrough outcomes for clients at defense, intelligence, public safety, civilian and military health organizations.

Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions — underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network — Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 425,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

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CX2: The Next Generation of Citizen Engagement · experience, increased customer service efficiency, and increased citizen engagement. However, progress is hampered by various bureaucratic