Constituents, residents, customers – they all need to believe in and appreciate the services that public agencies provide. That’s why gaining and maintaining their trust is essential. One sure fire way to achieve this is by ensuring your organization is leveraging modern and reliable technology. Afterall, private sector businesses have influenced the expectations of customers where convenience, reliability, and accessibility are necessary.
Customer Trust Takes A long Time to Build, Seconds to Erase
Customer trust can be erased in seconds. One bad experience can wipe away years of hard-built trust. The private sector demonstrates this constantly. If a consumer has a particularly bad experience, they seek out alternatives or competitors.
Even with all of the advancements in technology, there are no secret recipes or shortcuts to building and maintaining trust. The endeavor requires consistency and reliability. It is a marathon that never ends.
Private Sector Experiences Influence Customer Expectations of the Public Sector
Customers of the private sector have benefitted greatly from countless innovative features provided by cutting-edge fintech solutions. Having grown accustomed to the availability of these options, these same customers have come to expect many of these features in their bill payment experiences in the public sector. The onus, therefore, is heavily on public sector entities to deliver a similar user experience that supports customers in much the same way they are supported in their private sector interactions.
Payment Features that Every Customer Wants
Not all features transfer from private sector experiences to public sector ones, but many do. As a result, public sector technology providers can leverage what works in the private sector and develop comparable features. That also leaves room to innovate and develop purpose-built alternatives to serve the public. Whatever the case, some of the most helpful features when it comes to public sector payment technology include:
- 24/7 access to make payments when it is most convenient, online or in-person
- Instant posting to accounts and immediate access to transaction information after a transaction is complete
- PCI-compliant payment processes to ensure sensitive customer data is fully protected
- Digital wallets to store payment information and enroll in autopay or recurring payments
- Payment channels that accept cash, check, card, and ACH payments
- A centralized back-office solution that enables staff to access all transaction data in one place to deliver greater, faster customer service
The Public Sector is a Unique Ecosystem
Engaging with public sector utilities or government agencies is far more personal than private sector services because they provide essential services to people and their families in the communities they serve – the public depends on them. While most customers are residents utilizing essential services, others are local businesses located within the community, non-local businesses providing a service to the community, or other members of the workforce employed by those businesses. This variety of users puts creates a major on organizations to deliver an excellent user experience to the entire range of users, whatever their relationship with the organization. And the cornerstone of supporting all customers and building trust with them is to provide reliable, versatile technology that supports everyone through a fully integrated and centralized approach.
Want to learn more about the latest in payment solutions for the public sector? Request a demo today!