Not long ago, good customer experience (CX) revolved around easy-to-use online application forms and similar conveniences. But private industry has raised our expectations — think about all the status updates we receive after ordering an online product — and government must catch up.
“Expectations have really changed and increased, and agencies need to use these [new] paradigms … when providing services,” said Bob Ainsbury, Chief Product Officer at Granicus. “It’s [about] being aware that [CX] is from start to satisfaction, not the [digitized] application itself.”
The Golden Rule is to focus on outcomes, since that’s ultimately what people care about, he said. The second guiding principle is to remember that good solutions call for personalization — which requires data.
Integrating Data
“You might imagine that agencies are swimming in data,” Ainsbury said. “But ironically, when we at Granicus interact with agency analysts and operators, they almost see their agency as a data desert [because information is] often stored in … detached and even uncooperative systems.”
Thoughtful agencies, he said, responded by creating data warehouses — repositories of agency data from different sources — to facilitate analytics and reporting. However, security and privacy concerns turned warehouses into vaults, “central places where the secrets and crown jewels were kept,” he said.
Newer technology — the data mesh approach — is a better option, he explained. Data can appear and behave as if in one location, but it actually resides in different places. Ainsbury noted that by using data meshes, such as those Granicus provides, to integrate disparate data, agencies have the data needed to securely offer personalized solutions.
For example, the Department of Labor (DOL) used Granicus technology for its HIRE Vets Medallion Program, which matches veterans who’ve left military service with employers looking for their skills. The DOL experienced a 127% increase in accepted applications with Granicus’ help, Ainsbury said. Embracing AI and Machine Learning There soon will be two classes of agencies, he predicted: innovators that embrace AI/machine learning (ML) by using solutions such as the Granicus Analytics Platform, and agencies that fall behind the technology curve.
Although not everyone is comfortable with artificial intelligence, AI/ML solutions that fuse and analyze data for public outreach are safe, and eventually more agencies will welcome generative AI, Ainsbury said. “Just because [some] aspect of AI/ML might be scary …, there are other aspects of AI/ML that are ripe for the picking.”
“At the top of the innovation iceberg is AI and ML,” he added. “Below the surface is data.”
Granicus Experience Group
To help agencies achieve their CX objectives — ultimately supporting critical mission goals — Granicus’ in-house team, the Granicus Experience Group (GXG), is a strategic digital and communications starting point, Ainsbury said.
Working closely with each agency, GXG understands its transformation challenges, opportunities, and budget constraints, and develops strategy resulting in more successful constituent engagement. This personalized approach is “at the root of all that we do,” said Ainsbury. “Our entire business is connecting government in a meaningful way to the communities they serve.”
This article appears in our guide, “CX: Turning Good Ideas Into Practice.” For more insight into innovative practice that improve the customer experience, download it here:
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