Reducing customer experience friction at public sector agencies

State and local government agencies have made major strides over the past few years to provide more effective digital services to the public. But from the consumers’ point of view, many agencies are still delivering Web 1.0 digital experiences in an age now where Web 2.0 digital experiences are expected, according to a new survey from PayIt.

In a recent interview for StateScoop, Peter Loo, CIO of Los Angeles County, California, and Jean Nobile, SVP of operations for PayIt, talk about the state of digital services and where improvements can be made.

“The 2.0 format designs around the customer, rather than around agency processes, and then delivers measurable outcomes for agencies, as well as the residents they serve,” says Nobile, “whether that’s increased revenue collection, and the ability to contribute to the community, or other mechanisms.”

For Loo, the goal is to get to place where constituents have an “Amazon experience” when accessing the county’s online services. “What that means is some level of constant consistency, continuity – and also being able to refer them to the right places and connect them to other services they may also be interested in or eligible for.”

For agencies looking to advance their online services and close the digital divide, Nobile and Loo offered some advice. Nobile suggests agencies begin those efforts by working with partners who can help create solutions that will align with constituent needs. “The other piece of advice I would offer is to work across different functions in your government to collaborate and involve the right stakeholders in the right decisions,” she says.

To create better digital services for constituents, Loo also says that agencies must ensure that they align their IT priorities around their policy priorities. “When we do that, then we can make it much more accessible for us to get priorities set the right way, budget it the right way and resource the right way,” says Loo. “So that’s one thing that we’ve always tried to do is ask, ‘How do we connect our IT priorities back to the policy and business priorities of the county?’”

Read PayIt’s 2024 Digital Government Adoption Index Report to learn how to improve the online experience for constituents.

This video panel discussion was produced by Scoop News Group, for StateScoop, and underwritten by PayIt.