customer experience

How generative AI is being used to put the humanity back into government

Non-English speaking residents of Minnesota can more easily access driver and vehicle services thanks to a new generative AI-based virtual assistant that automatically translates English into Hmong, Spanish and Somali.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

IRS seeks states’ input on its direct file pilot

States have until Sept. 4 to tell the IRS if they’re interested in participating.

  • By Natalie Alms

New bill aims to simplify federal grant applications, boost funding for underserved communities

Complicated grant applications could deter underserved communities from applying for and receiving federal funds. The Streamlining Federal Grants Act looks to improve applicants' customer experience by modernizing grant systems.

  • By Chris Riotta

Align agencies, residents to boost customer experience

Online portals can streamline services delivery and even support related applications, but agencies must build trust with staff and residents as they roll out automated services that collect personal information, agency experts say.

  • By Chris Teale

How government can build secure and frictionless digital identity programs

States that lost millions to fraud during the pandemic have plenty of ways to tighten their ID management programs, a new playbook suggests.

  • By Chris Teale

Pension systems’ built-in modernization deadline: IT staff retirements

The Washington Department of Retirement Systems is modernizing its pension administration infrastructure before the soon-to-be retirees managing it take their skills and knowledge with them.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Clean up technical debt before chasing shiny objects, state CTO advises

While it may be tempting to roll out flashy user-facing features, investing in the back-end infrastructure is even more important.

  • By Chris Teale

Short, sweet, simple: Tips for effective government communications

When it comes to communicating vital information to residents, a “clarity before clever” strategy works best, one expert says.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

The reopening that wasn’t: As government employees work from home, people find services curtailed

Everything from pandemic policies to security concerns is causing agencies to reduce in-person services, including licenses and permits.

  • By Alec MacGillis, ProPublica

How chat comments can supercharge safety net programs

With help from Code for America, New Mexico is analyzing its chat session data to uncover ways to improve customer experience through automation or a more personal touch.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

Modernization takes agencies from service providers to service brokers

Enterprise IT teams should focus on making services easier for staff and residents to access and engage with, one state CIO said.

  • By Chris Teale

Dig into feedback on digital services, experts advise

Whether from staff or residents, feedback can help agencies spot pain points and improve user experience.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz
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Contact center modernization boosts satisfaction for city residents, staff

With more calls coming into its legacy social services help lines, New York City turned to a cloud-based platform that reduced the number of dropped calls and gave agents easy, digital access to essential customer information.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

From silos to seamless: How state governments deliver personalized services

COMMENTARY | By harnessing existing data, agencies can deliver best-in-class experiences that enable residents to get the most out of their government interactions.

  • By Robert Knapp

How to solve customer-service language barriers with virtual queuing

COMMENTARY | Customizing user experience into the languages that most represent a community’s needs creates more equitable access to important government services.

  • By Steve Covate

How one state cut its vehicle titling time down to a few days

West Virginia is the first state in the nation to digitize its titling process, but a DMV overhaul must be handled with care.

  • By Chris Teale

Challenges quickly test creative solutions to operational snags

Long Beach’s annual smart city challenge focuses on improving customer satisfaction with service delivery.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

More with less: City cuts back website, increases engagement

A customer-focused information architecture helped Olathe improve customer experience for residents and streamline workflow for staff.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

Digitized services drive citizen satisfaction

While many states have low customer satisfaction, some are bucking that trend by investing in technology to improve processes, according to research from McKinsey.

  • By Chris Teale

Online experience monitoring: From the ‘squeaky wheel’ to real-time web metrics

Miami-Dade County digs into real-time feedback and web-experience surveys to better understand the citizen’s digital journey and deliver better customer experience.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

How one city’s IT team keeps up with rapid growth

Salt Lake City is adapting to new residents and workers by focusing on customer experience, easing hybrid work challenges and rethinking IT staffing.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz