According to Forrester’s The US Federal Customer Experience Index Rankings, 2023, the federal government is still not providing customer experiences that are comparable to the private sector. Despite federal agencies’ focus on improving digital customer experience (CX), they lag in both physical and hybrid CX and deliver uneven experiences across channels and demographic groups.

Key findings from Forrester’s Index, which rated 15 US federal agencies and programs in 2023, include: 

  • The National Park Service (NPS) takes the top spot for the seventh straight time. This year, the NPS outperformed the industry average for all but one private sector industry in the US CX Index.
  • Experience gaps widen for most demographic categories. Only one demographic category — income — narrowed the gap between best and worst CX. The largest CX gap occurred within gender, where the gap grew more than 5 points year-over-year to a nearly 23-point difference. While the average CX Index score among younger and older generations experienced a nearly 18-point gap, the CX gap between white and Pacific Islander customers grew to 19 points – more than 3 points wider compared to 2022.
  • Veterans have the best CX. Veterans have an average score of 66.4 even though their score dipped slightly year-over-year. Military spouses have the poorest CX, with an average score of 57.2 and a decline of more than 4 points year-over-year.
  • CX shortcomings hinder mission performance. Falling short on CX means that customers are less likely to take important actions such as trust agencies and comply with their directives and advice.

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