It’s that time of year again – when we’re all interacting with the IRS to file our taxes. 🏛
Have you noticed any differences this year vs. previous years? According to a recent NPR article (link in comments), this tax season is on the right track. 98% of the 71 million tax returns received have been processed & the average return is 6% higher than last year.
The IRS has taken the Dec 2021 Executive Order on Customer Service to heart & enacted several new methods to serve taxpayers:
📞A callback function on the 1-800 number (doing away with hold music)
🙋♀️Hiring thousands of customer service representatives to answer calls
👩💼Opened walk-in centers across the country
💻Improved the website to deliver faster access to FAQs
📩Rolled out a Direct File program in a dozen states, where people can file their returns for free, directly with the government (without using a tax preparer)
After I read this article, I was inspired to check in with the 2021 Executive Order (EO 14058) & see the progress made on improving experiences with the government.
The title of EO 14058 is: “Transforming Federal Customer Experience & Service Delivery to Rebuild Trust in Government”.
The goal: “improving government efficiency by ensuring the public is able to do basic tasks with the government in a manner that is simple, seamless, & secure.”
As I reviewed the updates, it was exciting to see they’re leveraging the same CX tools we all use:
👨👩👧👦Personas: detailing specific life experiences: having a child, facing financial shock, etc. Outlining how the government can support the unique needs/wants of citizens in each of these scenarios.
💬Ethnographic research: interviewing people in the Tribal Nations regarding their experiences with accessing Federal Grants
📊CX metrics: providing current customer feedback on trust, satisfaction, effectiveness, ease, efficiency, & transparency
📣Storytelling: delivering recent CX successes, providing the public with a progress report on how they’re delivering their CX vision
I would encourage you to visit the EO page & get inspired for how you can share your organization’s CX progress with your customers, employees, partners, & community.
After all, if the government can do it – you can, too. 🏛
#2024
#CXStrategy