If you're considering a switch from Salesforce to Microsoft, you probably have some questions. For instance, what should you consider from a business planning perspective to ensure your transition is as hassle free as possible?
Welcome to the second installment of our two-part blog series examining the role of technology in enhancing the customer experience in government. Two weeks ago, Part 1 of the series focused on improving back-office efficiencies by implementing Microsoft technology and taking advantage of supporting tools developed by HCL specifically to address common challenges faced by councils. Today’s post will focus on streamlining and automating the customer-facing processes inherent to government.
But first, just a quick refresher on why this is such an enormously important topic. The emergence and staying power of ecommerce for consumer packaged goods (CPG) led to a sea change in consumer behaviors and expectations. Our collective approach to shopping became one of “I may not need it right now, but I sure do want it right now.” And that buying philosophy has since transcended CPG and become the mainstream behavior for consumers and citizens alike.
In other words, simply because Amazon can deliver to your doorstep tomorrow what you order from your bed tonight, we now expect (nay, demand) a similar seemingly impossible level of treatment and care across the board – even from our councils. Now, given that government institutions are typically neither warmly accepting of process change nor quick to be early adopters of technology advancements, there exists a lot of opportunity for improvement!
Without further ado, let’s dig into how best to seize those opportunities in customer-facing processes.
The key to improving the customer experience in government is personalised omnichannel citizen engagement. After all, the citizens a council serves don’t want to feel like just a number or an address, and they have their own unique communication preferences. Opening the lines of communication from every angle and device is critical in making sure citizens feel comfortable contacting you. Fostering a relationship built on trust requires this type of engagement, and it starts with Dynamics 365 Customer Service with Omnichannel, which gives councils access to:
One more important point: a critical component of an effective and personalised omnichannel strategy is implementing all the channels above with a high level of control. The technology in the Microsoft stack comes standard with tools for system governance and controls. And an experienced implementation partner – like HCL’s Microsoft Business Applications Practice – will ensure compliance guardrails are properly installed and functioning as needed.
Providing excellent citizen service and engagement is the key to your council’s ability to increase citizen loyalty, achieve higher long-term client retention, and deliver a service experience that exceeds those sky-high customer expectations that have become the new normal in today’s world.