CX 2 : The Next Generation of Citizen Engagement

Transcription

1 CX 2 : The Next Generation of Citizen Engagement A CANDID SURVEY ON CITIZEN TRUST IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Underwritten by

2 Government s core ethos is to serve the people and in this day and age, that means pursuing ever more innovative means of ensuring secure, high-quality interactions with citizens. To explore how federal organizations are seeking to bolster citizen experience, Government Business Council (GBC) and Accenture launched an in-depth research study in October Research Methodology GBC and Accenture deployed a survey on October 11, 2017 to a random sample of Government Executive, Nextgov, and Defense One subscribers. 809 federal employees responded, including those at the GS/GM-11 to- 15 grade levels and members of the Senior Executive Service. 55% are GS/GM- 13 and above, and respondents include representatives from at least 35 civilian and defense organizations. 2

3 Executive Summary Streamlined citizen experience is a core requirement for government A large majority of federal employees agree that trusted interactions with citizens are essential to mission success; furthermore, respondents rank improvement of services to be their organization s most important objective. Citizen trust in government is declining While federal organizations have taken steps to ensure smooth, secure interactions, nearly 80% of respondents feel that citizen trust in government is weak or weaker than ever a development spurred and reinforced by lack of confidence in government/organization leadership, poor customer service, cyber breaches within government, and overall lack of effectiveness. Many respondents support the provision of more personalized citizen services Respondents highlight various potential benefits of personalization, such as improved customer experience, increased customer service efficiency, and increased citizen engagement. However, progress is hampered by various bureaucratic and technological constraints, including limited budget, outdated systems/ technologies, lack of leadership, and cultural inertia. 3

4 Research Findings Most federal leaders emphasize the importance of conducting trusted interactions with citizens Over 80% of respondents agree or completely agree that trusted interactions are required for their organization to succeed. To what extent do you agree with the following statement: Trusted interactions with citizens are required for my organization to succeed. 37% 44% 13% 1% 3% Completely disagree Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree Completely agree Percentage of respondents, n=710 Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding 4

5 Respondents rank improving services as the most important objective for their organization to focus on, followed by increasing efficiency, building citizen trust, adopting new systems/technologies, and various other aims. Top Organization Objectives< Ranked by respondents according to importance 1 st Improving services (5039 pts) 2 nd 3 rd 4 th Increasing efficiency (5016 pts) Building citizen trust (4149 pts) Adopting new systems/tech (4142 pts) 5 th 6 th Maintaining current services (3942 pts) Reducing redundant/duplicative services (3914 pts) 7 th Reducing fraud, waste, and abuse (3748 pts) 8 th 9 th Maintaining current systems/tech (3553 pts) Increasing transparency (3481 pts) 10th Reducing headcount (2176 pts) Ranked by Borda count, n=712 Rankings and total scores are displayed here using the Borda count method, where each answer choice earns points based on the order in which respondents placed them. Each respondent s top answer choice receives the maximum score of n points for that respondent, where n is equal to the total number of options. Each subsequent choice receives 1 less point than the one ranked ahead of it. Unranked answer choices receive zero points. 5

6 Federal employees highlight eroding citizen trust in government. Nearly 80% of respondents feel that citizen trust in government is weak or weaker than ever. A plurality cite Citizen trust in government is. lack of confidence in government/organization leadership as a primary contributor to this confidence deficit, followed by poor customer service, cyber threats/data breaches within government, and lack of effectiveness. Which of the following do you believe has most contributed to eroding citizen trust? Weaker than ever 33% Lack of confidence in govt/ org leadership 22% Poor customer service 14% Weak 46% Cyber threats/data breaches within government 13% Lack of effectiveness 13% Strong 10% Lack of process/service transparency Large commercial data breaches 9% 12% Stronger than ever 1% Active threats 6% State-sponsored hacking 4% Don't know 10% Other 6% None of the above 0% Percentage of respondents, n=706 Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding Percentage of respondents, n=548w Respondents were asked to select all that apply 6

7 Perhaps as a result, nearly 60% of respondents feel that citizens are less willing to provide government organizations with necessary information than they were in the past. To what extent do you agree with the following statement: The public is less willing to provide necessary information than they were in the past. 42% 29% 12% 16% 2% Completely disagree Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree Completely agree Percentage of respondents, n=696 Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding 7

8 The federal government is making an effort to secure its interactions with citizens Organizations are taking various measures to help bridge potential gaps, including interacting with customers through How does your organization conduct trusted interactions with citizens? official websites and requiring authentication. Federal employees are an essential part of this effort: accordingly, respondents highlight training they ve received on organization policies, IT best practices, and incident response. What training do you receive to help protect customer data? Interaction through official website Authentication through a password Authentication through PII 13% 17% 25% Training on organization policies Regular training with IT personnel Phishing exercises 20% 17% 33% Two-factor authentication 12% One-time training on best practices 9% Providing a transaction receipt 8% Spot inspections on best practices 6% Authentication through biometrics 4% Penetration exercises 5% Other 3% Other 5% Don't know 15% Don't know 2% None of the above 3% None of the above 2% Percentage of respondents, n=695 Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding Percentage of respondents, n=678w Respondents were asked to select all that apply 8

9 What steps do you think your organization should take to promote citizen trust? Build accountability for customer experience improvements 15% However, respondents point out that organizations can do even more to bolster trust possible steps include building accountability for customer experience improvements, increasing accountability around breaches, and expanding transparency efforts. Increase accountability around breaches Expand transparency efforts 14% 14% Allow for more face-to-face interaction Provide more information about government privacy/security Increase secure self-service interactions 11% 11% 10% Provide better-authenticated interactions 8% Expand advertising/psas I believe we are already doing enough to promote citizen trust 5% 5% Other 2% Don't know 5% None of the above 1% Percentage of respondents, n=677 Respondents were asked to select all that apply 9

10 Many respondents support greater personalization of citizen services Organizations are increasingly receptive to more service delivery models: nearly 40% of respondents feel that their organization should provide more personalized customer experiences. To what extent do you agree with the following statement: My organization should prioritize delivering more personalized citizen services. 47% 29% 12% 9% 3% Completely disagree Disagree Neither agree nor disagree Agree Completely agree Percentage of respondents, n=675 Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding 10

11 Respondents identify a range of benefits to personalization, including improved customer experience, increased customer service efficiency, and increased citizen Personalized Citizen Services: Benefits engagement. However, progress is hampered by various obstacles, including budget constraints, outdated systems/ technologies, lack of leadership, and cultural inertia. Personalized Citizen Services: Barriers Improved customer experience 19% Budget constraints 23% Increased customer service efficiency Increased citizen engagement 15% 14% Outdated systems/ technologies Lack of leadership 18% 14% Faster customer service Decrease in citizen complaints Improved ease of use Increased citizen compliance Increased citizen willingness to share PII Other 1% 12% 11% 10% 9% 6% Cultural inertia Lack of training Customer data privacy regulations Inability to access necessary customer data Other 12% 9% 7% 4% 4% Don't know 2% Don't know 6% None of the above 0% None of the above 4% Percentage of respondents, n=247 Respondents were asked to select all that apply Percentage of respondents, n=658w Respondents were asked to select all that apply 11

12 Final Considerations Moving forward, federal organizations should... Continue bolstering citizen trust While enhancing citizen experience is a definite priority across the federal government, respondents point out further room for improvement. Moving forward, organizations should focus on building responsibility for customer experience improvements, increasing accountability around breaches, expanding transparency efforts, and other initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of citizen interactions. Consider delivering more personalized citizen services The dizzying technological advancements of our age have created a savvier, more sophisticated breed of customer: citizens expect simple, streamlined interactions, and that requirement extends to government. By crafting personalized experiences for citizens based on their evolving needs and preferences, organizations can help government transcend its reputation of cold, inefficient bureaucracy. However, various obstacles including budget constraints, outdated technologies, and cultural inertia must be addressed before government can achieve this next stage of citizen experience. 12

13 Respondent Profile Survey respondents are largely senior federal leaders 55% of respondents rank GS/GM-13 or above, including members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) Job grade SES GS/GM-15 GS/GM-14 GS/GM-13 3% 11% 19% 22% Other includes those employed under other pay scales or ranking systems (e.g., Military, Foreign Service, Federal Wage System, Executive Schedule, etc.) Do you lead/manage programs that directly engage citizens? GS/GM-12 16% GS/GM-11 GS/GM-10 or below 9% 11% Yes 32% Other 8% Percentage of respondents, n=654w Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding Reports/oversees 19% 14% 54% 46% of respondents are supervisors who oversee at least one employee, either directly or through direct reports. No 68% 6% 5% 2% 1 to 5 6 to to to 200 Over 200 None Percentage of respondents, n=654w Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding Percentage of respondents, n=654 Note: Responses may not add up to 100% due to rounding 32% of respondents lead/manage programs that directly engage citizens. 13

14 Respondents represent a wide range of federal agencies and job functions. Job function Departments and agencies represented Program/project management Technical/scientific Acquisition/procurement Human resources Administrative/office services Finance Law enforcement/public safety Audit/inspectors general Agency leadership Legal Information technology Customer service Policy research/analysis Facilities, fleet, and real estate Communications/public relations Healthcare professions Other 2% 2% 1% 4% 4% 3% 5% 5% 4% 7% 6% 7% 7% 7% 11% 10% 15% Percentage of respondents, n=655w Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding Agriculture Interior Treasury Homeland Security Air Force Army General Services Administration Health and Human Services Navy Commerce Office of the Secretary of Defense Social Security Administration Transportation National Aeronautics and Space Administration Justice Education Labor Energy Veterans Affairs Environmental Protection Agency Congress/Legislative Branch Housing and Urban Development Office of Personnel Management Marine Corps Agency for International Development Intelligence Community/ ODNI National Science Foundation Small Business Administration Government Accountability Office State Respondents were asked to choose which single response best describes their primary job function. Departments and agencies are listed Other in order departments/ of frequency. 14

15 As Government Executive Media Group s research division, Government Business Council (GBC) is dedicated to advancing the business of government through analysis, insight and analytical independence. As an extension of Government Executive s 40 years of exemplary editorial standards and a commitment to the highest ethical values, GBC studies influential decision makers from across the federal government to produce intelligence-based research and analysis. Report Author: Rina Li Senior Research Analyst Government Business Council Accenture Federal Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Accenture LLP, is a U.S. company with offices in Arlington, Virginia. Accenture s federal business has served every cabinet-level department and 30 of the largest federal organizations. Accenture Federal Services transforms bold ideas into breakthrough outcomes for clients at defense, intelligence, public safety, civilian and military health organizations. Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions underpinned by the world s largest delivery network Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With approximately 425,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at 15

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