The Customer Service Gap
Contact Centers in the Public Sector Must Improve Customer Service. Here’s How.
by Tom Hubbard, Board Chairman, Inova Solutions
"After years of lagging behind, government agencies are now expected to provide the same level of service as their private-sector counterparts. Can they catch up?", asks Christopher Musico, Assistant Editor of CRM Magazine. Musico highlights what industry insiders have known for years – that government agencies are sometimes slow to adopt new technologies and processes that would help them provide the customer service that citizens have come to expect.
According to the Contact Center Satisfaction Index, government agencies scored lower than commercial industries in terms of customer satisfaction, with state and local agencies and Medicare/Medicaid contact centers ranking lowest. In their defense, government-run contact centers have to cope with miles of red tape that would make the private sector cringe. Since their operations are taxpayer-funded, they must justify every expense and often can't afford to take risks. New technology investments must meet the strictest standard of ROI and overall effectiveness.
In addition, federal, state and local government agencies are dealing with the effects of the economic crisis just like the rest of us. Many government budgets have been frozen or reduced, and contact center managers are being tasked with doing more with less. This often involves a reduced workforce that must handle higher call volumes from citizen customers dealing with unemployment and their own financial crises. Stress levels are on the rise, and it is more important than ever for agents to remain calm, in control, and equipped to deal with customer demand.
Bridge the Gap
The widening gap in customer satisfaction scores of publicand private sector contact centers is a reversible trend. Even with limited resources, there are steps government contact centers can take that would make a big difference in their customer satisfaction scores.
First of all, contact centers need to make real-time data available to their workforce. If agents and supervisors can access important operational information as it happens, they are better equipped to do their jobs and meet customer needs. For example, if agents know that queues are inundated with calls at a particular time, they can adjust their talk time to accommodate more callers, and apologize in advance for excessive wait times. When agents are able to self-manage, supervisors do not need to spend as much time directing agents' efforts, and are free to perform other strategic duties. Inova Solutions has seen simple operational adjustments such as these lead to significant improvements in service levels and customer satisfaction, as well as reductions in operating costs.
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