By NYS Customer Experience Team
When it comes to customer experience, expectations are higher than ever—and government services are no exception. At the Qualtrics X4 2025 Summit, Chief Customer Experience Officer Tonya Webster shared how the state is transforming the way it serves millions of New Yorkers, visitors, and businesses.
Chief Webster opened by reflecting on her journey through industries like fintech, insurance, and telecommunications, noting how far experience management has come. What was once a strategy businesses struggled to prioritize is now at the heart of transformation across sectors, including government.
People expect the same level of service from government as they do from private companies—timely, responsive, and personalized. New York is meeting that challenge head-on, becoming the first state to take experience management to scale. The vision? A state where interacting with government is effortless, and services are designed with the customer at the center.
This transformation starts with listening. New York is using customer feedback to shape priorities, applying human-centered design, and focusing on five key measures:
- Closing service delivery gaps
- Reducing time burdens
- Enhancing operational efficiency
- Improving digital experiences
- Increasing overall satisfaction
These changes are about more than convenience. They address real challenges—like helping families access essential programs faster, reducing paperwork barriers for seniors, and ensuring that digital platforms are intuitive and accessible for all.
But great service isn’t just about systems and processes; it’s about the people who deliver them. Chief Webster highlighted how New York is investing in its workforce—meeting with frontline employees, gathering their insights, and acting on that feedback. The result? Expanded training, new resources, and pilot projects co-designed by the very people delivering services every day.
Employee feedback isn’t just shaping service improvements; it’s informing policy. By grounding decisions in real experiences, New York is building policies that are more effective and equitable.
The results speak for themselves:
- State website redesigns boosted traffic by 244%, making information more accessible.
- Tuition assistance applications increased by 12% following website improvements and increased outreach efforts, helping more students access financial support.
- The DMV now handles thousands of monthly interactions through chatbots and live chats, with wait times under one minute.
These changes aren’t just numbers—they represent real moments where government made life easier for New Yorkers.
As she closed her keynote, Chief Webster emphasized that the future of customer experience in government is about combining technology, data, and empathy. It’s about tackling tough conversations, advocating for the customer, and recognizing that even small changes can have a big impact.
“Your work matters—often more than you know,” she said. “Even when it feels unnoticed, it sets the tone for others. Be the example; you are shaping the future…one pain point at a time.”
New York is leading the way, proving that when customer experience is prioritized, anything is possible.