Government Elearning - Spring 2009 - (Page 15)

Trendlines Government Managers Beginning to Embrace, But Not Yet Use, CRM Government executives are awakening to the concept that customer relationship management (CRM) principles can be critical to the success of their own agencies, according to an Accenture global study. Yet, despite the overall willingness to adopt these principles, the research found that government still has a long way to go to turn the potential of CRM into reality. Accenture’s 11-country study sought to determine the attitudes of senior government executives toward CRM, a technology-enabled capability that has gained widespread interest in business circles as a competitive differentiator. The research targeted four of the most intensely customer-focused agency types: Revenue, Human Services, Motor Vehicles and Government Information (or “portal”) agencies. “The public’s view of routine service is being shaped by the customer-centric, 24x7 nature of so many private businesses — and they are now expecting the same from government,” says Accenture government expert David Hunter. “As the world’s ‘Smart’ Intelligence Means Innovation 20% plan to gain better insight into customer needs. largest provider of services, government has much to gain from using CRM capabilities to meet those higher expectations — by providing self-service options to the public, streamlining government processes and improving interagency data sharing. We are encouraged by the results of our study showing public sector managers worldwide are beginning to embrace the notion that CRM can be adapted to their agencies’ unique objectives and thereby help them improve service delivery to their constituents.” “But make no mistake, our research also found deep gaps in government agencies between the recognition of CRM’s value and practical application on an operational level. In fact, most government agencies are just beginning to harness the power of CRM and need to do much more to truly realize its potential.” For instance, only 20 percent of respondents said they plan to develop the means to gain better insight into customer needs, which is a critical first step to tailoring services. Survey results also showed that nearly two-thirds of agencies are not using the information they collect to streamline processes or improve basic customer service. Rather, the focus appears to be on using the data for public relations purposes and internal staff cost management. Finally, the study found that agencies are highly receptive to the possibilities of partnering with each other and with private sector organizations to facilitate information sharing and relieve cost pressures. For more information on Accenture’s Global CRM Study, visit http://www.accenture. com/ CRMePressKit. New guidelines from the Director of National Intelligence dictates that 16 agencies encourage greater innovation, cooperation and cross-pollination. The guidelines create descriptions of intelligence jobs and skills, making it easier to assemble teams of experts from different agencies to respond rapidly to crises and to work together on assignments, according to a report authored by Limor Ben-Har, a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency, and Myra Howze Shiplett, president of RandolphMorgan Consulting LLC and head of the Human Capital Working Group for PNSR. Employees who gain experience working in another agency are more likely to cooperate with colleagues across agency lines. The current stove-piped system, which discourages joint assignments and interagency cooperation, has hampered collaboration and policy implementation at historical junctures. The report notes that America’s national security system has failed to keep pace with changing threats. Without a culture of collaboration national security agencies struggled to bring in Without a culture of collaboration national security agencies struggled to bring in the right people at the right time. the right people at the right time to build provincial reconstruction teams in Iraq. The botched federal response to Hurricane Katrina is another example of what can go wrong when agencies fail to work together. In December, the Project on National Security Reform released its recommendations in a report titled “Forging a New Shield,” which flagged the need to strengthen the national security workforce as essential. It also noted that Presidential leadership is essential in serious national security reform. Governement Elearning! Spring 2009 15 http://www.accenture.com/CRMePressKit

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Elearning - Spring 2009

Government Elearning - Spring 2009 Contents Publisher's Note News Stimulus News DOL Expands E-learning Government Service Rating Second Life as Art Deals People on the Move Trendlines Currency and Learning Technology, Part 1 Learning Preferences at NNSA E-learning Goes Public Case Study: Arlington Case Study: BT Group Case Study: JFS College New Products Products Exit Poll Last Word

Government Elearning - Spring 2009

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