Balancing Efficiency and CX

On paper, your CX goals and deliverables probably look great. You might even have strong leadership support and team buy-in. But in the daily grind of work and competing priorities, how can you ensure the long-term success of your CX programs?

CX teams are often tasked with lofty goals while also remaining an efficient, lean team. So how can you achieve both? We asked Bill Kehoe, Chief Information Officer of Washington State, for his insights on how to address this challenge during our most recent CX Community of Practice virtual networking discussion, and below are a few of his key takeaways.

1. Why is it challenging to balance CX efficiency and effectiveness? Kehoe explained it’s because you may get lulled into thinking that because you are offering services to customers, they are happy. Still, you didn’t take the time to actually understand their experience and learn if that was the case or if there are pain points you need to address. He recommended building CX into your IT strategic plan and making it a focus for all digital channels, ensuring you prioritize and provide the services people need.
2. How does government’s overall new modernization approach to CX help? Modernization has often been thought of as simply replacing the old system with a new one, Kehoe said. He added that new tech must be paired with a shift in mindset to be effective. “You have to start with customer service,” he said. “We haven’t started there before, and we need to think about what the customers’ needs are and translate that back to tech.”
3. What key piece of advice do you have for agencies looking to provide better CX? Kehoe advised reorganizing your agency around the CX thought process. He explained that Washington State has even added a new division dedicated to incorporating CX, and that the customer must be considered a priority from the top down within your organization.

Don’t forget to join us next month for our next CX CoP virtual discussion, How a Little Empathy Can Improve CX, on Monday, Sept. 8 at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.