An update to the Office of Management and Budget’s Circular A-11 focuses on customer experience at agencies. Section 280 of the new guidance includes definitions of who customers are, how to measure their experience, and how to assemble action plans for that data. Robert Shea, principal at Grant Thornton Public Sector, told Government Matters that the improving customer experience has benefits beyond helping citizens.
“There’s growing realization that improving the customer experience improves the employee’s experience. Employee engagement and morale will improve if you make interacting with the customer a more pleasant experience for both sides of that equation,” Shea said. “How would you like to be the employee at the DMV? If you make that a much more pleasant experience for both sides, both sides are likely to go home happy.”