I’ve been working with our research partners, the 311 Synergy Group and the Association for Government Contact Center Professionals (AGCCP), to get word out on a series of upcoming FREE online discussions we’ll be co-sponsoring this fall.  I hope you’ll be able to take advantage of these education opportunities.

I offered to lead one of the discussions in November, namely one on how you build customer service into local government.  It’s a favorite topic of mine, and one that always gets me thinking.  In a day and age when there is so much citizen frustration and dissatisfaction with government, our local government organizations have a real challenge to demonstrate that they understand citizens are their customers.

Customer service is about anticipating what a person’s needs and expectations are and then striving to exceed those.  In the private sector, there are all sorts of perks and incentives businesses can offer to improve the customer service experience and keep people coming back.  In local government, it’s hard, if not impossible, to entice people to rent a park facility by offering a discount on the rent or providing a refund if garbage pick-up is missed.  So how can local government strive to exceed citizen expectations?

First, keep in mind that customer service is about the experience and how citizens feel after exchanges with their local government.  When citizens reach out, how are they received by your organization?  Are they treated with respect and their concerns heard?   The first step in providing excellent local government customer service is simply to make sure employees know that citizens come first. 

I’ll talk about other programs and practices local governments are using to foster a greater customer service experience for citizens during the webinar.  I also hope you’ll bring your ideas and suggestions to the discussion as well.