Connecting with the citizens they serve can be a challenging business for the world’s government agencies.
Demand is always high, human resources are often scarce, and budgets are never big.
Whether at a national, state, or local level, citizens reach out for a myriad of different reasons and expect – reasonably or not – for their issue to be resolved without the need for a second interaction.
Add to that those citizens’ ability to do so via a constantly growing number of communication channels and it’s easy to see why only the smartest of contact centers is truly up to the job.
Feature-rich, always-on, scalable, and flexible are essential prerequisites if a high-quality user experience is to be delivered – plus a comprehensive, 24/7 service wrap to provide confidence and continuity.
Get it right and the often-fractious relationship between state and citizen is calmed.
Get it wrong and, well…you really don’t want to get it wrong.
“There is a real point of difference between the provision of an effective contact center for government and one for a corporate enterprise – understanding those differences and being able to respond to the challenges that come with them is key,” says Donna Houston, Client Advocate at global enterprise-class provider ComputerTalk, whose ice Contact Center platform delivers big for this sector.
She should know, too.
A former ComputerTalk customer herself, she joined the business from the Government of New Brunswick, Canada, where she was Senior Manager of the organization’s contact center services and where she implemented the ice solution.
“Government contact centers are not necessarily revenue generating but focused instead on providing a service for clients,” she adds.
“There are often budgetary or staffing constraints too, so governments have to be more efficient and handle as many calls as possible with the staff they have. At the same time, the agent experience and caller satisfaction levels are just as important as for other sectors.
“They may not necessarily be making purchases, but citizens are no different from customers – they demand and deserve a high-quality communication experience.
“Just as in the case of commercial enterprise, when that experience falls short, it can adversely affect brand reputation and undermine an organization’s efforts to connect effectively with those it serves.”