Contact centers on Digital.gov

Join the Contact Center

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 16:36:00 -0500

Explore methods of service delivery that improve customer experience in government contact centers.

One year with the new USAGov

Tue, 14 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

It has been a year since USA.gov and USAGov en Español were relaunched using human-centered design principles. Using task backlog, the USAGov team has addressed content gaps, improved discoverability, and implemented technical updates. Through usability tests, visitor comments, and click behavior the team was able to unravel and respond to user feedback and unmet needs, leading to noticeable increases in visitor satisfaction and task accomplishment. Moving forward, the focus will shift to enhancing public engagement with the government, improving the search for benefits-related content, and exploring interactive and personalized user experiences.

Creating a blueprint for quality: How the PX Contact Center helps agents grow their skills

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Every day, live agents at USA.gov’s Public Experience (PX) Contact Center answer questions from the public about government benefits and services. Learn how the PX Contact Center develops a workforce of excellent agents, using immersive onboarding, tailored and continuous training, feedback loops, and calibration meetings to empower their agents to deliver accurate information. USA.gov’s system for employee and contact center management ensures that every customer interaction leaves a lasting impact.

Fifteen Plays of Our Contact Center Approach

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 13:14:00 -0500

Following relevant laws, policies, and guidance, the Contact Center Center of Excellence (CoE) developed a 15-play Playbook for federal agencies that are looking to modernize and optimize their contact centers. While not every play will apply to your agency, these plays will get you started.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Partner Toolkit

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 14:00:00 -0500

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recognizes the need for governments, states, territories, tribes, crisis centers, and partners to speak with one voice to ensure there is a clear understanding about what 988 is and how it will work. We encourage you to use these communication outreach materials and build upon them with your community coalitions to meet the needs of your specific audiences.

"Diga o marque 2": USAGov en Español’s New Approach to Interactive Voice Response

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 09:00:00 -0500

USAGov and USAGov en Español

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

A customer service platform that helps the public navigate the government space by providing topical information and services in English and Spanish.

Tips for Starting Your Customer Experience Journey

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Low-cost, low-lift actions that any federal employee can take to improve customer experience.

How USAGov en Español Uses Quantitative and Qualitative Data to Meet the Needs of Its Audience

Thu, 11 Jun 2020 14:00:00 -0500

In this workshop, we will show how USAGov en Español collects and analyzes data from across several social media channels and the USAGov Contact Center to design and improve content and outreach strategies.

Press or Say 1: USAGov Expands Its Use of Interactive Voice Response

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 18:00:00 -0500

In 2019, USA.gov received nearly half a million calls! To help callers get answers for basic questions more quickly, and to save money and free-up our contact center agents to handle more complicated questions, the USAGov Contact Center recently added more interactive voice response (IVR) messaging.

The Most Popular Questions from the Public

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 12:00:00 -0500

The team at USAGov analyzed more than 13,000 chats and phone calls from the public, in both English and Spanish, and then tagged these inquiries by popular topic area. These are the top questions our government-wide contact center received over the last four months.

Creative Usability Test Methods—or My Brief Career as a Robot Voice

Wed, 31 Aug 2016 12:00:42 -0400

When you want to do a usability test, sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and get creative to get the job done. That’s just what happened to us. We’re well practiced at usability testing at USAGov—in person, remote, hallway tests, first-click tests—all of these things we manage without blinking an eye.

Journey Mapping the Customer Experience: A USA.gov Case Study

Wed, 12 Aug 2015 10:00:21 -0400

Journey maps are a visual representation of a customer’s end to end journey with your product or service. They are a powerful tool for exploring key interactions and experiences with your organization, programs, and/or services. Journey maps describe a customer’s entire journey, even the parts that occur before and after contact with your organization. They

The Content Corner: Determining Your User’s Needs

Mon, 20 Jul 2015 10:20:36 -0400

I recently wrapped up a series of user interviews as part of a review of our judiciary-wide intranet in order to provide better digital services to our customers (and yes, our internal users are our customers, not just the general public).

USA.gov in Beta: Tell Us What You Think

Mon, 04 May 2015 14:30:34 -0400

Thirteen years in digital is an eon, and on the eve of its 13th birthday, we at USA.gov found ourselves reckoning with a mid-life crisis. In the thirteen years since Firstgov.gov was launched (and ten years for FirstGov en Español), the sheer volume and sophistication

How Much Will My Agency’s Contact Center Cost?

Thu, 30 Apr 2015 11:10:52 -0400

The federal government has caught the customer experience bug. We want our customers to complete their tasks with minimal effort using a streamlined process. If they need personal help, we want it to be quick, polite, and provide the best answer. But that personal help frequently requires a team of highly skilled, dedicated people—a contact

DigitalGov’s Inaugural Podcast: How IVR Supports Contact Centers

Thu, 30 Apr 2015 01:35:34 -0400

DigitalGov University has added podcasts to our suite of offerings on DigitalGov, featuring interviews and discussions with leaders in the DigitalGov community. For the first edition, we talked to Diane Devera, “Voice of the IVR” for the USA.gov Contact Center.

Lessons Learned from 4 Decades in Federal Contact Centers

Tue, 28 Apr 2015 11:10:38 -0400

For more than 40 years, Warren Snaider has been working at the General Services Administration providing government information to the public. A Senior Federal Information Specialist, Snaider has witnessed government contact centers evolve as technology has changed the way people communicate and access information. Snaider first joined the Federal Information Center in Sacramento in 1972.

Are FAQs Still Relevant?

Mon, 27 Apr 2015 13:10:19 -0400

Users have questions. Your content and website navigation can help them find answers, or potentially cause frustration. One tool for answering questions is up for debate: are FAQ sections still relevant in 2015, or are they a relic of bygone days? Nielsen Norman Group recently published two articles arguing for the continued use and usefulness

Meeting Customer Needs Through Social Media

Fri, 24 Apr 2015 12:03:35 -0400

Social media tools can amplify your agency’s message, but they are also a meeting space for two-way conversations. They can be a key tool to resolve user issues and deliver excellent customer service. This is true for agencies in every corner of the government space. In honor of our monthly contact center theme, we reached

NCI: Reaching the Public via SMS to Change Behaviors

Thu, 16 Apr 2015 11:10:21 -0400

SMS messages are an excellent way to reach audiences. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) saw SMS messages as an opportunity to reach the public for the implementation of their Mobile Health Behavioral Intervention Programs. NCI has 15 SMS based programs, including HealthyYouTxt, a program designed to help users live a healthier lifestyle, and SmokeFreeTxt, a

The Content Corner: Structured Content Challenges and Lessons Learned

Mon, 13 Apr 2015 10:00:17 -0400

In May 2014, Sarah Crane discussed the importance of structured content, APIs and the development of a “Create Once, Publish Everywhere” (COPE) strategy at USA.gov via a three part video series. After my recent post about a world without Web pages, Sarah and I connected and we discussed the challenges she has experienced during the

Government Contact Center Round Up

Fri, 10 Apr 2015 10:00:08 -0400

The Government Contact Center Council (G3C) has been working with DigitalGov University to host events for the contact center community across the federal government.

Monthly Theme: How Federal Contact Centers Deliver Great Customer Service

Wed, 08 Apr 2015 09:35:49 -0400

At the end of last year, DigitalGov posted an article predicting that 2016 would be the year of the customer. Stephanie Thum, Vice President of Customer Experience at Export-Import Bank, looked at the great strides made in federal customer service in 2014 and called it the year of “planting seeds.” She then pointed to 2015

Trends on Tuesday: Using SMS for Customer Support

Tue, 03 Feb 2015 10:00:07 -0400

Don’t forget, mobile first strategy can include text messaging and SMS, not just native apps and responsive Web design. Ninety percent of all SMS messages are read within three minutes of being received, according to a recent blog post on Gigaom. Paired with an average open rate of 98% (versus 22% for email) and the

How Government will Accelerate Anytime, Anywhere Services and Information in 2015

Thu, 29 Jan 2015 03:19:04 -0400

Innovative wearables, stronger wifi and more 3D printing have been among the many projections for the future of mobile in 2015. Whatever comes to pass, we can be certain that the anytime, anywhere user will develop new habits and desires based on new trends. Government must accelerate its customer service approach with anytime, anywhere efforts to keep up. Here’s

15 Government Customer Service Trends for 2015

Mon, 12 Jan 2015 10:00:52 -0400

With public expectations at an all-time high, and trust in government nearing all-time lows, agencies need to step up their game. Veterans, seniors, students, taxpayers—all Americans—deserve the best service from their government. Here are our predictions for how the federal government will improve customer service in the coming year: 1. Many agencies will create a

Trends on Tuesday: Smartphone Users Still Use the Phone for Talking

Tue, 16 Dec 2014 10:57:53 -0400

Smartphones are changing how organizations do business—they are more than just smart Web browsers. As I noted last week, purchases from mobile phones have dramatically increased during the holiday shopping season. The infographic from IfByPhone demonstrates how people are using

Ex-Im Bank Announces Improved Customer Contact Center to Better Serve U.S. Exporters

Thu, 04 Dec 2014 11:05:11 -0400

As part of its ongoing effort to enhance customer experience for current and prospective exporters, the Export-Import Bank of the U.S. (Ex-Im Bank) is unveiling a new and improved customer contact center that includes an improved 1-800 number experience, along with a new email response system.

Should Your Agency Be Offering Chat Service?

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 01:58:20 -0400

Live Web chat is an important component of good customer service. People like having the option of talking with an agent in real-time without having to pick up the phone. While live chat is not widespread, several agencies have shown great success in serving the public through this alternative channel. At a recent Government Contact

Improving Contact Center Performance with Contract Incentives: Dos and Don’ts

Thu, 01 May 2014 13:20:39 -0400

“In business, words are words, explanations are explanations, promises are promises, but only performance is reality.” Harold S. Geneen As government contact center managers, we dream of having contact center contractors who regularly exceed our performance expectations. One way to motivate your contractor to excel is by including financial incentives/disincentives directly into your contact center contract.

Customer Satisfaction: Innovating with Lack of Resources

Mon, 21 Apr 2014 13:09:32 -0400

As government contact centers, we all face financial and technological constraints in our pursuit to improve the customer experience. One challenge faced by many contact centers is staffing limitations to handle the volume of incoming customer traffic. There are barely enough employees to operate phones, let alone work on meeting or exceeding the organizational customer

What Do People Think of Your Content? Ask Your Contact Center!

Fri, 28 Feb 2014 09:36:00 -0400

All of us want to improve the content and information we provide to the public, but we’re intimidated by where to start: Does our website provide clear content? Is the best information hidden on pages a few layers down? What should we tweet about

Contact Center Operation and Management

Wed, 05 Feb 2014 10:36:45 -0400

Many things can impact the service quality, economics, and sustainability of your government contact center. This section provides insight on various aspects of operating and managing a contact center to help you improve its performance.

Contact Center Technologies

Wed, 05 Feb 2014 10:27:01 -0400

A contact center is supported by many technologies designed to enhance the customer experience, improve the operating and management efficiency, or lower the overall costs of running a contact center.

Getting Started with your Contact Center

Wed, 05 Feb 2014 10:25:54 -0400

This guide provides you with the information to get a governement contact center started

Contact Center Guidelines

Wed, 05 Feb 2014 09:41:22 -0400

The Contact Center is no longer viewed as only a center to receive complaints, but as a valued operation in an agency’s strategy to deliver a quality customer experience.

Three Concepts for Excellence in Contact Centers

Fri, 10 Jan 2014 06:08:16 -0400

Using contact centers to deliver digital services is an emerging area in government. Due to the growth of online services, centers receive more attention and represent an important touch point for customers. When you need to speak directly with someone to get help or resolve an issue, it must be a good experience. This reflects on

Top 8 Best Practices for Federal Contact Centers

Thu, 09 Jan 2014 05:24:49 -0400

1. Meet all Laws, Requirements, Policies, and Directives for Federal Contact Centers Understand and follow all Privacy, Security, Disability, and Service Contract Act requirements. 2. Use Performance Metrics to Influence Business Rules and Drive Improvements Develop Key Performance Indicators/Metrics (see Performance Goals). CSLIC (Word document, 82 KB, 36 pages) could be used as a start. 3. Develop and Use a Comprehensive Quality Assurance Program Monitor quality. Use data to provide feedback to website/content team.

Federal Contact Center Regulations & Directives

Mon, 28 Oct 2013 05:19:56 -0400

Contact centers operated and managed by federal agencies have to follow certain laws, regulations, policies, and other directives. Unless specifically noted, contact centers operated and managed by states or local governments do not have to comply with these same requirements. Access for People with Disabilities (Section 508) Federal contact centers must comply with Section 508

National Contact Center’s Text Message Program

Sat, 12 May 2012 14:22:22 -0400

Mobile Gov Experiences are agency stories about creating anytime, anywhere, any device government services and info. This entry is a story shared by GSA’s Office of Citizen Services & Innovative Technologies, Contact Center Services Division. The National Contact Center’s Text Message Program The