is Part Three of a Four Part series that reveals findings from recent research conducted with the healthcare, higher education, and government (local and central) segments of the public sector. In case you missed it, Part One covered how the pandemic impacted digital transformations, the shared responsibility of delivering the customer experience, and some challenges organisations face when it comes to empowering staff to deliver those experiences. Part Two uncovered the generational divide and how it’s creating unique challenges and opportunities for public sector organisations. In this installment, I’ll share what the respondents said about how communications need to evolve to better enable them to improve citizen, patient, and student experiences.

The pandemic rocketed communications into the spotlight by causing many organisations to make them an immediate priority. All the work to put remote working capabilities in place has paid off as 74% of public sector professionals indicate that the current communications systems help them work more efficiently. Unfortunately, just a little more than half (53%) indicate current communications systems help them deliver an excellent customer experience and only 35% believe current communications systems help decrease wait times.

What role do the current communications applications and systems currently play in enabling you to improve experiences?

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With 47% indicating current communications systems do not make it easy for them to provide an excellent experience, it makes you wonder what communication channels they’re using. When asked about what types of communications they are using and how often they are using them, 91% indicated they are using email everyday followed by business phone at 72%. Also, note the daily use of digital channels: instant messaging at 63%, chat apps at 62%, and SMS at 60% make these some of the more widely used communications channels today. This data is a good indication that public sector organisations are making progress with modernising their communications systems.

Frequency of communications channel use

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Next, respondents were asked to provide their perception of the current communications systems. For the most part, public sector professionals have a relatively positive perception of their current communications systems. They characterised them as affordable, modern, reliable, easy to use, and capable. It’s further evidence that current communications systems are being modernised.

Perception of current communications system

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Yet, with only 53% indicating current systems enable them to provide an excellent experience, there must be some aspects of the current communications systems that are creating friction. Respondents provided insight into the communication channels they felt were most important for delivering a good experience. Email, Business Phone, Video Meetings, and Contact Centre were called out as the top four. Virtual Classrooms and Telemedicine are also considered important, given the inclusion of higher education and healthcare organisations.

Importance of each capability for delivering a good experience

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This data reinforces what Part Two of this series revealed: every communication channel is now important because each generation has different channels they prefer. Note, the magnitude of this generational divide is unique in human history. There have always been generational divides, but none to the scope and scale we have today. The speed and degree of technological change is the key driving factor that is magnifying the current challenge. Gen Z has grown up with broadband, Google, smartphones, and social media. The Boomer generation grew up with the radio, phone, and limited television. Technology is progressing at an accelerating rate, which will continue to magnify the generational differences. For example, about 80% of healthcare costs happen in the last 20% of lives. That means there is high demand for healthcare services from the Boomer generation who prefer the phone call. In contrast, Gen Z doesn’t want to talk to anyone on the phone. They want to use WhatsApp. NHS Trusts have to enable both types of communications to better serve each generation.

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That wide spectrum of communication channel requirements puts a strain on (and often exceeds) the capabilities of existing communications systems. This point came across when respondents were asked about what updates they would like to see to current communications systems as a way to improve the ability to enhance customer experiences. After easy implementation and accessibility, respondents selected enabling company wide collaboration and all communication channels integrated in a single platform as the most important updates. These results reflect the challenges created by the communications generational divide and the need to update current communications systems so it’s easier for staff to engage with citizens, patients, and students using any channel, any device, from anywhere.

Updates to current communications systems that would improve the ability to enhance customer experiences

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One more note related to the above data: AI-powered automation capabilities are the least selected upgrade. Understandably, if the basics aren’t in place, one has to walk before they can space travel. That said, implementation of AI-based capabilities for very specific use cases can help organisations balance the generational divide. It provides a quick and convenient way for technology oriented customers, such as Gen Z, to engage for routine inquiries, who generally don’t want to have to speak with an agent for basic questions. Using AI-powered automation capabilities such as chatbots and virtual agents will increase staff capacity to handle more complex interactions. It’s a case where the research data is not capturing current market dynamics because the respondents don’t have all the relevant information. My recommendation is that public sector organisations should make AI-based capabilities a high priority.

Respondents believe the upgrades will have a significant impact on the ability to deliver excellent experiences. Looking at the top two choices (“somewhat improve the experience” and “significantly improve the experience”), chat/instant messaging and chat apps are two of the top three most impactful options. This result is another indicator of how important digital channels are for enabling staff to deliver an excellent experience.

How adding communication capabilities impacts the customer experience

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To get additional clarity about the impact of adding each communication channel, respondents were given an opportunity to provide additional information. They received additional context:

Q: How would the following capabilities improve your current communication system when it comes to the [citizens’/patients’] experience? Please be as detailed as possible. [Open End]

  • Classic forms include fax, business phone, contact centre, email, and pager
  • Modern forms include Instant message, chat apps, mobile apps, SMS, video meetings, and social channels
  • Niche forms include telemedicine, and virtual classrooms.

Then, respondents characterised each form of communications (classic, modern, niche) and its impact on the customer experience:

Classic Forms of Communication

  • “Reliable and fast old school way”
  • “This will cater to the older generation”
  • “It would provide a good balance for everyone”
  • “Immediate access to everyone”
  • “Easy to contact”
  • “Prevents costs to employees”
  • “Quick and easy, understood by all, basic”
  • “Heavily used, needs to be the best service as it is used more than any other platform”
  • “Failsafe and simple.”
  • “Would speed up our responses and provide better service levels”
  • “It works for everyone”

Modern Forms of Communication

  • "Appealing to younger people”
  • "Can talk straight away.”
  • "May improve internal communication”
  • "Easy, convenient, practical”
  • "A good method of updating”
  • "Cheap, instant response which is a huge benefit for customers who are wanting immediate advice/support”
  • "More millennials and Gen Z would use this compared to phones”
  • "Would be convenient and fast”
  • "Able to access services more easily and from wherever in the world”
  • "Would be very compatible with students' smartphones”

Niche Forms of Communication

  • "Support patients in their homes”
  • "Makes it easier for older people”
  • "Would provide better care advice and information. It would also allow better monitoring of the patient”
  • "High-risk patients would be able to have a virtual assessment rather than face-to-face”
  • "Could be beneficial to a small number of customers”
  • "Ensures a better attendance rate”
  • "This will ensure the continuation of class in case of disruption to normal activities”
  • "To be able to talk to groups in one go”

How communications need to evolve

Public sector organisations have made great strides in modernising their communications to support remote working while also enhancing staff’s ability to deliver an excellent experience. But with only 53% indicating the current communications system makes it easy to provide an excellent experience, there is more work to be done.53% indicate the current communications system makes it easy to provide an excellent experience. That means 47% do not find the current communications system makes it easy for them to provide an excellent experience.

Respondents point out that the current communications systems are making them more efficient but adding digital channels such as chat/instant messaging and chat apps (like WhatsApp) would have a significant impact on their ability to deliver an excellent experience.

Essentially, respondents point out that upgrading their communications capabilities should be easy to implement, ensure accessibility for all, and enable organisation-wide collaboration with business phone, chat, video, and contact centre integrated on a single platform. Although it may sound like science fiction, like Dick Tracey’s communicator watch, the technology exists today: the 8x8 eXperience Communications PlatformTM with contact centre, voice, video, chat, APIs, and advanced analytics integrated into a single platform that’s backed by the industry’s first and only financially backed, platform-wide 99.999% SLA.

Stay tuned for the next post in this series where I reveal how modern cloud communications can integrate with Microsoft Teams to seamlessly extend Teams capabilities.

In the meantime, to discuss bringing together your public sector contact centre, voice, video conferencing, and chat solution on one experience communication platform please get in touch.