Presented by the Government Contact Center Community of Practice, the awards spotlight the best in government customer service in four categories -- teamwork, technical excellence, customer focus and overall excellence. The judge's panel consists of representatives from government and the private sector. Utah.gov's unique 24/7 Live Help Network was selected as a finalist for both teamwork and customer focus categories and placed first in the customer focus category.
"2005 marks our fourth annual awards," said Daryl L. Covey of the Government Contact Center Community of Practice. "This year, we felt no site demonstrated customer focus more than Utah.gov. By incorporating so many state agencies into an around-the-clock online help desk, Utah's Live Help Network is truly focused on the customer's experience. Following such a user-centric approach is not only cost-effective for governments but also creates the level of integration in data exchange necessary to draw constituents online."
Utah.gov's 24/7 Live Help Network was the first around-the-clock customer support service of its kind in the nation. Launched in July 2003, the 24/7 Live Help Network combines cutting-edge technology with an unprecedented commitment to the customer. Visitors to Utah.gov who have questions or who are experiencing technical difficulties can request help via e-mail, phone or live chat. The "Live Help" link is on the header on every portal page and by clicking on it, users are taken to a help page in which they can select their service option of choice. All options are "live," meaning there's a live human on the end. Furthermore, all options -- e-mail, phone or Live Chat -- are available 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
"We are very pleased to receive this recognition," said Al Sherwood, Deputy Chief Information Officer for the state of Utah. "In the final judging, Utah.gov was the only state Web site to receive a Government Customer Service Excellence Award, and we are particularly honored by Utah's selection."
In addition to being the first state in the nation to offer 24/7 customer service, Utah broke new ground by developing customer service capabilities that spanned the state enterprise. Utah.gov's 24/7 Live Help Network is truly a network, with more than 15 state agencies -- including the Departments of Commerce, Taxation, and Workforce Services -- participating by assisting Utah.gov's primary help operators with agency-specific questions.
When asked about Live Help's ability to encourage Utahns to use online services, Sherwood replied: "Citizens can already renew their vehicle registrations at 2:00 a.m., but it's even better if someone is immediately available day or night to help answer questions. Since state government has used technology to make services available 24 hours a day and seven days a week, the next natural step was to provide around-the-clock support for those services. That's what we've been able to do."
Utah.gov is the state of Utah's official Web portal (www.Utah.gov) and was ranked first in the nation in the Center for Digital Government's 2003 Best of the Web competition. The portal is a collaborative effort between the state of Utah and Utah Interactive, LLC. It was built and is marketed, operated, and maintained by Utah Interactive, a Salt Lake City-based wholly owned subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC.
