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Government Succeeds with Social Media, Customer Satisfaction…And Why It’s So Important

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Brian Cantor
Brian Cantor
11/04/2011

It might be popular, especially in professional circles, to highlight the federal government’s shortcomings, but as far as its online engagement strategies go, the various federal agencies continue to make improvements.

The federal government’s aggregate American Customer Satisfaction Index score for e-satisfaction registered at a 75.5/100 for Q3 2011, its highest-recorded number in at least eight years. Standout e-government offerings include the SSA’s iClaim tool (90), the SSA’s retirement estimator (90), Medicare prescription drug information (89), the National Women’s Health Information Center (89) and US Citizenship and Immigration resources (87).

Though not at the "excellent" level on an overall basis, satisfaction with the government’s online presence has been strong for several years and reflects the government’s continued competency in the face of service evolution, such as the rise of social media.

On social, while many major corporations are struggling to keep up with stipulated "best practices," many federal government agencies are thriving. All fifteen cabinet-level agencies have a presence on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, and many meet engagement best practices, offering proper connections to their websites, YouTube lists and customized Twitter profiles that communicate the agency’s unique branding and objectives.

Improvement can still be made—only a select few are using Twitter favorites and posting their Facebook comment policies—but the overall commitment to social media seems evident. It signals an interest in engagement on the part of the department and a sign that it values open communication channels with citizens.

And that signal is important, because of how significant customer satisfaction is to the success of government initiatives. "Unlike the corporate sector, government agencies need to maintain the highest online standards not because their bottom line is at stake (though there are definite cost-savings associated with having a website with high satisfaction scores), but also because they have an obligation and a responsibility to the citizenry," says the Foresee report on the ACSI scores.

Insofar as they command taxpayer money, call centers and customer service organizations related to issues like 911, 311 and disaster relief have faced cuts or scrutiny for not meeting citizen and bureaucratic demand in the ways that were promised. E-government tools are as, if not more, relevant than many such offerings, and will play an increasingly-significant part in how the government and its citizens interact. Signs of positive citizen satisfaction assure investment into these tools is not "wasted"—it provides justification to continue providing high levels of service and accessibility.

The ACSI report also cites some additional benefits of high satisfaction for online government initiatives. For customers who give a particular service a satisfaction score of 80 or higher:

  • 51% are more likely to participate with the government entity in the future
  • 59% give higher ratings of trust to the government entity being measured
  • 51% more likely to return to the website again
  • 79% more likely to use it as a primary resource
  • 81% more likely to recommend it to others

In that sense, high-satisfaction government initiatives show more tangible engagement benefits than a lot of successful corporate social and web offerings. Citizens demand trust and accountability from web offerings, and when their customer experience is favorable, that is exactly what they provide in return—their trust and their willingness to show support.

Investment into cutting-edge online technology and engagement tools is a proud part of the corporate hype train. But this data shows that when government organizations want to strengthen their rapport with their constituents, engaging, efficient online tools are the way to get the job done!

Do you run a call center or tech offering for a government agency? Are you committed to strengthening your connection with citizens? The 2011 Government Contact Center Summit is your ticket to the heart of your constituents—and the chance to learn from successes like NASA, NJ 211 and the Department of Commerce is fast approaching. Get the details now!


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