DEP Establishes A Customer Experience Management Advisory Council To Put Customer Service Front And Center For Agency Leadership

On June 12, the Department of Environmental Protection announced it is establishing a Customer Experience Management Advisory Council (CXMAC) to advise DEP’s Acting Secretary and Chief Customer Experience Officer on strategies and improvements to enhance service delivery to the public. 

The goal is to ensure DEP’s services are accessible to Pennsylvanians and that DEP is quickly and effectively doing its job for the public – everything from permitting to plugging wells to investigating environmental complaints. 

CXMAC brings together a team of experts from private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. 

Members of CXMAC are: 

-- Timothy Pulte, Executive Managing Director- Market Leader Philadelphia Tri-State Region at Colliers

-- Curtis J. Gregory, PhD, Associate Professor in the Strategic Management department and Academic Director of Experiential Learning at Temple University Fox School of Business 

-- Michael Jackson, Vice President, Global Head of Industries at DocuSign

-- Tracey Zimmerman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Forever Human.ai

-- Dilshad Albert, Managing Director of Business Development at Guidehouse

-- Lisa Biggica, President and Chief Executive Officer at UniqueSource

-- Alexandra Dailerian, Vice President, Impact & Inclusion at Comcast

-- Maryann Monroe, Vice President, Total Experience Solutions and Services at Maximus 

DEP spokesperson Jayne Pardys said this in answer to the question of why no citizen representatives are on the Council--

"The newly formed Customer Experience Management Advisory Council (CXMAC) will advise DEP on strategies and improvements to enhance service delivery to the public. CXMAC brings together a team of experts from private businesses, non-profit organizations, and government agencies. 

"CXMAC members have extensive experience in customer experience and will be assisting DEP with long-and short- term operational planning. 

"As part of DEP’s modernization strategy, the voice of the customer plays a critical role in helping us identify solutions that meet their needs. Customers’ voices are amplified through customer surveys and user research interviews with various stakeholders, including existing applicants, consultants, County Conservation Districts, and the Home Builders Association. 

"As part of this process, DEP is evaluating all the services we provide to the public. Keep in mind, DEP is in the initial stage of assessing our operations and CXMAC’s feedback is instrumental in helping us to improve the customer’s journey."

DEP said Pennsylvanians should be able to easily access government services – and there should be no wrong door to reaching help. 

The CXMAC will convene quarterly to regularly evaluate DEP’s customer service experience, make recommendations for improvements, and then evaluate their success. 

“CXMAC will play a key role in DEP’s modernization efforts and will help our agency deliver services more efficiently while still maintaining important environmental protections to better serve Pennsylvanians,” said DEP Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. “The executive expertise and experience on CXMAC will guide DEP in improving the customer’s experience by applying private-sector management principles. The Commonwealth should be moving at the speed of business.” 

“I am looking forward to working with the Council and with Acting Secretary Shirley to improve the customer experience at DEP,” said Chief Customer Experience Officer Rosetta Carrington Lue. "The creation of CXMAC is a game-changer and a positive step towards achieving those goals because their expertise and feedback will help DEP develop innovative strategies to better serve our communities, which is a key priority under the Shapiro Administration." 

CXMAC is composed of members with extensive experience and knowledge in customer experience, including human-centered design, large-scale organizational change, digital experience, and customer advocacy, said the announcement. 

Their combined expertise will be instrumental in shaping the DEP's future and fostering a more efficient and user-friendly experience for all, said DEP. 

The launch of CXMAC is a prime example of how private sector can support government agencies. 

With the guidance of the CXMAC, DEP is committed to transforming its services to serve Pennsylvanians more effectively and efficiently. 

Incorporating CXMAC’s expertise is one step in an ongoing effort to “delivering every promise” when it comes to achieving operational excellence. 

In addition to establishing CXMAC, under the Shapiro Administration, DEP continues to make significant progress to improving the time it takes to receive a permit, license, or certification. 

DEP has hired 15 new staff members dedicated to processing permits, thanks to investments from the 2023-24 budget signed into law by Governor Shapiro, and has utilized some staff working overtime when needed to address the backlog. 

Since hiring the additional staff members and cataloging and reviewing DEP’s nearly 800 available types of permits, DEP has reduced the backlog of permits by over 1,100 applications – or 53 percent. 

DEP aims to complete more modernization projects in the coming months. 

Visit DEP’s Permit Modernization webpage for information on changes being made to the permit review processes in DEP.

For more information on environmental programs in Pennsylvania, visit DEP’s website, Report Emergencies, Submit Environmental Complaints; Click Here to sign up for DEP’s newsletter; sign up for DEP’s eNotice; visit DEP’s Blog,  Like DEP on Facebook, Follow DEP on Twitter and visit DEP’s YouTube Channel.

[Posted: June 13, 2024]  PA Environment Digest