Introduction

To better understand how well current communications capabilities are supporting healthcare, higher education and government organisations, the 8x8 Industry Insights research team conducted an online survey in November 2021. It received responses from 456 public sector professionals who shared their insights regarding how well current communication systems are empowering them to deliver excellent customer service.

Key Findings:

91% believe everyone in the organisation is responsible for the customer experience

60% have multiple comms applications

58% have more communication applications now than pre pandemic

55% indicate current communication systems make it easy for them to provide an excellent experience

41% believe current systems support Gen Z’s preferred communication channels. It’s 71% for Boomers

98% have deployed Microsoft Teams -primarily for internal collaboration

98% use email daily

This report provides the results and insights from the 107 government professionals that responded. It's broken down into five areas:

The pandemic's impact on digital transformations

An assessment of current communication systems

The challenge of balancing the generational divide

Requirements to modernise communications

Taking Microsoft Teams from good to great

There is a clear goal for all government organisations - continued enhancement of the staff and citizen experiences. To deliver that outcome, government professionals recognise it takes the commitment and participation of everyone in the organisation. To what extent do you agree with the following statement? In today’s market everyone in the organisation is responsible for the customer experience.

91% of respondents agree that everyone in the organisation is responsible for the citizen experience. Read on to hear more from government professionals as they share insights about how communication systems need to evolve so that everyone in the organisation can effectively participate in delivering experiences that align with the wide range of expectations. This point is a key finding of the research - there is a generational divide that is not being effectively addressed by current communication systems. This type of challenge is new given the accelerating rate of technological change. Organisations need to rethink their approach to communications technology to ensure the right capabilities are in place today but also extensible to what's needed in the future. We hope this 8x8 Industry Insights research is informative and useful as you set a course that continues to enhance citizen and staff experiences.