A new GSA report finds while many agencies missed the mark on customer experience, some are succeeding and it highlights the tech resources they are using to improve
by Intelliworx
Federal agencies across the government have “struggled” to modernize their digital communications channels and improve the overall customer experience (CX). That’s according to a new report published by the General Services Administration (GSA).
Modernizing digital communications is a requirement to comply with a number of rules. The most salient is the 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act (IDEA). The legislation was signed into law in 2018 and lists eight requirements agencies must follow when redesigning public-facing websites, mobile apps and other digital communications channels.
Those requirements mandate that all government-run digital communication channels must be:
- accessible;
- consistent;
- not duplicative;
- searchable;
- encrypted;
- user data-driven;
- customizable; and
- mobile-friendly.
Such requirements are aimed at improving the “public’s perceptions of and overall satisfaction with interactions with an agency” according to the report. This goal is commonly referred to today as “customer experience” or CX. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) defines CX as the collection of “interactions between an individual and an organization.”
These words may sound buzzy, but they convey an important idea: that constituents and stakeholders ought to easily find and understand information from their government. Such efforts save citizens time, and as leading thinkers in government CX point out, facilitate the government’s ability to perform its duties more efficiently and effectively.
Highlighting the agencies that met the standard
The GSA report found that mandatory annual reports submitted by agencies on their CX progress, “did not consistently address all eight government modernization requirements for websites and digital services.” This wasn’t missed just once – but missed five times from 2018-2023.
Yet the report also compliments several agencies that did comply. We believe that makes these agencies role models to follow. The GSA recognized the CX and modernization efforts of the following agencies:
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);
- National Science Foundation (NSF);
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS);
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC);
- U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); and
- Department of Education.
For example, the GSA noted that the “EPA provided information on its modernization priorities, its data collection methodology, and a list of all of its external domains and subdomains.” In addition, “for each of the eight requirements, EPA provided a high-level summary of compliance for agency websites.”
Similarly, the report highlighted how DHS “discussed agency-wide initiatives it implemented to improve its compliance with each requirement.”
Lastly, GSA also recognized effort over perfection. Namely, the “NSF indicated that it made progress towards six of the eight requirements.” However, the NSF also provided a “detailed discussion” for the requirement of consistency as “the agency reported that its main site was being migrated to a new content management system.”
Resources the agencies used to drive successful CX modernization
While the GSA is filling a watchdog role with this report, it also did well to point out several resources available to agencies to help them get their CX modernization plans back on track.
Some of these are part of a suite of resources championed by the GSA through its Technology Transformation Services (TTS). More importantly, many of these resources are being used by the agencies praised in this report.
1. The Digital Analytics Program
The Digital Analytics Program, or DAP “offers web analytics tools and support to help the government make data-driven decisions to improve the public’s digital experience with federal services.” The government resource website, Digital.gov has a primer on the program for those who want to learn more: Understanding the Digital Analytics Program.
2. FedRAMP
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) “is a government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services.” The program helps ensure that cloud-based software products and those sold under a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model are secure.
Intelliworx is FedRAMP-certified, and we now hold 40 authorizations-to-operate (ATOs). It’s a fact we are very proud of because it rivals the number of ATOs held by some of the biggest software vendors serving the market.
3. Search.gov
As the name suggests, Search.gov is a search engine made by the government for the government. According to the report, the search technology helps agencies create “a standard search experience across government websites that is intended to provide the public with quick, easy access to government information and services.”
4. United States Web Design System
The United States Web Design System (USWDS) makes “it easier” for the federal government “to build accessible, mobile-friendly government websites.” The GSA notes that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is part of DHS, “used USWDS elements of style – such as those that determine colors, fonts, spacing, and icons – to create a coherent and recognizable web presence.”
5. Login.gov
The name of this resource also describes its function. Login.gov “provides one account to each member of the public to access participating government services online.” The report says the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) uses Search.gov as “its disaster assistance website” and that provides “a secure multi-factor authentication solution.”
6. Touchpoints
The Touchpoints program makes getting customer feedback easier for government agencies. It provides a way “to collect customer feedback through surveys.” The report says the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which is part of the Department of the Interior, uses Touchpoints on its website to survey “the public on how to improve its services.”
7. Survey platforms
All the agencies that performed best in this GSA report use some sort of survey tool “to collect customer feedback.” There are some private sector companies that develop survey tools. A common use case the GSA cited in the report for survey tools was to conduct customer satisfaction surveys.
8. Compliance scanning tools
There are also a number of private sector companies that field tools that will scan a website to identify accessibility issues. For example, we are aware of tools that will automatically scan and find images on a site that do not have alternative text (alt text) embedded. Alt text helps visually impaired people understand what an image is about.
According to the report, FEMA, FWS, and TSA all use Siteimprove “to scan websites for issues relating to accessibility, search engine optimization, and content quality.”
9. Google Analytics
Google Analytics or GA, which is made by the search engine of the same name, “is a tool used to measure and track website metrics.” According to the GSA, the TSA “used Google Analytics to measure and track metrics such as the number of visitors, page views, the average time on page, and the sources of web traffic.” These metrics helped the TSA “improve its main website.”
It’s worth pointing out that Google also offers a range of free online training for its analytics products.
10. Social media
The GSA report says FEMA and Consular Affairs used social media to improve their overall CX. “For example, FEMA reported that it has an office that routinely identifies topics of concern relevant to FEMA operations from open sources online, such as social media, to inform agency messaging and service delivery.”
11. Journey mapping
Journey mapping is a heady-sounding term that simply means “understanding of how a customer interacts with a service.” For example, journey mapping means documenting the steps a constituent takes to complete a process. This exercise helps an agency understand the experience from the perspective of its “customers.”
Because digitizing government forms is often a key aspect of CX and modernization, we’d point out that this idea is useful here too. For example, it’s important to understand a form is merely a means of data collection – it’s the beginning of a process – and agencies need to understand what happens next. Mapping out the whole business process is a prerequisite to gaining this understanding.
12. The OMB Customer Experience team
“OMB’s CX team is part of a broad network of customer experience teams across the government,” the report says. The “21st Century IDEA requires agencies to coordinate with other agencies and seek to maintain standardization and commonality.” According to the GSA, “FEMA reported working closely with the team to ensure that its delivery of disaster assistance registration information was in line with government best practices.”
13. Internal best practice communities
Many of the agencies praised by the GSA in the report have fielded or participated “in internal communities that collaboratively work to improve customer experience.” This effectively functions as a government-led CX user group. As the report puts it, “FWS reported that it coordinated closely with the Department of Interior Web Council, and FEMA reported that it participated in the DHS Enterprise Web Council.”
14. External best practice events
The final resource listed in the report was “external groups that discuss customer experience issues.” This is a very practical idea for sharing what is working, what isn’t, and gleaning best practices from the private sector. For example, “Consular Affairs reported that it participated in a formal OMB and Partnership for Public Service customer experience executive cohort that met monthly to discuss the challenges and opportunities related to establishing customer experience programs.”
CX as a path to rebuild trust
Citizen trust in the government is at an all-time low, and we believe improving CX has a key role in building that trust back. As Intelliworx CEO Rob Hankey concluded in an article he contributed to the Federal News Network:
“Trust between a population and its government is complicated and bigger than just the digital experience. However, we also know the interactions citizens have with government websites and apps can either destroy or improve trust. So while the government’s efforts at reviving its digital transformation isn’t a panacea, it will go a long way toward rebuilding trust.”
Whether that feels like a long journey or a short one, in both cases, it begins with a first step.
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Intelliworx serves federal agencies big and small with a range of solutions including application management, government workflow and financial disclosure. We’d welcome the opportunity to show you rather than tell you – you are welcome to request a no-obligation demo
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Image credit: Pixabay
