The #1 challenge facing public sector contact centers today, and how to solve it

Modern systems boost efficiency and cut costs while delivering better service for constituents.

Imagine the following scenario.

A local government agency finds itself grappling with a daunting challenge: overwhelmed by a surge in citizen inquiries and facing budget constraints, it struggles to provide efficient and personalized services. Long wait times, incomplete information, and frustrated constituents have become all too common.

This scenario may be familiar for those working in public sector call center management. But it doesn’t have to be.

Public sector organizations that do not have an omnichannel contact center solution struggle to provide an efficient, empathetic, and agile experience that benefits their constituents and relieves their city’s budget and resource limitations. This breakdown in technology and communication is the primary challenge facing public sector contact centers today, and its ripple effects are numerous.

1. Siloed systems lead to bad customer experiences

Public sector contact centers often rely on aging technology infrastructure, composed of various vendors and systems, most of which don’t communicate well (or at all) with each other. As a result, information gets updated in silos, creating more work for agents who are already strapped for time.

For example, public sector agencies often receive high volumes of repetitive inquiries about services, policies, and procedures. Without a connected system, agents don’t always have a clear view of the customer journey. This results in a manual routing process with agents repeating the same information over and over, as constituents get transferred from agent to agent until they get what they need.

This is demotivating for agents and creates aggravation for constituents who wish they could get the right information quickly.

Public sector organizations also frequently manage application processes for services like permits, licenses, and benefits. Constituents often make errors in completing these forms, in print or online. This leads to follow-up calls and correction work that wastes agents’ time and irritates constituents.

A centralized solution, allows for greater visibility across teams, enabling a better customer experience. A unified view keeps agents on the same page and helps them route callers to the right resources efficiently. This reduces call time and improves resolution rates – a win-win for agents and customers.

Open platforms integrate with CRMs, ERPs, and custom solutions to aggregate customer information across multiple interactions. They also leverage AI-powered search so agents can quickly get up to speed. These solutions also offer chatbots and self-service features that enable constituents to solve their needs on their own, reducing call volume and providing much-needed relief to a workforce that’s already strapped for time and resources.

2. Lack of accessible options limit constituent reach

Accessibility is important for any organization, but especially so for public sector agencies that need to serve all citizens.

Most public agencies serve a diverse group of citizens that speak many different languages. This creates a service gap for constituents who deserve access to the same services as everybody else but may not be able to understand important announcements or feel confident submitting applications for benefits, licenses, or other services if documentation isn’t offered in their native language. It also creates a strain on the agency’s workforce, who may not have the resources — human or financial — to hire sufficient translators to service these constituents.

With modern contact center solutions, multilingual support is no longer a pipe dream – it’s a reality. Built-in translation features and multilingual chatbots, powered by artificial intelligence, give public sector agencies the ability to meet the demand for increased inclusivity and accessibility.

3. Limited data leaves managers in the dark

Government agencies require real-time data to make timely and relevant decisions.

But without comprehensive analytics that track and connect citizen interactions across their customer journey, public sector agencies are limited in their ability to understand citizen sentiment, identify trends, and optimize their services.

Centralized, omnichannel contact center technology tracks customer interactions across various intake systems and aggregates it in real-time for decision-making backed by data, not assumptions.

The solution: A new customer experience with Intelligent Customer Operations Powered by Amazon Connect

Public sector agencies have outgrown the technology that previously served them, and now face an urgent need to modernize.

Imagine a new scenario. A concerned citizen, Maria, seeks information about a new community initiative. When she calls her local government, her call is routed to an AI-powered virtual agent, capable of understanding her query and providing detailed responses.

The interaction is swift, accurate, and, most importantly, tailored to Maria’s needs. The days of long hold times and vague answers are replaced by a seamless, satisfying experience.

Government employees reap the benefits of this new experience, too. Operational efficiency skyrockets, allowing the agency to handle a higher volume of inquiries with the same resources. The once-strained budget sees relief, as costs are trimmed through reduced agent workload and optimized resource allocation.

This kind of future is possible today, and a growing number of organizations are making it a reality with Capgemini’s Intelligent Customer Operations Powered by Amazon Connect. This next generation omnichannel contact center solution is built on Amazon Web Services and powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. It is easy to implement and manage, cost-effective, and future-forward, leading to radical time and labor savings almost immediately.

Learn more about how Intelligent Customer Operations Powered by Amazon Connect can move your organization forward and meet your citizens’ needs with efficiency, personalization, and innovation