Lunched with Mom and daughter today. We have Ladies Lunches, when all three generations of us females go out to lunch together and share sandwiches, cake and giggles. We met Mom at the mall and she looked rather harassed. She sighed, “I have this letter from the Council about my refuse collection and I don’tRead… Read more »
When citizens come to your website, what’s the first message they get? Is it, “we care about YOU, and we’re going to make sure you can do what you want?” Or is it, “first let me tell you about me?” I read two interesting articles this week about how important it is to show yourRead… Read more »
Providing great services and products is difficult for businesses, government agencies, everyone. It is easy to blame the customers, or the citizens, for not understanding the complexity of issues ranging from how to install your product to the need for building permits. While, to be honest, there a likely a couple of knowledge-challenged people amongRead… Read more »
I was talking to a co-worker about our office’s reconfiguration plans, which involve merging divisions and training employees to handle a wider variety of customer needs. It’s a nice plan, and it is likely to benefit our customers by removing the layers they have to dig through to get to the services they need. InRead… Read more »
From my very first presentation about being a government web manager – way back in the mid-90s – I’ve said this: “if you listen to your audience, they will tell you what to put on your website.” Listening to your audience is absolutely the cornerstone of great customer service. But it doesn’t stop there. YouRead… Read more »
A recent Federal Computer Week article began by saying that, for fun, I sometimes ask a question through various channels at a government agency to see if I get the same answer. Well, I’m not sure I’d call it “fun.” But I have done just that when preparing to teach a class – mostly toRead… Read more »
And the award for Best Customer Service goes to…USAJobs! Finally – a federal agency (the Office of Personnel Management) that really, really listened to its audience and gave us what we want. Plain. Simple. To the point. The new USAJobs website looks like Google. It’s a stripped-down version of its former self (which really wasn’tRead… Read more »
Does your organization strive to get customers involved in development services-related performance? Most communities have recognized that creating a public/private partnership for managing performance is essential for existence. Customers want you to succeed, but they have to be involved to help you. Experience has shown that creating a partnership, involving customers sincerely in your day-to-dayRead… Read more »
Surveying your customers is likely one of the most important things you can embark upon in the development processing system. Customers can be brutally honest if the survey process is confidential and timely. However their feedback often provides clarity on priorities for improvements, bottleneck areas, and generally gives a snapshot about frustrations they have experienced.Read… Read more »
Your government agency may have embarked upon a journey to improve customer service in the development processing system. A number of significant changes may be anticipated, including a more co-located “one-stop” development services center, shifting to a project-oriented approach when processing applications, and an enhanced information technology and communication system. Can these changes happen? TheyRead… Read more »