In today’s fast-paced business environment, competition is fierce. New players and disruptors are entering markets at an unprecedented rate. To remain competitive, effective and relevant, organizations must be agile in adapting their customer experience to differentiate themselves; to meet the ever involving customer needs and stay ahead of competitors. Customers expect seamless, bespoke and convenient experiences. Organizations must therefore remain agile in customer experience (CX), as expectations and market dynamics continue to evolve. They must quickly adapt and innovate in order to meet changing needs and customer preferences. Moreover, agile organizations should be generally flexible and segment their customer base, in order to create personalized experiences that resonate with specific groups, leading to higher satisfaction and trust.
For the public sector, sustaining this agility can be critical in making public services more responsive, thereby build trust with citizens. Public trust leads to greater compliance with a wide range of policies; foster public investments in challenging reforms and programmes, and influence economic performance
and well-being.
At Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), we have identified key drivers of CX agility, in a bid to improve tax literacy, build trust and affable relations with the KRA customer. One of such is feedback and voice of the customer programs. KRA executes regular voice of the customer surveys to gather feedback from taxpayers; through evaluations, reviews, and direct interactions, which provide valuable insights into customer needs and expectations. This feedback provides KRA with valuable insights into customer needs and expectations, which is then incorporated into decision-making processes that guide service improvements across the organization. Establishing a continuous feedback loop with customers enables organizations to quickly identify, address issues, risks and gaps, for continuous improvements, demonstrating commitment to meeting customer needs. Innovation and technology also plays a key role in enhancing CX agility.
Automation and data-driven customer feedback upscale convenience, provide valuable insights into customer preferences and reveal pain points for improvement. For KRA, regular enhancements and update of systems such as iTax, iCMS and iScan stimulate optimization of customer-facing platforms for
enhanced service delivery. The customer relationship management tool has also bolstered service offering through data analytics that reveal customer sentiments for improvement. Consequently, KRA envisages inclusion of chatbots and AI-powered analytics for enhanced service delivery going forward.
Additionally, KRA has adopted customer inclusion in its processes to cater for customers of all backgrounds, abilities and preferences; in the design, delivery and access to services. Installation of access ramps at KRA office premises has enhanced mobility for persons using wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and other motion aids at KRA premises. Sign language interpreters have also been deployed across Tax Service Offices to facilitate taxpayers who are abled differently. Additionally, the KRA website has been customized to enable access by the visually impaired. When customers feel that their needs and perspectives are valued and understood, they’re more likely to trust an organization and become loyal. By embracing diversity and inclusiveness, KRA has built stronger relationships with its customers and created a more inclusive and accessible customer experience for a broad range of individuals.
Organizations can therefore formulate their key CX agility drivers, based on their business objectives. By focusing on these drivers, organizations can enhance customer service agility and maintain a competitive edge in a rapidly changing business environment. An agile approach also enables organizations to meet evolving customer expectations, leverage technology effectively and adapt to market dynamics and regulatory changes. It ultimately leads to improved customer satisfaction, loyalty, efficiency and sustainable growth.
This article was written by Grace Wandera, Deputy Commissioner, Marketing and Communication Department at Kenya Revenue Authority