Citizens expect fast, seamless, personalized service. Customer experience (CX) is at the heart of every agency, impacting satisfaction, engagement and trust in Public Sector institutions. At the opening keynote during the 2025 CX and Engagement Summit, thought leaders from the General Services Administration (GSA), the Veteran’s Experience Office (VEO), GovExec, Adobe and The White House discussed centering CX initiatives to meet mission objectives, decrease costs and improve operational efficiency.
Carahsoft and its partners, such as Calabrio, Figma, Granicus, Help Scout, Liferay and NetDocuments, are equipped to connect agencies with the latest technology for CX solutions.
The Strategy Behind Effective CX
CX-centered solutions improve operations and reinforce trust in Public services. Brian Chidester, the Head of Global Strategy and Innovation at Adobe, emphasized that customers expect the same standards from Government service that they do of leading private companies. Poor CX can result in dissatisfaction, reduced engagement and erosion of trust in Public institutions.
But CX is not merely about satisfaction. A customer’s experience correlates to operational efficiency, cost savings and service effectiveness. When well-designed, centering CX enables agencies to reduce duplication, minimize support needs and improve system interoperability.
Constance Sayers, the President of GovExec, discussed the importance of engaging with customers in the face of decreasing trust in Government systems. By centering CX, Public agencies can prove their reliability and effectiveness.
There are a few main ways to center CX strategies. Public institutions can:
- Empower Public agencies and services
- Leverage modern tools to deliver efficient, user-centric experiences
- Employ both skilled personnel and relevant technology to provide faster, inclusive and reliable service
CX must be grounded in outcomes. By starting with a measurable goal, agencies can determine how well strategies and technology meet user needs. Technology such as advanced analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing all enable real-time decision-making and proactive service delivery. Operational goals, such as reducing call volume or wait time, can be directly addressed through CX.
Achieving Mission Objectives Through CX-Centered Planning
Maria Roat, the Former US Deputy Federal Chief Information Officer for the Executive Office of the President, emphasized that CX must be a mindset across all teams and departments. To improve mission-related outcomes, proficient staff with specialized skills and experience are essential to seeing continuous improvement. Teams should begin with a clear, defined concept of their mission objectives and desired end-state. Policy constraints and operational hurdles should be taken into account when designing a strategic process to accomplish objectives. Roat advises team leaders to conceptualize their goals into a single sentence to maintain focus on the mission. By questioning existing procedures, teams can overcome outdated policies and misaligned priorities that create roadblocks to progress. By overcoming barriers and prioritizing preparation and realistic planning, agencies can ensure continued, long-term success for CX initiatives and beyond.
Sonny Hashimi, the Former Commissioner of Federal Acquisition Service in the GSA, echoes this point, attesting that effective CX begins with understanding the “why;” which issue is being addressed, and who the audience is. Processes cannot be effectively updated without measuring the progress. By defining clear goals and tracking their progress, teams can improve CX by fulfilling grounded outcomes that are measured by how well they meet user needs. By embedding CX into core operations to ensure services are designed around user needs and not internal processes, agencies can offer seamless service.
People-First CX Initiatives
At the closing keynote “The Future of Government Customer Experience,” Barbara C. Morton, the Deputy Chief Veterans Experience Officer at the VEO of the Department of Veterans Affairs, discussed how active listening and CX are intrinsically tied. Listening to veterans, survivors and their families empowered the VEO with actionable items to improve their CX. The VA CX Office was established on that very principle, using data and insights to embed CX into everyday programs, services and trainings. In action, this looks like offering services that customers can directly interact with, ensuring users do not “fall between the seams.” CX teams utilize feedback to identify service gaps and implement cross-functional action plans. Technology can be used to amplify human-centered service by improving speed and accuracy. AI, for example, has enabled the VA to scale its services to maximize efficiency. Human-centered design ensures that service design and delivery begin with the lived experiences of customers. Morton attests that in a democracy, to serve is to listen; CX is foundational to Government legitimacy. By tuning in to customer stories, the VEO and other agencies maintain focus on people, not just processes.
By prioritizing customer experience, agencies can ensure their work reflects both their internal values and the communities they serve.
To learn more about the topics discussed at the 2025 CX & Engagement Summit, view the session recordings, on-demand. To learn more about the technologies that can help meet your agency’s mission statement, take our Carahsoft’s CX Buyer’s Guide Quiz, or visit our CX and engagement solutions portfolio.
