customer experience

GSA partners with state, local governments on text alert service

The pilot program helps state and local governments notify residents of critical deadlines. Norfolk, Virginia, has already been using the service to remind people about Medicaid reenrollment.

  • By Natalie Alms

Friendly competition heats up energy conservation among neighbors

Indiana saw a 30% reduction in residential energy use across four cities after deploying the MySmartE system that incentivizes households to conserve energy.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

No wrong doors: Making benefits easier to access

When applying for benefits is too hard, families don’t get the support they need. Learning how users actually work through submitting an online application underscores how important user-centered design is to a program’s success.

  • By Molly Bolan

IRS announces 13 states where taxpayers could use its Direct File pilot

Under the pilot program, residents would be able to use the IRS program to file their federal tax returns online for the 2024 tax season. New York and Arizona are developing state-level filing systems.

  • By Natalie Alms

The future of government is (still) digital

More than 20 years after a report foresaw a government dominated by digital services, an update finds that a lack of tech savvy workers and funding are hampering efforts to realize that vision.

  • By Chris Teale

The money's out the door in nationwide unemployment insurance modernization push

A Labor Department official said efforts to help states modernize their UI systems are trending in the right direction, but funding may be insufficient.

  • By Natalie Alms

State IT leaders honored in annual awards

NASCIO rewarded states’ efforts to use tech to help make government work better for its residents in areas like resident engagement, digital services, data analytics and identity management.

  • By Chris Teale

Survey: Residents want local governments to be more transparent

The vast majority of respondents want an accessible website with easy to access information and mobile tech to make it easier to engage with local agencies, according to a government technology company.

  • By Chris Teale

How generative AI is being used to put the humanity back into government

Non-English speaking residents of Minnesota can more easily access driver and vehicle services thanks to a new generative AI-based virtual assistant that automatically translates English into Hmong, Spanish and Somali.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

IRS seeks states’ input on its direct file pilot

States have until Sept. 4 to tell the IRS if they’re interested in participating.

  • By Natalie Alms

New bill aims to simplify federal grant applications, boost funding for underserved communities

Complicated grant applications could deter underserved communities from applying for and receiving federal funds. The Streamlining Federal Grants Act looks to improve applicants' customer experience by modernizing grant systems.

  • By Chris Riotta

Align agencies, residents to boost customer experience

Online portals can streamline services delivery and even support related applications, but agencies must build trust with staff and residents as they roll out automated services that collect personal information, agency experts say.

  • By Chris Teale
Featured eBooks
The State of Trust in Government
Cybersecurity in State and Local Government
Building Data Literacy in the State and Local Workforce

How government can build secure and frictionless digital identity programs

States that lost millions to fraud during the pandemic have plenty of ways to tighten their ID management programs, a new playbook suggests.

  • By Chris Teale

Pension systems’ built-in modernization deadline: IT staff retirements

The Washington Department of Retirement Systems is modernizing its pension administration infrastructure before the soon-to-be retirees managing it take their skills and knowledge with them.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

Clean up technical debt before chasing shiny objects, state CTO advises

While it may be tempting to roll out flashy user-facing features, investing in the back-end infrastructure is even more important.

  • By Chris Teale

Short, sweet, simple: Tips for effective government communications

When it comes to communicating vital information to residents, a “clarity before clever” strategy works best, one expert says.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

The reopening that wasn’t: As government employees work from home, people find services curtailed

Everything from pandemic policies to security concerns is causing agencies to reduce in-person services, including licenses and permits.

  • By Alec MacGillis, ProPublica

How chat comments can supercharge safety net programs

With help from Code for America, New Mexico is analyzing its chat session data to uncover ways to improve customer experience through automation or a more personal touch.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

Modernization takes agencies from service providers to service brokers

Enterprise IT teams should focus on making services easier for staff and residents to access and engage with, one state CIO said.

  • By Chris Teale

Dig into feedback on digital services, experts advise

Whether from staff or residents, feedback can help agencies spot pain points and improve user experience.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

Contact center modernization boosts satisfaction for city residents, staff

With more calls coming into its legacy social services help lines, New York City turned to a cloud-based platform that reduced the number of dropped calls and gave agents easy, digital access to essential customer information.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz