CFI Group Government Websites Report 2019...Government Websites remains at 73, as measured on a 0-100 scale, unchanged from 2017 and 2018. RETURN RECOMMEND 73 73 73 2017 2018 2019

GOVERNMENT WEBSITES 2019

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GOVERNMENT WEBSITESREPORT | 2019

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CONTENTS

1

2

3

INTRODUCTION 3

THE PROBLEM: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION REMAINS FLAT 4

THREE PRIORITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT: FUNCTIONALITY: Develop innovative functionality to help customers accomplish their tasks 9 WAYFINDING: Improve wayfinding to help customers intuitively navigate the site 13

CHAT: Provide accessible chat to assist with the customer service journey 16 ABOUT THE APPROACH 21




3

1

2

INTRODUCTIONThe U.S. government’s constellation of websites is an important vehicle by which the U.S. government provides Americans with access to government services and information. On November 8, 2016, OMB emphasized the importance of having high-functioning customer-facing websites by releasing memorandum M-17-06 (“Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites and Digital Services”).

The M-17-06 memo calls for all federal agencies to add Digital Analytic Program (DAP) javascript code onto all public-facing sites, enabling a unified Google Analytics account spanning all participating federal agencies. The goal is to give agencies a view into the online customer experience for federal agencies across the roughly 5,700 federal agency websites and 400 executive brand domains.

With DAP providing effective analytics on customer activity on federal government website, a deeper understanding of the role and efficacy of these sites can be realized by capturing website customer experience feedback that complements the DAP website activity metrics.

CFI GROUP SOLUTIONS FOR GOVERNMENT

SHERI PETRAS CEOSheri manages offices across 4 continents from the CFI Group world headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The CFI Group Government Websites report measures website performance from the perspective of the federal government website visitors. This program benchmarks visitor satisfaction with the website experience. When combined with the CFI Group Government Contact Center Satisfaction Index (GCCSI), agencies can better understand how to measure and manage the customer experience across the entire customer service journey.

This year, customer satisfaction with federal government websites remains unchanged from 2018 and 2017. To make improvements in 2019, agencies should focus on the three high-impact elements of the website customer experience:

Better FUNCTIONALITY for mobile devices Improved WAYFINDING for browsing and searching Accessible CHAT that is integrated with the contact center

KELLY STALLARD Program Director, Public SectorKelly manages CFI Group’s practice for Citizen Satisfaction, Website Satisfaction, and Contact Center Satisfaction for public sector clients.

DAVE HAMProgram Director, Public SectorDavid works with the Veterans Administration and other public sector clients to help measure and manage citizen and employee experience.

Source: digital.gov/dap

RODGER PARKDirector of Customer AnalyticsRodger manages accounts in the public/military sector as well as others in both consumer and business-to-business contexts.




THE PROBLEM: WEBSITE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION REMAINS FLAT

73WEBSITE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION HOLDS FOR LAST THREE YEARS




U.S. FEDERAL AGENCY WEBSITES HOST ROUGHLY 10 BILLION VISITS ANNUALLY

The array of U.S. government federal websites is vast, collectively receiving roughly 10 billion visits annually. The Digital Analytics Program, hosted by the GSA’s Technology Transformation Service, tracks unified activity across 400 domains and 5,700 federal agency websites. Agencies can use these analytics to understand how visitors are engaging their websites.

The most common visitor browser is Google’s Chrome (46%) followed by Apple’s Safari (32%). Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (9%) has fallen to single digits, along with Firefox and all others.

The devices used to visit federal government websites splits fairly evenly between desktop (48%) and mobile phones (47%), with tablets representing only a very minor portion of the visits (5%).

Microsoft Windows (39%) remains the most popular operating system for federal government websites, following by Apple IOS (31%) and Google Android (21%).

For the latest DAP Google Analytics data on federal website visit: analytics.usa.gov

BROWSERS

DEVICES

OPERATING SYSTEMS

Other IE Safari Chrome

13% 9% 32%

Mobile Desktop

47%

Tablet

Other Android IOS Windows

21% 31%

5%

9%

46%

48%

39%

LAST 90 DAYS· 3 BILLION visits

· To 5,700 federal agency websites

· Across 400 executive brand domains


https://analytics.usa.gov/



CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH FEDERAL WEBSITES REMAINS FLAT

Also unchanged is the likelihood that visitors will recommend others to visit the site. The likelihood of recommending federal government websites hovering at a modest 76. And the likelihood of returning to the site is slowly dropping, although the score of 80 remains relatively strong.

While there is considerable traffic across federal government websites, customer satisfaction with website experience has not improved. Customer Satisfaction with Government Websites remains at 73, as measured on a 0-100 scale, unchanged from 2017 and 2018.

RETURN

RECOMMEND

73 73 73

2017 2018 2019

82 81 80

2017 2018 2019

76 76 76

DigitalGov (www.digital.gov) defines customer experience (CX) as the “sum of all experience a customer has with your organization.” CFI Group’s measurement of the website customer experience is organized into seven main elements:

CONTENTLOOK AND FEELPERFORMANCESEARCH

FUNCTIONALITYWAYFINDINGCHAT

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CUSTOMER ACTIONSCUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Source: See full GCCSI Report




AGENCIES MUST IMPROVE THE WEBSITE EXPERIENCE

To improve customer satisfaction and the resulting customer actions, such as returning to the site and recommending the site to others, agencies must determine priority initiatives among the seven areas of effective websites.

SEVEN ELEMENTS OF THE WEBSITE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

FUNCTIONALITY Useful features/services in helping the visitor to accomplish their specific task75

WAYFINDING Intuitive navigation for a visitor to move smoothly around the site and find what they need72

CHAT Accessible agents who are knowledgeable, e�ective, and empowered87

CONTENT Quality, engaging information that is accurate and up-to-date78

LOOK AND FEEL Visually appealing layout that makes information clear and accessible74

PERFORMANCE Quick-loading pages and apps that are consistent and error-free79

SEARCH Easy search tool with results that are relevant, organized, and filterable74

SCORE ELEMENT DESCRIPTION




DATA MODELING SHOWS THREE PRIORITIES FOR WEBSITE IMPROVEMENT

Scores alone will not tell you where to invest in website improvements. Only by modeling the customer experience data can agencies effectively prioritize initiatives that will impact desired customer actions.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

FUNCTIONALITY

WAYFINDING

CHAT

CONTENT

LOOK AND FEEL

PERFORMANCE

SEARCH

CUSTOMER ACTIONS

CUSTOMER SATISFACTIONINDEX

RETURN

RECOMMEND

HIGHIMPACT

MEDIUMIMPACT

LOWIMPACT

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Click to hear Dr. Claes Fornell explain customer data modeling


https://cfigroup.com/resource-item/claes-fornell-interview/?utm_source=report&utm_medium=pdf&utm_campaign=govweb





FUNCTIONALITY:

11%ARE NOT ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THEIR TASK ON AN AGENCY’S WEBSITE

1 Develop innovative functionality to help customers accomplish their tasks




ONE IN TEN ARE NOT ABLE TO COMPLETE THEIR TASK ON AGENCY WEBSITES

The good news is that 9 out of 10 people who visit a federal government website consider that site to be the primary way that they interact with the agency. This presents a significant opportunity for agencies to invest sizeable resources into public-facing websites knowing that the efforts will affect a large portion of the agency’s customers.

The needed investment is underscored by the fact that 11% of the visitors of federal government websites are not able to accomplish their intended task. A closer look at the needs of website visitors would help agencies direct resources toward functional site improvements that will enable these visitors to better self-serve on the agency website.89%

YES

Is this website the primary way you interact with the agency?

Were you able to accomplishwhat you came to the website for?

11%

NO

NOT ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH TASKWEBSITE IS PRIMARY CHANNEL




THE MOBILE EXPERIENCE WITH AGENCY WEBSITES FUNCTIONALITY IS DROPPING

From the perspective of federal government website visitors who use a mobile phone to access the site, the practical functionality of the site is falling behind. In 2017, mobile users gave website functionality a solid score of 83 for the usefulness of features that help them get their task completed, well above the 75 given by those using a desktop or laptop device. It appears federal government website development for mobile

devices development for mobile devices has not kept pace with quickly-changing customer expectations. Consequently, the higher satisfaction enjoyed by mobile visitors has now slipped to be on par with desktop/laptop visitors, and mobile visitors are less and less likely to return to the site due to this experience.

Source: CFI Group, https://www.digitalgov.gov/2017/08/14/20162017-mobile-analysis-mobile-device-trends-on-government-websites/

2017 2018 2019 2017 2018 2019 2017 2018 2019

75 7576

83

78

7273 73

80

77

74

82 82 8283

80

77

FUNCTIONALITY CUSTOMER SATISFACTION RETURN




MOBILE INTERNET ACCESS IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO GROW

The mobile customer experience will continue to draw attention. Visitors are increasingly using mobile devices when accessing government websites. For government sites in 2019, 24% of all agency site visitors are using a mobile phone, up from 18% in 2018, 16% in 2017, and 11% in 2016.

Most of the mobile phone use on government sites comes from Millennials - (Gens Y and Gen Z). At 47% percent, Millennials most frequently use a mobile phone for the agency website. Even for Gen Xers, 34% use a mobile phone most frequently to visit a government website. For Boomers+ (Boomers and older), meanwhile, only 8% most frequently use a phone when visiting a government website.

47% 60% 84%

47% 34% 8%

11%

16%

18%2018

2016

2017

24%2019 Usage percentage

Functionality score

Usage percentage

Functionality score

69%

24%

76 76 78 75

76 83 74 67

MILLENNIALS & UNDER

18-34

GEN XERS35-54

BOOMERS& OVER

55+

DEVICE MOST FREQUENTLY USED TO VISIT THE GOVERNMENT WEBSITE BY DEMOGRAPHICMOBILE DEVICE MOST FREQUENTLY USED TO VISITTHE GOVERNMENT WEBSITE ALL




42% VISIT JUST TO BROWSE FOR GENERAL INFO

2 WAYFINDING:Improve wayfinding to help customers intuitively navigate the site




MOST VISITORS SIMPLY BROWSE FOR GENERAL INFORMATION

The two most common purposes people have for visiting an agency’s website is to simply browse for general information or search for specific information. A full 42% of government website visitors say they visit the site primarily just to browse the information make available on the site, while 35% say they are searching for something specific.

Surprisingly, 8% of those who are simply browsing are not able to accomplish their task, and 13% of those searching for specific information are unable to complete their task. An agency would do well to focus 2019 website efforts on improving the browsing and search experience for visitors.

Note: Select all that apply

24%

17%Perform a transaction (e.g., submita form, make a payment, etc.)

Check benefits information or status

PRIMARY PURPOSE FOR VISIT

10%

8%

DID NOT ACCOMPLISH TASK

9%13%Download a document

7%Find contact information 6%

35%

42%

Search for specific information aboutavailable programs, policies or procedures

Browse for general information 8%

13%




FOCUS ON LOW-SCORE, HIGH-IMPACT WAYFINDING

The opportunities for improvement are with helping visitors intuitively navigate around on the website and find information. Website visitors coming to the site to look around tend to have a better experience than do those who come to the site to search for something specific.

The low-scoring element Wayfinding goes beyond navigation to include other site features (color, icons, etc.) that help the visitor get to where they want to go. The more an agency designs the site experience for better wayfinding, the more satisfied many of the visitors will be.

DRIVER SCORES – PEOPLE BROWSING VS. PEOPLE SEARCHING

LOOK AND FEEL PERFORMANCE SEARCHWAYFINDING CHAT CONTENTFUNCTIONALITY

PRIMARY PURPOSE FOR VISIT

42%

35%

Browsing forGeneral

Information

80

77

81

78

81

79

73

69

72

80

72

78

9090

Searching forSpecific

Information




3 CHAT:

+21%WEBSITE VISITORS

WHO USE CHAT ARE MORE SATISFIED THAN THOSE WHO DO NOT

Provide accessible chat to assist with the customer service journey




PEOPLE WHO USE CHAT HAVE A MUCH BETTER EXPERIENCE WITH THE WEBSITE

Offering live chat is a clear boost to customer satisfaction with the federal government website experience. At this point, only 14% of federal website visitors use the chat feature on the site to get assistance.

LOOK AND FEEL PERFORMANCE SEARCHWAYFINDING CHAT CONTENTFUNCTIONALITY

8788

8788

8788

87

73

69

76

71

78

72

N/A

DRIVER SCORES – PEOPLE WHO USE CHAT VS. PEOPLE WHO DO NOT USE CHATDID YOU USE CHAT WHILE VISITING THE AGENCY WEBSITE?

YESNO

14%86%

However, those who do use chat have an exceptional website experience compared to those who do not. Agency contact centers that implement an accessible chat option for online customers who are trying to accomplish their tasks will increase customer satisfaction while reducing contact center call volume resulting from unresolved website visitor questions.




AGENCIES SHOULD OFFER CUSTOMER SERVICE CHAT ON THEIR WEBSITES

Analysis from CFI Group’s upcoming Government Contact Center Satisfaction Index (GCCSI) 2019 report shows that 51% of those who reach out to the contact center first try the agency’s site.

The Government Websites report shows that for those who use chat, satisfaction is 86, 93% accomplish their task, and 89% have an improved view of the agency, compared 71, 88%, and 35% for those who do not use chat.

Making contact center agents available by chat boosts customer satisfaction, helps customers accomplish their tasks, and improves the reputation of the agency, all while cutting contact center costs by reducing call volume.

89%USEDCHAT

DID NOTUSE CHAT

51%

Tried using the agency website beforecontacting customer service

86

71

93%

35%88%

Accomplishedyour task

Opinion of agency improvedbased on website interaction

CUSTOMERSATISFACTION




LIVE CHAT?

WEBSITE ACTIVITY

DEVICE USED

CONTACT CENTER ACTIVITY

ACCOMPLISHED TASK? ACTIONS INTERACTION

TYPECONTACT METHOD RESOLVED? ACTIONS

WEBSITE MEASUREMENT CONTACT CENTER MEASUREMENT

WEB EXPERIENCE

RETURN TO SITE

RECOMMEND

SATISFACTION

FUNCTIONALITY

WAYFINDING

CHAT

CONTENT

LOOK AND FEEL

PERFORMANCE

SEARCH

CSI

OUTCOMES CONTACT CENTER EXPERIENCE SATISFACTION OUTCOMESHIGH

IMPACT

DESKTOP/LAPTOP

69%

MOBILEPHONE

24%

TABLET

7%

DID NOTUSE CHAT

USEDCHAT

86%

14%

DID NOTACCOMPLISH TASK

ACCOMPLISHEDTASK

89%

11%VISIT AGENCY

OFFICE

REACH OUT TOCONTACT CENTER

LEAVE UNRESOLVED

36%

17%

47%

RESOLVED

NOTRESOLVED

92%

8%

SHARE YOUREXPERIENCE

28%

EMAIL

ONLINE CONTACT FORM

SOCIALMEDIA

SMS/TEXT

PHONECALL

74%

20%

19%

10%

1%

IVR ONLY

16%

BOTH LIVE AGENT & IVR

DIGITALCOMMUNICATIONS

23%

26%

LIVEAGENT ONLY

35%

MEASURING THE JOURNEY

Each agency should measure its unique customer service journey to understand how to improve the customer experience across all touchpoints.

THE CUSTOMER SERVICE JOURNEYMAPPING THE JOURNEY

75

72

87

78

74

79

74

7380

76

VIEW OF AGENCY TRANSPARENCYVIEW OF GOV

TRANSPARENCY

EFFECTIVENESS

EMPOWERMENT

KNOWLEDGE

COMMUNICATION

DEMEANOR

CSI

HIGHIMPACT

71

64

70

76

75

6363

54




LIVE CHAT?

WEBSITE ACTIVITY

DEVICE USED

CONTACT CENTER ACTIVITY

ACCOMPLISHED TASK? ACTIONS INTERACTION

TYPECONTACT METHOD RESOLVED? ACTIONS

WEBSITE MEASUREMENT CONTACT CENTER MEASUREMENT

WEB EXPERIENCE

RETURN TO SITE

RECOMMEND

SATISFACTION

FUNCTIONALITY

WAYFINDING

CHAT

CONTENT

LOOK AND FEEL

PERFORMANCE

SEARCH

CSI

OUTCOMES CONTACT CENTER EXPERIENCE SATISFACTION OUTCOMES

MOBILEPHONE

TABLET

USEDCHAT

ACCOMPLISHEDTASK

VISIT AGENCYOFFICE

LEAVE UNRESOLVED

NOTRESOLVEDEMAIL

ONLINE CONTACT FORM

SOCIALMEDIA

SMS/TEXT

IVR ONLY

BOTH LIVE AGENT & IVR

DIGITALCOMMUNICATIONS

MEASURING THE JOURNEY

In this example journey, the customer uses a desktop/laptop but does not use chat, does not accomplish their task, and ends up reaching out to the contact center by phone. The customer speaks with a live agent who resolves the customer’s issue, and the customer then shares the whole experience with others.

EXAMPLE CUSTOMER SERVICE JOURNEYMAPPING THE JOURNEY

-40%

-40%

N/A

-32%

-32%

-22%

-35%

-41%-38%

-28%

VIEW OF AGENCY TRANSPARENCYVIEW OF GOV

TRANSPARENCY

EFFECTIVENESS

EMPOWERMENT

KNOWLEDGE

COMMUNICATION

DEMEANOR

CSI+4%

+13%

+3%

N/A

+3%

+11%+16%

+15%

Scores for this journey

compared to the

overall scores

DESKTOP/LAPTOP

DID NOTUSE CHAT

DID NOTACCOMPLISH TASK

REACH OUT TOCONTACT CENTER

PHONECALL

LIVEAGENT ONLY

SHARE YOUREXPERIENCERESOLVED




ABOUT THE APPROACH

In late 2015, CFI Group conducted its inaugural Government Websites study in partnership with the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). This study is unique in that it measures not only the performance of the agency websites, but also the respondent profile of government website users.

Understanding who is using government websites and for what purpose is the first step for agencies in tailoring the content and features to strategically improve website user satisfaction. This report identifies insights from the respondent base that will help government executives to better manage agency websites. The results are based on analysis using the proven methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index, the only national indicator of customer satisfaction. The information found in this report can be used by agencies to:

h Ensure their website is a valued and trusted resource for citizens h Make efficient, informed decisions about resource allocation h Decrease use of more expensive forms of contact h Measure and manage the website in tandem with the contact center

In order to provide an accurate representation of the state of government websites as a whole, CFI Group collected data from users of a wide array of government websites.

Respondents to this year’s survey were chosen at random through the use of a market research panel. In order to be eligible for the survey, individuals needed to have accessed a federal agency’s website within the past year. In all, 732 completed surveys were collected for analysis.

Data were analyzed and modeled using the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) methodology. The ACSI is the only uniform, national, cross-industry measure of satisfaction with the quality of goods and services in the United States. A key distinguishing feature of the ACSI is its patented scientific approach to customer satisfaction measurement.

ABOUT USSince 1988, CFI Group has delivered customer experience measurement and business insights from its Ann Arbor, Michigan headquarters and a network of global offices. As founding partner of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), CFI Group is the only company within the United States licensed to apply customized ACSI methodology in the federal government. Using this patented technology and top research experts, CFI Group helps agencies improve the citizen experience with the federal government.

For more information contact:

KIM ELLIOTTCustomer and Employee Engagement ExecutiveKim works with agencies to develop solutions designed to help agencies better understand and manage their customers and employees. Click here to schedule a meeting to discuss how CFI Group might be able to help your agency.

phone: 303.881.1355email: [email protected]


https://calendly.com/kimpelliott

mailto:kelliot%40cfigroup.com%20?subject=

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimpelliott/

Documents

CFI Group Government Websites Report 2019...Government Websites remains at 73, as measured on a 0-100 scale, unchanged from 2017 and 2018. RETURN RECOMMEND 73 73 73 2017 2018 2019