7 Steps To Improving Government Customer Service

Tony Johnson
38 minutes ago
6 min read

We expect a lot from government - sometimes they deliver and sometimes they don't.

We all have a horror story about dealing with government - myself included. You likely know the mind numbing cavalcade of nonsense it can take to get anything done. You have probably heard about the negative experiences of those needing help from the V.A., DMV, or the Department of Labor.

This is really no different than service successes and failures from businesses in all sectors and customers from all areas.

77% of Americans say they want faster, simpler government service -Accenture Public Service Pulse Survey

So, in the spirit of community, optimism, and the power of Customer Experience, I want to turn my CX and hospitality lens to helping government agencies move the needle on the service that citizens receive.

Government agencies must understand that the public are their customers and just like any other business, solving their problems is their singular focus.
Every state and local government (as well as the federal government) needs a Customer Experience Leader to ensure that a people-centric approach is taken at all levels.
When government examines the full journey that people take in government, it can expose friction points and time sucking rabbit holes that frustrate people - and how to fix them.

The best place to start is for government to think of the people - the citizens they serve - as customers. Better yet, take a page out of the Disney and Ritz Carlton playbook and think of them as guests. Mindset is everything.

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Here’s the deal: the public expects more from customer service - and that means everywhere. Whether it's a restaurant, retail store, airline, or government agency, people want to feel respected, valued, and supported. And while the public sector operates with different challenges than private industry, the core expectations are the same: be responsive, make things easier, and deliver with empathy.

This isn’t about politics. It’s about people.

No matter who’s in the White House, the governor’s mansion, or city hall, improving how government serves its citizens is a mission that cuts across party lines. This moment - one of renewed focus on efficiency, technology, and trust - is a golden opportunity to make meaningful, people-first changes in how government delivers service. It's important to note there are agencies, states, and localities who deliver excellence on a daily basis - and others that have significant work to do.

This is not intended to be an indictment of one party or another - this is a reminder that politics should not dictate the level of service that the public receives or the focus on ensuring that customers have what they need.

Let’s begin with 7 timeless customer service principles that any government agency -federal, state, or local - can adopt to immediately improve the customer experience.

As a jumping off point, please note that safety, transparency, and accountability should be baked into each of these nuggets - without those, everything falls flat.

Top 7 Ways to Improve Government Customer Experience

Lead with Hospitality
I know it sounds odd to think about hospitality in a government environment, but this mindset will set you on the right path. Welcome people with a smile, a greeting, and a genuine offer to help. Service isn’t just a transaction, it’s a relationship. This is a great place to teach your team the CARES model (Connect. Anticipate. Respect. Empathize. Say Thanks).
Map the Experience A key principle of customer experience is understanding how the customer interacts with your brand or service. Creating a citizen journey map will help you understand potential friction points and opportunities as people interact with your departments and services at each touchpoint.
Train for Empathy and Respect Your teams need to understand what great service looks like, so equip teams to listen, show understanding, and respond with care. Remember that if you treat them well, they will pass that along to their customers every day. That means great communication and development opportunities for your team and leaders.
Simplify Processes Streamline applications, eliminate unnecessary steps, and remove confusing jargon. Apply a filter such as "Would this make sense to my neighbor?" Also ensure that if someone ends up in the wrong office that they aren't shooed away, but rather directly seamlessly to the right place. One specific call out is the phone systems many government agencies use - is it designed to help or discourage people from seeking assistance?
Modernize Processes and Tech Invest in user-friendly websites, mobile responsiveness, live chat, and secure self-service portals. Update internal workflows to reduce red tape and speed up response times. Design systems that work for all citizens, including those with connectivity, language, or digital literacy challenges - because connectivity means everyone can get the help they need. Technology should make things easier, not just be tech for tech's sake.
Make First Contact Fast and Effective Make sure the first interaction solves the issue - and does so quickly. Whether it's a call, email, or in-person visit, accuracy and helpfulness should be the standard. This means that your team needs to know what to do and how to execute in a timely manner. This idea of first contact resolution is a staple of consumer-facing call centers, so adopting this mindset will help you deliver excellence.
Recognize Public Service Excellence Your front line team is the face of government to the public, so makes sure you appreciate them. Showcase those who serve with distinction and take great care of customers. Recognition drives morale and shines a light on what behaviors should be repeated.

These principles may come to life slightly differently depending on the level of government. As with all things, this is about perspective and relative application.

Federal Government At the federal level, citizens interact with large agencies like the IRS, Social Security Administration, and VA. These are high-volume, high-impact experiences that often shape public perception of the entire government - so the pressure is on here to get it right. Investing in more user-friendly, self-service technology (like Direct File for taxes or Social Security information), transparency in processing times, and eliminating redundant paperwork can go a long way.

Training federal teams on how to listen with empathy and deliver clear next steps will also restore trust at a time when national confidence in institutions is waning.

Federal agencies also have the scale to pilot innovation such as AI-powered assistance and new points of digital access. But even the best tech must be backed by people who care and who are there when needed (think of omnichannel experience here). The future of federal service should blend digital efficiency with a people-centered approach hospitality.

State Government

State agencies often manage licensing, health services, unemployment benefits, and higher education support. The common thread is that these are intensely personal interactions where the stakes are high and delays can affect real lives.

States should prioritize simplifying complex systems (like benefits + application portals), building clear signage and wayfinding in physical offices, and empowering frontline teams to resolve issues without unnecessary bureaucracy or approval processes.

Additionally, state governments are uniquely positioned to take best practices from both local and federal partners - and implement + scale them quickly. They can localize solutions while scaling innovation across departments.

Local Government

Local government is where service hits closest to home with things like permits, public safety, sanitation, zoning, parks, and street maintenance. These are the day-to-day touchpoints that impact citizens most directly. Because local offices are more intimate, there's a huge opportunity to build personal connections. Simple changes like greeting people by name, providing clear “what to expect” information, or proactively communicating service outages/changes can build goodwill.

Local leaders can also tap into their communities more easily to gather feedback and build programs around real-time information. They should see themselves as hosts of the community, creating spaces where citizens feel welcomed and supported rather than confused or dismissed.

So let's bring this home. Every level of government has an opportunity to show citizens what great service looks like - efficient, people-focused, and helpful.

Customer Experience and service from government agencies and offices is fundamental - when you think about the daily impact government has on our lives, truly it is the brand that we all interact with the most. That means that an intentional approach to providing great service (and yes, hospitality) to citizens is crucial to everyone's success. It will drive personal productivity, business results, and overall trust in the agencies tasked to make our lives safer and easier each day.

74% of citizens say being treated with dignity and respect is as important as getting their problem solved. - Pew Research Center

This is the time for government to double down on these principles and show everyone that no matter your political affiliations, that world class service is possible for the people.

What a great way to keep "we the people" at the center of everything that government does - because that's where the most amazing things are possible.

Tony Johnson

* Written by a real human, not A.I.

Tony is an award winning speaker and author on the topics of sales growth, customer experience, and leadership. Tony speaks to thousands annually and has been featured on ABC News and Fox News. He is available for business planning, motivational keynotes, leadership workshops, and employee service skills training.

Tony is the founder of Ignite Your Service and the Chief Experience Officer for 4xi Global Consulting.

Tony is available to help with your Customer Experience and Employee Engagement Strategies, inspirational keynote talks, team training and development, and executive leadership coaching.

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