Building CX-Savvy Agencies: Notes from the GovLoop CX Community of Practice Webinar

This week, I had the pleasure of guest speaking to an international audience on GovLoop’s CX Community of Practice virtual networking event in a session titled “How to Help Make Your Organization More CX-Savvy.” 

First off, let me say thank you to Candace Thorson at GovLoop for the invitation. Time flew so fast during our chat. You can watch a replay of the chat here:

During the conversation, Candace and I talked about upholding the CX spirit within government agencies. Of course, by now, we all know why CX matters across the entire organization, not just to those with “customer” in their title. So, GovLoop asked me to go a little deeper and offer some reality checks.

My big point: while government agencies aren’t profit-driven, their leaders are still often held to business standards that mirror those in the private sector. That's why CX matters to everyone. Efficient service delivery, smart resource use, and successful program uptake all contribute to how well an agency is perceived. CX strategies like feedback loops, journey mapping, and human-centered design help agencies improve not only customer outcomes but internal operations too. That's an important talk track.

Barriers to Adoption of CX Mindsets

One common barrier to gaining traction with CX practices within government agencies is how we talk about them. “Customer experience” can be a limiting frame if it’s not connected to the core business of the agency. You can’t just pound the table shouting, “Customers!” and expect everyone to jump on board. Instead, my advice was to tie your CX conversations to strategic goals, operational efficiency, or mission delivery.

It’s about business acumen as much as CX know-how.

We also tackled the often murky question of who the “customer” really is in government. In one example I shared, both a small business owner and the taxpayer could reasonably be seen as customers of a trade-related agency offering government-backed loans. These aren’t just philosophical distinctions—these characteristics of agency operations shape how CX enthusiasts should shape influence-building conversations and activities.

Where to Start

If you're looking to embed CX across your agency, the key is to start where there’s traction. Look at your agency’s strategic goals. Is there language around service improvement, employee engagement, or process efficiency? That’s your launch pad. I shared how my own CX work at an international trade agency started with measuring, monitoring, and triaging application processing times and grew to include engagement with advisory committees and partners.

Moral of the story: Raise your hand to do the work. Build from where you can.

Finally, I touched on the power of an emerging concept in government CX: sludge audits—a way to identify the psychological friction in processes that can undermine accessibility and equity. Sludge, like confusing websites or burdensome paperwork, often stems from an empathy gap between leaders who make rules and set up processes and the people who have to live by them.

Here's a great sludge audit toolkit if you want to explore further.

My closing advice?

Frame your CX work as a business imperative, not just a customer one. And remember: this work is worth doing—but it takes grit. The seeds you plant today may bloom years from now.

Thanks again to GovLoop for the invitation, and best wishes to everyone in the CX COP. Follow me on LinkedIn.