December 14, 2024

New Year, New Opportunities to Drive Customer Experience

By NYS Customer Experience Team

As we step into 2025, we have an incredible opportunity to take the work we’ve done so far and build on it to create real, lasting change for the people of New York. Thanks to the bold vision set by Governor Kathy Hochul, 2024 was a year of transformation. Through the hard work and dedication of agencies across the state, we’ve made great strides in reshaping how New Yorkers experience government services. But we’re not stopping here.

2025 brings a new set of challenges—and, with them, fresh opportunities to innovate, streamline, and elevate our efforts. We must remain relentless in our commitment to simplifying government processes and enhancing the customer experience at every level. Here’s how agencies can continue to push the envelope in the year ahead:

In 2024, we made significant progress in reducing the “time tax”—the hours New Yorkers spend navigating complicated bureaucracy. But the work isn’t done. Agencies need to keep finding ways to streamline services by cutting down on paperwork, simplifying forms, and eliminating unnecessary steps. Look to the example set by the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC), which transformed its financial aid process for greater efficiency. Every agency should be asking, “How can we make this easier for the people we serve?”

The digital evolution of government services is well underway, but there’s more work to do. New Yorkers expect government websites and online services to be as seamless and user-friendly as the apps and websites they use in their everyday lives. In 2025, it’s time to push for digital platforms that aren’t just functional—but intuitive and accessible. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and HESC have shown us how modernized websites and tools can drastically improve service delivery, but this should be just the beginning. Agencies must prioritize improving user experiences and listen to feedback to create platforms that are both efficient and easy to navigate.

Agencies can’t afford to wait for complaints or issues to pile up. To truly improve customer service, we need to actively seek out feedback and use it to drive change. The Department of Health’s Medicaid renewal process and DMV’s live chat feature have proven that customer feedback is the key to informed decision-making. Make it a priority in 2025 to engage directly with New Yorkers, and be sure to implement real-time feedback for quicker, more impactful improvements.

The momentum is building, and we’re on the cusp of even more exciting changes. The progress made in 2024 has laid a solid foundation, but we must remain focused on what’s next. This year, we’ll continue our efforts to rethink how government services are delivered. It’s all about creating a system that’s faster, more accessible, and more responsive to the needs of New Yorkers.

By embracing these opportunities—streamlining processes, enhancing digital experiences, actively gathering feedback, and increasing access—agencies can continue to elevate the customer experience and ensure that New York’s government works better for everyone.

Let’s make 2025 the year where our boldest ideas and most impactful changes come to life.