A recent poll by the Pew Research Center shows public trust in the government remains near historic lows. The erosion of public trust can have a ripple effect impacting all levels of operation from legislation to funding. That’s why now, more than ever, it’s important for agencies in the government sector to adopt transparency as a fundamental part of operations – rebuilding public relations on a foundation of trust. At Professional Credit, we understand the importance of transparency for our partners in government so we take extra measures to provide their citizens with unfettered access and communicative support when it comes to managing their accounts.
Last spring, the Government Finance Officers Association released a report which outlined four ways in which agencies can build trust with their citizen communities. These four strategies coincide with our own methodologies for providing citizens transparent services and maintaining the trust of the communities we work with.
- Communicate Similarities in Values
For those in the government sector this means illustrating to your citizens that you share their values; for example, illustrating how education initiatives align to the educational priorities of the community. For us, it means showing them by listening and meeting their demands for service. We utilize speech analytics technology to assist us in keeping our finger on the pulse of these demands. With this technology we can not only gather data from 100% of our consumer interactions but also quickly organize that data to analyze emerging trends. Right now, citizens in every consumer demographic are asking for a greater variety of self-service options that offer them autonomy and convenience for managing their accounts. We have worked hard to meet these demands by continually improving our online portal and launching a mobile optimized version.
- Communicate Concern
Your citizens want to feel as though you are listening. One way to accomplish this is to show how the views of different parties are considered in the decision-making process. By being attentive to citizens’ concerns and demonstrating compassion, you begin to establish a bond of trust. It’s no different for us. That’s why we implemented our New Deal philosophy. This philosophy promotes understanding and compassion for the situations which led consumers to us. We train our agents to operate under the assumption that everyone wants to pay their bills just sometimes they need some extra help. A key part of this strategy is the extension of empathy in process of account resolution. By truly listening to consumers we can assist them in finding a mutually beneficial path to account resolution.
- Allow for Scrutiny
You can build trust by showing your citizens that you value openness and allowing them a look inside how you operate. Town Halls are a great example of this; through this platform you can make information accessible to a wide audience and encourage community feedback. At Professional Credit we take care to outline all the details of our service for consumers, from detailed information of how interest is accrued on their accounts to channels for feedback that illustrate our dedication to respectful, quality service. Transparency on this level is one way we can reflect the integrity of our organization as well as the government partners we serve.
- Help to understand Decision-making
For government entities sharing the details of the decision-making process can show citizens that there is often no simple solution; this generates a feeling of empathy and understanding among citizens in the hard choices that officials regularly face. Many local governments release a budget calendar as a way to spread awareness of opportunities for citizens to participate in the decision-making process. For us, this is an effort to assist consumers in fully understanding how fees and interest are accrued and can impact the life of their account. With this understanding we eliminate the likelihood for negative feelings around account balances and empower consumers to make the best decisions for their financial futures. We are so committed to this mentality that we even created a specialized self-service tool that consumers can access within our online portals that allows them to experiment with different payment options in order to see to see how varying scenarios would impact their account over time.
By utilizing the same strategies as our government partners to provide a high level of transparency to consumers we not only build strong and productive consumer relationships, but we reflect a level of integrity that helps to solidify trust in the government clients we serve.
Learn more about our services for governments, courts and utilities.