A customer service report for the Public Sector in Australia and New Zealand.

The experience of drought, bushfire, pandemic, and flood, together with the current tough economic environment, has exposed many customers to government support, sometimes for the first time. In many cases, citizen well-being has been reliant on fast and efficient services.

But the customer experience of these services has been neither fast nor efficient for many. The average time taken to resolve customer issues in Australia and New Zealand is 6.57 days, according to Lonergan Research’s survey of over 1,500 Australians and New Zealanders. Government services were rated to be among the worst for customer experience of any service sector, with only the telecommunications sector faring poorer.

The OECD’s report on trust in government recommends that governments continuously improve their public services. The quality of service delivery drives customer experience, which has a strong correlation with citizen trust in government. Experiences with government can also influence elections, with 53% of Australians and New Zealanders reporting that their experiences with government influence who they vote for, according to Qualtrics.

Perceptions of poor customer service and experience do not need to persist. It is possible to optimise your teams and systems for excellent customer service even as governments are experiencing unprecedented budget deficits impacted by adverse global economic conditions and a growing shortage of skilled staff.