LEADING THE WAY IN DIGITAL SERVICES: LEADING THE WAY IN DIGITAL SERVICES: WORKING SMARTER, CONNECTED CUSTOMERS WORKING SMARTER, DELIVERING FASTER TO CREATE DELIVERING FASTER TO SERVE CUSTOMERS
The hyper-connected digital world offers a revolutionary way for the US Department of Agriculture to better serve its diverse, far-flung, and sometimes overlapping customer base. A 2016 Accenture Digital Citizen Experience Survey found that 85% of users expect the same or higher quality from government digital services as they do from business. That number surged from 73% in just two years. These findings underscore that when citizens engage with government, they want the same convenience, ease-of-use, speed, security, transparency, and access to rich data they get from commercial interactions each day. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has made customer service a top priority of his administration. He has publicly spoken about high customer expectations, and that taxpayers and consumers have every right to demand that their government conduct the people s business efficiently, effectively, and with the utmost integrity. Given Sec. Perdue s bold vision and rising customer expectations, there is urgency and interest in tapping the promise of digital. Now is the time to act. Source: Accenture Digital Citizen Experience Pulse Survey Highlight 2
USDA S DIGITAL CHALLENGES The Department s customer base spans the American populace: it serves not just highly digital and well-educated citizens but also the poor and the aged, those with physical and mental illnesses, as well as children who can t advocate for themselves. Many constituents are located in remote areas with limited connectivity or proximity to USDA field locations. And many citizens interact with multiple USDA mission areas and agencies across a large ecosystem of websites and tools each with its own content. Putting the customer at the center of this Department is a complex undertaking. Further, and sometimes shielded from customers view, outdated, disconnected, vulnerable IT systems are expensive and complicated to maintain, inhibit collaboration, and can introduce security risk. THE DEPARTMENT HAS TAKEN INITIAL STRIDES WITH PROJECTS THAT PREVIEW THE FUTURE At the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the New Farmer Lab showcases a sleek, one-stop shop website targeting America s next generation farmers and ranchers. FSA s Bridges to Opportunity is a platform that connects producers with resources, programs and educational services offered across the department, as well as from other USDA partner organizations. At the Natural Resources Conservation Service, online planning tools save farmers, ranchers and other producers a trip to a field office by speeding access to Farm Bill programs, requests for assistance and payment tracking. The Food Safety and Inspection Service features Ask Karen, a bilingual online and mobile site where customers can interact with a food safety specialist. 3
Building on these successes, USDA can achieve Secretary Perdue s vision through a transformation that puts the customer experience at the center of every facet of its digital presence, focusing on Self-Service, Accessibility, Personalization, and Rich Context. SELF SERVICE Put people in control of their experience with user friendly, customer-focused online tools. Effective self-service determines the information and services that users need in an intuitive environment, enabling them to complete activities on their own. It s not just about convenience: The average cost of a digital transaction is 20 times lower than the cost of other transaction methods. ACCESSIBILITY Make information available where and when customers need it, using the device of their choice. Online information must be as trustworthy and accurate as what they d get from a phone call or office visit for people to rely on it. PERSONALIZATION Use data to understand an individual s intent and tailor communication and experiences to their specific needs and preferences. RICH CONTEXT Answer questions with comprehensive, searchable information that s clear and up-to-date. BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS When working with the National Park Service to develop a digital strategy and plan, Accenture found a wide digital disparity across the (then) 407 national parks, with virtually no digital services in some of the most popular destinations. It uncovered opportunities to achieve efficiencies by standardizing infrastructure and providing parks with enterprise digital tools and templates. Finally, it looked at ways to better support innovation through both organizational and cultural change. 4
Digital service excellence requires an integrated strategy and approach that is built around thorough understanding of customers and stakeholders and aligned with key USDA mission outcomes. SET GOALS. Start by articulating desired business outcomes and identifying key performance indicators that measure success. UNDERSTAND CUSTOMERS THROUGH DISCOVERY, using ethnographic research methods, including interviews and observations. Identify and analyze users stated and unstated needs and constraints. DESIGN HIGH LEVEL CONCEPTS FOR NEW SERVICE EXPERIENCES AND SOLUTIONS IN COLLABORATION WITH USERS AND STAKEHOLDERS. Use human-centered design principles to develop detailed blueprint for the service experience that addresses all touch points and channels. Include what the customer experiences in enabling back end systems. Service design should drive agile, rapid prototyping making it possible to test and iterate new applications, services and solutions. 5 OPTIMIZE. Ongoing measurement and continual improvement is critical to long-term success. Apply robust analytics tools and techniques to assess user needs and service effectiveness and identify and make improvements. 5
SCORE QUICK WINS USDA can jump-start the process by prioritizing high-impact, low-complexity activities based on the results of the research. Considering the different types of customers USDA serves, what changes would provide the most value for each group? Are there quick fixes that enhance the customer experience, reduce cost to serve, and are relatively easy or inexpensive to complete? ROLE OF CUSTOMERS How will USDA communicate and solicit feedback as it designs new services? ROLE OF THE WORKFORCE How will USDA prepare its workforce for the sweeping change toward a customer-centric culture centered? USDA is poised to revolutionize the digital customer experience. Build your strategy for change around four fundamentals: KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER Use customer insight to define goals and needs EXECUTE SMART Use design thinking and agile to get it right and get it done SHOW THEM THE WAY Build consensus around a shared vision SCORE QUICK WINS While moving toward long-term change 6
@ACCENTUREFED FOLLOW US ON LINKEDIN TO LEARN MORE ELAINE TURVILLE Managing Director, Human Services elaine.k.turville@accenturefederal.com KATHY CONRAD Director, Digital Government kathy.conrad@accenturefederal.com PEPPER WATKINS Manager, Human Services pepper.watkins@accenturefederal.com
ACCENTURE FEDERAL DIGITAL STUDIO The Accenture Federal Digital Studio helps federal agencies engage and serve an increasingly digital citizenry and workforce. The Studio combines in-depth mission insight with the most innovative commercial models to rapidly assess, design, develop and deploy new digital solutions that meet the needs of federal government. Working in collaboration with federal clients, the Studio s digital thinkers, makers and doers reimagine what s possible and deliver solutions that marry service design, user experience (UX) engineering, Agile development with rapid prototyping and real-time user analytics to reach, serve and empower the people government serves citizens, stakeholders and employees. ABOUT ACCENTURE FEDERAL SERVICES Accenture Federal Services is a wholly owned subsidiary of Accenture LLP, 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. ABOUT ACCENTURE 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 401,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com. Copyright 2017 Accenture All rights reserved. Accenture, its logo, and High Performance Delivered are trademarks of Accenture. 8