What’s Next For CX?

When citizens have positive, efficient interactions with government services, it fosters transparency and confidence in public institutions. By prioritizing customer experience (CX), agencies can reduce frustration, improve accessibility, and ensure that services meet the needs of diverse communities.

During this month’s CX Community of Practice, we invited Marisa Mellema, Senior Manager, Digital Experience Team, King County, Washington, to explore the trends, tools, and technologies that are set to reshape how agencies deliver value to their constituents in the coming year. 

Below are a few highlights from that discussion. You can also rewatch the session in its entirety.

1. In 2026, what are some top priorities that agencies should focus on? User research was Mellema’s first suggestion to get the pulse of your citizens, and said that both quantitative and qualitative research can be helpful in your CX journey. “If you can focus on getting some of the qualitative in, that can be really powerful, especially when you get a quote from someone that can then convey all of the frustrations of the people you’ve talked to, but there’s one powerful quote, that can cut through the noise and get to someone higher up, and you can show them with that quote of how people are experiencing their frustrations or their joy.”
   Her other top suggestions were utilizing AI and training to eliminate skills gaps.
2. When it comes to the work you’ve been doing (for your county), is there anything you’re particularly proud of? What lessons have you learned? “I’m really proud of the team I built,” she said. “I think we’ve assembled a really stellar team of professionals who really care and who have often left probably more lucrative positions to come in and work at the county, because they believe in doing work that matters to people.” Mellama added that they’ve also started changing the culture in IT from being siloed to being included in conversations and projects from the beginning, so CX is baked in.
3. What’s a takeaway that you would like to leave us with? Just stay positive, Mellema said. “I know it can be tough with budgets and everything that’s going on, so just keep on keeping on. You guys are doing great work … the fact that you’re thinking about users and customers, even if it’s not your full-time job … I think that’s amazing.”