As the firewalls and silos that made up an obstructive government of the past have come down, Bev Godwin’s been working to entice the public to interact and absorb information via web and social media tools.

As director of GSA’s Federal Citizen Information Center (FCIC), Godwin helps federal agencies develop, promote and distribute useful communications on many channels – USA.gov, GobiernoUSA.gov, 1-800-FED-INFO, email, web chat, social media, publications online or by mail, and on laptop, mobile, and e-reader.

“Our mission is to provide government information to the public when, where and how the public wants it,” Godwin told Breaking Gov in an interview.

At the top of her list has been helping FCIC comply with Executive Order 13571. It requires federal agencies to develop a customer service plan outlining how they will improve customer service, including what they are doing to use technology. Agency Plans can be found via Performance.gov.

“With advances in technology and improvements in service delivery systems, customers’ expectations continue to rise. To meet these expectations and increase efficiency, the Federal Government must incorporate increasingly common, lower cost self-service options that leverage technology, such as those accessed by the Internet or mobile phone,” said Jeff Zients, deputy director for management and chief performance officer at the White House Office of Management and Budget, in a memo to leadership.

A New Mission

Godwin said her strategy at FCIC has been to follow the government’s changing mission due to the explosion of technology.

Information can be driven through many platforms and channels, including mobile apps and video rather than paper reports mailed to consumers requesting the information.

“Every agency is thinking about mobile, and they don’t know how to do it,” Godwin said.

To help agencies meet new mandates, FCIC has set up a variety of community practices to encourage federal employees to connect, learn about new technology and get help implementing these tools at their agencies.

They include:

• A community of more than 2,000 web managers. They have a very active list serv where they ask each other questions about improving their individual websites, coordinate buying tools and figure out applicable laws.
• The Government Contact Center Council, a group of federal call center managers who share industry best practices and emerging technology and collaborate during national emergencies.
• A mobile community practice for federal workers developing mobile apps.

FCIC also manages a contract center called USAContact for agencies to obtain services at competitive prices.

In 2011, FCIC logged 272 million citizen contacts, up from 181 million in 2010, on its sites. In 2012, Godwin is focusing on the quality of services delivered to the public. FCIC is rewriting 600 FAQs on their websites into simpler language. It is using more video on its sites to explain its answers with “How To” videos.

She is paying attention to the increased popularity of mobile devices and making sure the center’s information works on them.

FCIC also is moving to e-reader formats instead of printed material, a platform that’s rapidly gaining popularity with the public.

“We have a real view of what’s going on in America,” Godwin said. “We are always thinking of how to do things better.”

Developing Communication Tools

Godwin offers the following five tips for federal agencies to develop the right communication tools to reach the public:

1. Know your customers and what their expectations are.

2. Look at your channels. Define who your customer is. Are you providing information and services in the channels that your customers access? Are you integrating across channels, providing phone number on websites, accepting email and answering them?

3. What measures do you have in place to measure how satisfied customers are? How do you get input from customers including their feedback and ideas? Is there a five-star rating system on your answers? Are you testing your products with your customers?

4. Are you working to continuously improve your sites or are you improving services only when you get criticized by your customers?

5. Do you have a well-trained staff? Can you improve their training? What kind of quality do you have? Do you have collaborative relationships with your contractors? Do you have employee performance training plans?