Service Recovery after the Government Shutdown

We have been thinking a lot about the recent shutdown’s potential impact on the Federal customer experience (CX).

Various closings and delays have likely impacted trust and satisfaction with government services for average citizens and federal employees alike.

Looking forward, the recent shutdown has created an opportunity for federal agencies to practice one of the most important CX functions—service recovery.

Service recovery is a sometimes overlooked component of effective CX. Even leading companies that deliver world-class customer experiences frequently fail to meet customer needs, often for reasons completely out of their control.

It’s how these organizations address CX shortcomings—regardless of who’s at fault—that makes them world-class CX leaders.

So how can a commitment to service recovery – the practice of acknowledging and addressing failures – help organizations rebuild trust with customers and citizens more broadly? Here are three principles federal agencies can keep in mind:

• Start with employees. Federal employees were some of those most severely impacted by the shutdown. Shoring up morale is critical, and happy employees are crucial to happy customers. It’s important to practice personal empathy with employees who have just returned to work by listening to their needs and supporting them as they reengage both personally and professionally.
• Be transparent with customers. Most average citizens are unlikely to blame a specific agency for the shutdown, but they will likely have little patience for a lack of communication or perceived unresponsiveness now that the government is fully open. Prioritize transparency, proactive messaging, and reasonable expectation-setting with customers as to when you expect your agency to be back to full speed and able to address their needs.
• Continue to listen, measure, and act. You can’t do everything at once, so you have to prioritize. When it comes to CX, it’s helpful to have an active CX measurement program that gathers customer feedback quickly, quantifies the pain points, and empowers employees to respond in an intelligent, data-driven manner.

Repairing the customer experience, revitalizing the employee experience, and renewing faith in the government is of paramount importance for our citizens, our public servants, and our country. A commitment to key CX recovery principles can help accelerate recovery. Feel free to message me directly to chat more.