Accenture: People Want Easy-to-Use Government Customer Services
People want simple, intuitive digital government customer services that are secure and ensure that privacy is protected, according to the new report, Public Service Experience Through a New Lens, from global professional services company Accenture.
The percent of respondents saying they want more digital interaction with their respective governments increased to 39% in 2022, up from 29% in 2019. However, more than half of respondents (53%) state that accessing public services is frustrating, and just over one-third (36%) find government processes and interactions to be intuitive.
“The best step forward to improve customer experiences is to establish simple and secure processes so people can get what they need on the first try,” says Eyal Darmon, Accenture’s global public sector customer engagement lead. “If people—the customers—can quickly get easy questions answered via straightforward online, phone, or in-person services, this frees up government workers to focus on more challenging customer service questions.”
The research, based on survey findings in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, also shows that people prioritized “ease of use” and “more confidence in data security and privacy” when asked what would make them more likely to use digital services. More than half (53%) say they would be willing to share more personal data with government agencies for greater convenience and efficiency. The research also found that while most people interact with governments less than once a year, those who rely more on government services are the strongest supporters of increasing digital interactions.
The report also highlights the importance of providing efficient non-digital services. More than 20% of survey respondents indicate they lack high-speed Internet access at home, and more than 40% prefer in-person or telephone access as top ways of accessing government information.
OPM: Engagement of Federal Employees Unchanged in 2022, but Morale Falls
Employees of the US federal government report the same level of engagement with their jobs this year compared to the year before, even though morale fell, according to preliminary data from the 2022 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the agency that manages the US civilian service.
Across the federal government, employee engagement this year matched the 2021 results at 71 out of 100. However, the global satisfaction index, which seeks to measure federal employee morale, fell 2 percentage points from 64 last year to 62 this spring. No explanation was given on why morale took a dip, but further analysis of results will be included in OPM’s traditional management report, which is slated for release next month.
Related Article: OMB Launches Biden Agenda Calling for Improved CX Within the Federal Government
This year’s results indicate that federal workers remain committed to serving the public despite numerous recent challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, says OPM Director Kiran Ahuja. “Amid unprecedented challenges, federal employees remain remarkably resilient, engaged, and committed to public service,” she notes. “Federal employees are finding creative solutions to stay connected to their teams, leverage workplace flexibilities, and remain motivated to continue doing the critical work on behalf of the American people.”
Talkwalker and Khoros Release Social Media Trends 2023 Report
A new report released jointly by deep listening company Talkwalker and customer engagement services provider Khoros uncovers three social media trends that bear watching and matter most to brands, marketers, and PR professionals in the coming year.
- Customer experience will get even more social: A majority of consumers say the pandemic has driven long-term changes in their behaviors and preferences, including a larger focus on urgency. As a result, brands must prioritize CX by providing support, information, or solutions as quickly as possible. More brands are expected in 2023 to leverage social media as dedicated support channels, enabling fast and efficient responses regardless of the platform being used by consumers.
- Social commerce will rise and fall: Large increases in post-pandemic digital growth and the rising cost of living are driving an increased demand for affordability, and consumers will soon be more willing to explore new shopping channels like social. Some countries will be more ready than others to adopt social commerce: Social commerce in China will account for 14.3% of all e-commerce in 2023, compared to just 4.9% in the US.
- Brands will place emphasis on communities rather than personas: With 66% of branded communities saying their community has led to increased loyalty, brands will focus on gaining deeper knowledge of consumer ecosystems to understand who is driving and sharing brand-focused conversations. Influencers, employee advocates, and consumers will be engaged within brand communities to generate authentic connections and consumer-led content.
The findings can be found in the social media trends 2023 report, From Insights to Action: How to Disrupt a Disruptive Consumer.
Related Article: Worldwide Social Media Ad Spending Soared to New Highs in 4Q 2021
Contentsquare: Desktop Beats Mobile in Financial Services Industry
Although mobile drives the majority of digital traffic across industries, close to 60% of visits to financial services sites still occur on the desktop, according to the new Contentsquare study, 2022 Financial Services Digital Experience Benchmark Report. Financial services customers also appear to favor larger screens for research, with an average desktop session time of 3 minutes and 31 seconds, compared to 2 minutes on mobile.
The findings from the annual benchmark report from Paris-based contextual insights provider Contentsquare paint a rich portrait of digital customer behavior today, with the financial services spinoff designed to bring unique CX insights to players in the banking, insurance, and fintech industries. The report is based on analysis of more than 3,800 websites in 25 countries, and more than 46 billion user sessions from around the world across 14 industries.
Increased digital adoption has proven to be a key enabler of innovation and competitive differentiation in financial services, which have undergone a profound transformation in recent years, the report notes. Whether browsing on the desktop or on a smartphone, customers today expect convenient, frictionless, and trustworthy experiences every time. The ability to understand customer preferences and their evolving priorities is key to delivering more human online experiences and measuring the effectiveness of the digital strategy, the report adds.
“Keeping pace with the ever-changing customer expectations is one of the most important things for a brand to do for long-term success,” says Tarun Dadoo, senior director of digital customer experience at Discover Financial Services. “Quick iterations and speed to market make it possible to keep pace with the dynamic environment in the financial services industry, and listening to your customers and meeting them where they are is key.”
MoEngage: Marketing Personalization Efforts Remain Inadequate
A new report from MoEngage reveals that marketing executives do not believe their current personalization efforts to be strong enough, attributing their dissatisfaction to a shortfall in budget or resources (64%), a lack of visibility and actionable data (41%), and an inability to move quickly and translate data into action (40%). The report, The Future of Marketing: Why Personalization Matters, contains new data compiled from a survey of more than 100 senior-level marketing executives.
Meagan White, vice president of marketing in North America for MoEngage, says the survey shows that brands still have a long way to go in delivering a truly personalized experience to customers. “This research confirms what many of our global customers have already shared with us: marketers have volumes of data about their customers, but they suffer from a lack of analysis and insights to use that data correctly.”
Other key findings from the report by San Francisco-based MoEngage indicate that marketers need better data to move more quickly and that marketers are spending more but remain dissatisfied over results. Email continues to be the top marketing technology, beating out marketing automation, customer data management, personalization, multichannel customer engagement, mobile marketing, and AI.
When it comes to personalization, investment priorities are shifting, the report notes. Marketing personalization efforts in the past emphasized traditional channels like email (69%), content (56%), and web pages (24%). Going forward, however, teams are likely to shift to SMS/text messaging, chat apps, and mobile-in-app marketing.
Author Information
Alex is responsible for writing about trends and changes that are impacting the customer experience market. He had served as Principal Editor at Village Intelligence, a Los Angeles-based consultancy on technology impacting healthcare and healthcare-related industries. Alex was also Associate Director for Content Management at Omdia and Informa Tech, where he produced white papers, executive summaries, market insights, blogs, and other key content assets. His areas of coverage spanned the sectors grouped under the technology vertical, including semiconductors, smart technologies, enterprise & IT, media, displays, mobile, power, healthcare, China research, industrial and IoT, automotive, and transformative technologies.
At IHS Markit, he was Managing Editor of the company’s flagship IHS Quarterly, covering aerospace & defense, economics & country risk, chemicals, oil & gas, and other IHS verticals. He was Principal Editor of analyst output at iSuppli Corp. and Managing Editor of Market Watch, a fortnightly newsletter highlighting significant analyst report findings for pitching to the media. He started his career in writing as an Editor-Reporter for The Associated Press.
