Government leaders were put to the test as COVID-19 and natural disasters pushed agencies to the limit. In the wake of uncertainty government leaders had to step up and improve citizen experiences in their contact centers, the front line of those looking for answers and support.
At Pega’s virtual summit Evolve for Government we had the opportunity to share our government expertise and success stories during our presentation Future Proof the Citizen Experience: How the Pandemic Provides an Opportunity to Become More Citizen-Centric. Here are some highlights:
CX challenges for government agencies to overcome
At the beginning of the year innovative customer service at the government level wasn’t top of mind, but when disaster struck agencies who hadn’t implemented a full suite of channels such as messaging and SMS to complement voice were quickly overwhelmed. To boot, implementation of automation and IVR tools weren’t evolved enough to assist the caller’s experience.
The sudden shift in daily life caught them many government agencies off guard, it cannot happen again. Government leaders are looking at a full plate of challenges related to the citizen experience, including:
- Flattening the curve. Battling COVID-19 and maintaining the safety of citizens will remain a top priority. Citizen needs will need to be met with technology that enables associates to deliver their human touch without becoming caught up in manual tasks.
- Implementing new technology. Digital tools like text messaging, AI, and automation can become very overwhelming and at times costly to implement. It will be critical for agencies to guide public-facing agents slowly and one step at a time to ensure that organizations boost citizen satisfaction and generate return on investment.
- Giving citizens control of channels and experiences. People want to reach associates where they are most comfortable. Like the Alexa devices used at home, enabling agency IVR to do self-service enables citizens to control their interactions and allows associates to focus on the empathy needed for more complex citizen interactions.
How agencies are reinventing the citizen experience
We’ve worked with a number of clients in both the public and private sector to create success stories of great experiences in times of need. Here are a few examples:
- Quick deployment of systems and staff: After a massive flooding, with more than half a year’s worth of rain fell in the span of just three days, we stood up a 191-person contact center to help support the victims. We leveraged TTEC’s at-home associates to take calls and in 48 hours we had agents trained and ready to support those in need.
- Rapidly trained 2600 FEMA agents: When Hurricane Harvey struck Texas, TTEC quickly mobilized in less than 48 hours. We deployed an urgent emergency contact service and set up hotline service through 10 locations, including 3 new pop-up sites in Houston. In one-week systems were up and running and we had a running partnership in place.
- Security support: When a national credit bureau experienced a security breach, TTEC jumped into action with a lightning-fast response, hiring and training associates so they could begin taking calls. In just 72 hours we hired, trained, and deployed associates to support those in need.
Tomorrow’s experiences start now
Delivering immediate and relevant citizen experiences begins with reassessing how your contact center confronts uncertainty. Times of difficulty need to be met with innovation that is maneuverable and flexible enough for whatever comes your way.
If you’ll like the full conversation with Pega on creating great citizen experiences, listen to our discussion here.
