In March, I did my first test run of a new local government customer service workshop that will be offered next fall at the 2012 ICMA Annual Conference in Phoenix.  My sincere thanks goes to the employees of the City of Gardiner, Maine, for allowing me to try out the program with them and for giving me some great suggestions and ideas for improving the workshop.

Preparing for this workshop has gotten me again thinking about what I consider to be the strong link between customer service and citizen engagement.  I believe a strong focus on providing excellent customer service helps build trust between citizens and their local government which is a requirement for effective citizen engagement.  

Excellence in local government customer service is defined by the experience a citizen has when he/she interacts with local government employees for whatever purpose.  And that experience is largely driven by a person’s emotional response. If citizens are treated with respect, listened to, and heard when they bring their concerns and problems to their local government, they will leave city hall or the county courthouse feeling as though they accomplished something.  But if citizens are met with local government employees who can’t take the time to listen, don’t offer assistance, or make suggestions about what options are available, the citizen’s reaction will likely be something along the lines of “Why did I bother?”

Citizen engagement is all about actively bringing residents into the public discussions and decision making processes that impact a community’s quality of life.  In fact, good government by definition requires active citizen engagement.  But if a citizen’s experience with local government on a day-to-day basis (customer service) isn’t positive, why in the world would he/she want to engage in a public discussion of larger policy issues (citizen engagement)?  If we want to actively engage citizens in local government and the greater community, then I believe we must start by striving to provide excellent customer service each and every time a local government employee interacts with a citizen because that is how trust and confidence are built over time.

So, how does all this tie into 311/CRM systems? The primary purpose of a 311/CRM system is improved customer service. These systems provide a front door to local government and make it easy for citizens to connect.  311/CRM system help ensure that all citizens have equal access to local government services and citizens can trust that if they took the time to make a phone call or submit a request online, the local government will take care of the matter.  311/CRM systems represent excellence in local government customer service.