Posts By Melissa Hardt

Big Data: Are You Ready?

We love buzz words in government. Cloud, SOA, and now Big Data. There is certainly a lot of hype around the buzz. “Keeping Afloat in a Sea of ‘Big Data”, ITBusinessEdge, “The promise of Big Data” Intelligent Utility, and “The challenge-and opportunity-of big data” are just a few of the headlines contributing to the bigRead… Read more »

Service Consolidation: How to Avoid Basic Pitfalls of Shared Services

As pressures to reduce costs and increase efficiencies continue to dominate the federal landscape, shared services will continue to provide much needed returns for federal agencies. Many government agencies have already taken unprecedented steps to conserve resources while improving service delivery by embracing shared services. These progressive organizations have many experiences and lessons learned toRead… Read more »

Big Data, Big Deal

Yes, big data is a big deal which has contributed to the big hype. But, behind the hype there’s a simple story. For decades, organizations have been making decisions based on transactional data stored in relational databases. Today we extend beyond that critical data, however to leverage a potential treasure trove of less structured data:Read… Read more »

A Time for Change

These are unprecedented times of pressure for government agencies, forced to reduce spending and to cut budgets, while at the same time being asked to provide citizens with exceptional levels of customer service. The Executive Order on Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service calls for executive departments and agencies to use technology to improveRead… Read more »

Service Where You Serve: Connecting with Citizens Where They Connect with You

The Customer Service series is supported by RightNow Technologies. To learn more on how to use cloud technology to improve customer service, visit the RightNow resource center today. Check out the GovLoop/RightNow Customer Service Hub to get smart on how to be awesome at customer service ————————— Advances in technology, and the ready adoption ofRead… Read more »

It’s All About Knowledge!

What is knowledge? “Knowledge is a familiarity with someone or something, that can include descriptions, facts, information and/or skills acquired through experience or education”, according to Wikipedia. Ben Franklin revealed, “an investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.” What does knowledge have to do with customer service? Consider this, have you ever been toRead… Read more »

Too Many Websites, Too Little Time

The Customer Service series is supported by RightNow Technologies. To learn more on how to use cloud technology to improve customer service, visit the RightNow resource center today. Check out the GovLoop/RightNow Customer Service Hub to get smart on how to be awesome at customer service. Let’s face it, it’s a huge challenge for governmentRead… Read more »

10 Public & Private Sector Examples Government Can Leverage NOW to Address Customer Service

The Federal government performs several key functions for our nation. It defends our strategic interests in the world, it regulates critical industries and aspects of our economy, and it promotes progress of science by issuing patents, and makes rules for the regulation of land and naval forces. But, at the core of every agency’s missionRead… Read more »

Leveraging IT to Maximize HR Resources

Human Resource Specialists are not specialists in Information Technology. Yet, today HR has a difficult time recruiting, engaging with employees, providing benefits, conducting training or capturing performance feedback without the intervention of technology. In fact, without technology, I can emphatically say that these functions are impossible. Why? Because heightened expectations for anywhere, anytime access toRead… Read more »

Bridging the Divide: Government Efforts to Connect with Citizens

Citizens have grown accustomed to superior levels of service through their private sector interactions requiring access to information and the ability to engage anytime, anywhere. Fortunately, these expectations have not gone unnoticed by the federal government. Federal managers recognize they are under increased scrutiny from citizens and know that it’s necessary to keep the publicRead… Read more »