In a move to revolutionise the way Britons interact with public services, the UK government has launched a new initiative called “CustomerFirst.” This pilot project, spearheaded by Tech Minister Ian Murray, aims to tackle the longstanding issues of lengthy phone queues, repetitive form-filling, and endless bureaucratic red tape that have plagued citizens for years.
The government acknowledges that the public loses millions of hours each year navigating the inefficiencies of government services, from waiting on hold to chasing paperwork and seeking answers. As Minister Murray aptly put it, “We’ve pretty much got a digitised population by an analogue government.” This stark contrast has prompted the government to take decisive action.
The CustomerFirst team will be dedicated to finding bespoke solutions for each public service, leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and modern technologies to mirror the customer service standards seen in the private sector, from banking to online shopping.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has been identified as the first partner in this initiative. The DVLA, which receives a staggering 45,000 pieces of paper through the post every day, will work with CustomerFirst to improve the handling of millions of customer interactions on driving licences, vehicle registration, and other motoring services.
“The DVLA’s customer service is pretty poor,” acknowledged Minister Murray, “so CustomerFirst will go in there and try to find bespoke solutions for what they want to try and achieve in terms of what their customer service looks like.”
The government is drawing inspiration from success stories in the private sector, such as Octopus Energy, where 35% of customer emails are drafted by AI, resulting in customer satisfaction ratings of 70%. Minister Murray believes that if similar levels of efficiency can be achieved in government, it would be a “huge step forward in the way in which your services interact with the public.”
The initiative is expected to save taxpayers up to £4 billion by transitioning to smarter technology and online processing, moving away from the traditional phone, post, or in-person channels.
Roads and Buses Minister Simon Lightwood echoed the government’s commitment to making public service interactions as simple as possible. “Contacting any service provider should be easy,” he said. “Too many people are stuck waiting on hold or filling out the same forms again and again. We want to make getting on the road as simple as possible.”
The launch of CustomerFirst marks a significant step in the government’s digital transformation agenda, with the aim of modernising public services and improving the relationship between the government and its citizens.
