New GovLoop survey sponsored by Genesys also reveals only 8 percent of systems have moved completely to the cloud in spite of its importance to modernizing customer service
A recent survey of US government agency employees finds that two-thirds of respondents cite customer experience as a priority, despite the general public perception to the contrary. Nearly 92 percent of respondents also claim cloud technology strategies are a significant component to improving their customer experience initiatives. However, just 8 percent say their systems have completely migrated to the cloud, with an additional 19 percent “mostly” in the cloud. Nearly 16 percent say their agencies have not invested in cloud technologies at all — and have no plans to do so.
How the Cloud Enables a Secure and Safe Customer Experience Made for the 21st Century, is a new research report from GovLoop, the knowledge network for government. GovLoop partnered with Genesys, the global leader in omnichannel customer experience and contact center solutions, to produce the report, which examines the current state of cloud adoption in government agencies. The report also describes the advantages government agencies can realize by using cloud-based systems to modernize the delivery of their customer service and enable efficiencies for their workforce.
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“It’s more challenging than ever to meet the expectations of today’s always-on consumer, especially in the often resource-strapped public sector. Delivering great constituent experiences requires agencies to adopt modern technology and processes,” said David York, senior vice president of U.S. Public Sector at Genesys. “And today, the best way forward is through the cloud – it offers agencies an opportunity to scale their services, become more efficient and reduce costs so they can invest more into fulfilling their mission.”
“As an added benefit, migrating to the cloud can unlock new capabilities while also providing agencies with the funds and time for further investment,” said Isaac Constans, staff writer for GovLoop. “Agencies using legacy systems currently dedicate as much as 75 percent of their IT budget on operations and maintenance, leaving little to invest in improvements to citizen experiences.”
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So, why are agencies slow to adopt cloud solutions? According to 36 percent of survey respondents, security concerns are the biggest barrier, although the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) establishes baseline security standards for agencies’ cloud technology. GovLoop found that 65 percent of survey respondents said their agency either requires or gives preference to FedRAMP-compliant vendors, as such certification confirms the cloud solutions will provide the appropriate level of security.
The GovLoop report outlines several key best practices to help agencies maximize the benefits of cloud technologies while improving customer experience, including:
- Define the agency goals and reasons. Clearly articulate why the cloud can help. Identify specific use cases for cloud adoption and define customer experience goals and areas for improvement.
- Consider all stakeholders and different perspectives. Cloud migration represents a fundamental change in workflows and personnel management. Engaging all interested parties is a good practice from the start, as it prepares and energizes the workforce.
- Find the right technology partner. Cloud represents a new way of doing business. Partnering with an experienced cloud service provider with a fully-loaded platform that is open, flexible and secure will assist agencies in developing appropriate employee training and workflow transformation processes.
GovLoop surveyed nearly 150 government employees knowledgeable about cloud investments across more than 20 agencies in December 2018.
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