Government Customer Service Conference & Expo

There are plenty of changes coming in the way the federal government operates and manages technology. And it’s always important to keep up to date with new developments with both government and the private sector.  The Administration has challenged all agencies to focus on effective ways to foster citizen engagement as part of its mandate for more open and transparent government operations. And a recent Executive Order directs federal agencies to create new technology-based plans to streamline the clutter of more than 20,000 federal websites now and deliver services better, faster and at a lower cost to the public.

Specifically, the Executive Order outlines agencies should:

• Draw from public and private sector best practices, and coordinate across service channels (such as online, phone, in-person, and mail services);
• Establish mechanisms to solicit customer feedback on Government services and using such feedback regularly to make service improvements;
• Set clear customer service standards and expectations, including, where appropriate, performance goals for customer service;
• Streamline agency processes to reduce costs and accelerate delivery, while reducing the need for customer calls and inquiries
• Identify ways to use innovative technologies to accomplish the customer service activities above, thereby lowering costs, decreasing service delivery times, and improving the customer experience.

Emerging technologies and applications are affecting the way federal agencies interact with one another and the public. Those responsible for communicating with their constituents are still faced with understanding the benefits and challenges to maintaining excellent customer service by traditional communications (phone, Fax, and e-mail), while introducing new media and alternative methods to communicate with next generation information-seekers -- from social networking to delivering effective services through cloud computing.

DGI's 10th Annual Government Customer Service Conference -- which is free for government professionals -- will explore lessons learned from using emerging technologies as well as best practices for conventional communication methods. Speakers will share practical, actionable information on successful programs, obstacles overcome, future plans and recommendations to boost your agency customer service programs.