Network infrastructure upgrades and coordinated efforts at the local level will support a better Customer Experience (CX). Improving cities’ digital service delivery and resulting CX improvements will hinge upon ensuring that residential areas have access to high-speed, low-cost broadband.
One of the primary challenges in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is upgrading broadband infrastructure, which varies across the metropolitan area. Northern portions of Dallas have been recently modernised, whereas southern areas are lagging. Network infrastructure investments are vital steps that will then produce an ongoing series of opportunities and the ongoing possibilities for economic growth, so it is important to make those investments.
Prior to the COVID outbreak, many residents were accessing digital services at libraries, community centres and other facilities with reliable, high-speed internet. When those locations shut down during the pandemic, many residents were unable to access digital services in a meaningful way. These helped officials understand that to successfully digitise government services, the city had to prioritise delivering internet access at residents’ homes and promoting equitable initiatives.
While cities and states are making improvements on this front, agencies must look at CX from a citizen perspective, rather than through an agency lens. Improving CX goes beyond computer or smartphone-based digital services, though. It’s about making all city services better for residents.
The Dallas Water Utilities Department is using Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet-of-Things (IoT) and edge technologies to detect issues in water infrastructure before residents recognise problems in their homes. As an example, the water department is using sensors in its water metering infrastructure, which also helps monitor the flow and utilisation of water and detect breaks or leaks early, saving residents from paying large fees.
A recent study asked consumers to rate how well different industries, from airlines to grocery stores, understand and adapt to their needs. The federal government scored at the very bottom of the list, with only 33% of customers rating it as “good.” The Biden administration has ambitions to change that: As 2021 came to a close, President Joe Biden issued a key executive order requiring agencies to improve customer experience (CX) and service delivery for the American people.
The first step federal agencies must take to achieve compliance and accelerate improvement is implementing the right technology to make a meaningful and sustained impact. Collectively, government departments spend 9 billion hours on paperwork every year. To provide a simple, seamless and secure customer experience, agencies must modernise digital interactions, reduce administrative burdens and strengthen their use of timely, holistic customer experience data.
As reported by OpenGov Asia, according to a new report, although 90% of state and local government agencies have improved their use of data analytics in the past two years, four out of five say the gap between how much data they collect and how much they use for meaningful analytics is widening.
A study also found that 89% of respondents agree that data analytics is “the lifeblood of modern government,” but 63% are still in the early to middle stages of analytics maturity, and only 36% grade their agency’s use of analytics to create meaningful information an A. What’s more, 78% of respondents said the amount of data their organisation collects is growing faster than their ability to keep up.
To help close the gap and help identify a potential group of data management and analytic experts, more customers invest in training opportunities and increase automation to help take some of the pressure off an already overworked IT department.
