Customer Experience Strategy (CXS)

This recommendation, available as a smaller and larger project, would provide a one-stop shop for people interested in engaging with the City but unsure where to go, how to do it, or for what exactly they’re looking.

1A Public Service Directory

Building a public-facing service directory is the first tangible action in this strategy. This public directory will become a centerpiece of the City’s website and include key information on how to access the service (e.g. the channels the service is offered on, where to start the process, hours of operation, etc.).

1B Internal Service Directory

In addition to the public version of the directory, we recommend collecting and maintaining a more extensive internal directory to help us prioritize projects that have the potential to make the most public impact for the least cost. The efficiencies gained from this new resource means more people helped, shorter response times, higher customer satisfaction and money saved!

When information is correct and readily available, would-be calls are deflected and those that get through are handled quickly and accurately by agents with access to quality information. Given the expanse of our digital content, we have developed both a smaller and larger scope recommendation:

2A Use Service Directory to Identify and Fix High-Volume, Low-Quality Content

The service directory developed in Recommendation 1B will act as a guide to identify high-impact, key areas to improve. Ultimately, we would deliver validated content supported by a new structure that will allow us to review, refine and maintain future information.  

2B Full-scale Content Management

A more robust effort would commit the City to reviewing and validating all of our individual webpages. In addition to just reviewing the content, we would also examine the structure and design of the website itself.

Without feedback, the City wouldn’t know how we’re performing, or worse, we may be ignoring the voice of the people. We need a method to systematically improve services and act on feedback.

3A Create Feedback Loops For All Services

A feedback loop is a way for you to share their experience with the people providing it. Although some services already have feedback loops, there are many without one. A formal feedback mechanism is crucial to accurately and comprehensively understand if our services are satisfying customers.

3B Start a CX Analysis Program

While the first step is to gather information, the second step is to analyze and identify trends, root causes and areas of improvement. This step turns raw data into something actionable. A team of CX analysts is necessary to own the data, systematically analyze it, discover insights, and highlight where we need improvement.

3C Use Performance Coaches to Drive Improvements

Departments need change agents to help drive improvements. The final step is to turn the CX analysis into action, making actual process changes and improving the overall experience in sustainable and repeatable ways. By following the Lean Six Sigma DMAIC framework, the industry standard for change management and process improvement, performance coaches would work closely with departments to make improvements based on the insights learned from customer feedback by the CX analysts.

To create solutions that serve people, it’s critical to talk directly with people. This recommendation builds a foundation to:

• Reach out to meet people where they are.  
• Collect customer input and thoughts.  
• Organize people’s feedback for analysts (Recommendation #3B) to make tangible improvements.

4A Meet People Where They Are … Literally

To raise awareness of all the City has to offer and ensure equitable service delivery, we need to form a team of City personnel to uplift the voices of our communities. As part of this effort, the team will attend and host local events, working hand-in-hand with communities to educate people on the many digital resources the City offers and how to access them.  

4B Create Ways for People to Engage and Provide Direct Feedback

Customers are eager to provide feedback about City services, forms and content. To harness this energy in our community, we need a way to allow individuals to voluntarily participate in future surveys, user testing, focus groups or other feedback opportunities. By building a bank of eager customers ready to let us know their thoughts, we will be better equipped to tweak and tailor digital services before they go live, reducing time spent recovering from failures that could have been easily prevented had we just asked.