The Changing Face of Customer Service- What You Need to Know

Customer Service today is radically different than only a decade ago. In the mobile era, people are accessing government websites from their tablet, phone, home computer, work computer etc and expect a positive and seamless experience. They want to find accurate information quickly and easily. Furthermore, they want to interact with organizations in a variety of ways including social media, phone, email etc. Organizations recognize this and are beginning to use new tools to help meet these increasing demands. However, many agencies still struggle with their customer service strategy, specifically where to begin and how to overcome cultural barriers.

On April 25th 2013, GovLoop and Oracle hosted a conference exploring the “Changing Face of Customer Service.” The discussion focused on how customer service is changing and what new tools leading agencies are using to improve customer service and increase citizen engagement. The good news is we recorded all of the sessions for you to view. Check it out below:

Keynote speakers included:

Erick Speight, Senior Sales Executive, Marriott- discussed how the Marriott aims to hire the right people to deliver excellent customer service and focuses on the LEARN acronym (listen, empathize, apologize, react, notify). Plus, they follow the 15/5 rule: when a guest is within 15 feet their presence should be acknowledged and when a guest is within 5 feet they should always be greeted in with a “hello”, “good morning”, or “good evening.”

Martha Dorris, Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies, General Services Administration- suggested government needs to hire based on attitude, not just skill and understand the customer experience lifecycle by asking questions such as, “who do we serve?” and “what does success look like?” There are several benefits including better understanding of customers, more funding and improved brand recognition.

Army Maj. Nick Miller, Chief Information Officer, Arlington National Cemetery- discussed Arlington Cemetery’s new ANC Explore app- which was developed to bring the history of Arlington National Cemetery alive to improve the customer experience. Visitors can now easily locate a certain gravesite, find the best route, and learn about other events or things to see in the cemetery.

Plus, there was an interactive panel discussion featuring government and industry thought leaders that focused on using mobile technology to enhance the customer experience, provide relevant information to the public, and increase citizen engagement.

Be sure to check out the Changing Face of Customer Service Portal to view the presentations.

For more information, be sure to check out these resources:

Communications and Customer Service Resources Hub

GovLoop Guide: Innovating at the Point of Citizen Engagement

GovLoop Guide: Re-Imaging Customer Service in Government

Oracle offers an optimized and fully integrated stack of business hardware and software systems that helps organizations overcome complexity and unleash innovation.. Check out their Optimize with Oracle group on GovLoop as well as the Technology Sub-Community of which they are a council member.