Sept - Oct - 20198GOVERNMENT CIO OUTLOOKWHAT'S YOUR FAX NUMBER?David Edinger, CIO, City and County of DenverByt's no secret that relative to our private sector counterparts, governments face significant customer experience challenges. In Denver, we're interested in capitalizing on the opportunities to revolutionize resident relationships with us and create an experience so outstanding our customers won't believe it's the government. The primary challenge of being a municipality comes from being a monopoly: we must provide all of our services to everyone who demands them. From a customer experience perspective, this means that it is tough to abandon a channel once it has been established, no matter how old or obsolete. Do we still print fax numbers on our business cards? Of course, we do because as long as there's a fax machine sitting in the back office, we will continue to accept faxes. Change is hard, but without the wherewithal to walk away from outdated technology, adoption of new channels will be seen as threatening and unnecessary. For example, despite an online adoption rate of 70 percent within weeks of a service (e.g., online roof permits) going online, I still overhear colleagues lamenting how Denver is forcing our developers to "do their work online when they could just come down and take care of it in person." Rather than demand change from customers and employees, the trick is to make a case for innovation so compelling that the vast majority willingly come onboard. In the last eight years, Denver municipal government has produced 55 percent more services on average ­ everything from potholes to 911 calls to liquor licenses ­ with only 19 percent more employees. Customer satisfaction during that time has increased dramatically across the board. In one instance, customer satisfaction dipped to as low as 32 percent (good or excellent), then rose over two years to exceed 90 percent, all while volume increased, and employee growth was stagnant -- the only possible explanation: Innovation. Innovation is where government advantages vis-à-vis the private sector come in. First, let's acknowledge that customer expectations for the government are low, even lower than visiting your doctor. These lowered expectations are an advantage; you wouldn't tolerate a five-minute wait time for a cup of coffee, but IIN MYOPINION
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