Ajeng Pratami Wardhani, Customer Operations Senior Manager, INA Digital Edu, Indonesia

1. How do you use your role to ensure that technology and policy are truly inclusive? 

In my current role, I support the Integrated Service Unit at the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in managing public services.  

This position places me very close to citizens, allowing me to understand what they experience, what confuses them, and what they need. 

For this reason, the first step to ensuring inclusive public services is listening to public reports through the Voice of Customer (VoC).  

Each report is not only resolved individually but also analysed to identify patterns: which parts of the process are confusing, which are burdensome, and what needs to be improved.  

From VoC insights, two main areas of development emerge:  

1. Public service development 

VoC helps map out which parts of the service flow need to be simplified, clarified, or made more consistent so the public can have a smoother experience. 

2. Product and programme development

VoC findings are passed to policy and platform development teams as the basis for iterations—whether in terms of content, policy, or service features.

Throughout this process, I hold onto the principle that inclusive public services must be easy to access, easy to use, and consistent across all channels.

By grounding improvements in VoC, technological and policy enhancements can genuinely address the needs of citizens.  

2. What’s a moment in your career when you saw firsthand how technology or a new policy changed a citizen’s life for the better?

One of the most memorable moments was when we implemented a more integrated CRM-based service centralisation.

Previously, citizens often had to move between service channels and repeat their stories multiple times.  

After centralisation, the process became much smoother, data was connected, cases were handled faster, and responses were consistent across all channels. 

Positive feedback from citizens through VoC provided strong evidence that this service transformation genuinely helped them and strengthened trust in government services. 

3. What was the most impactful project you worked on this year, and how did you measure its success in building trust and serving the needs of the public?  

The most impactful project I worked on this year was strengthening the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) model by enhancing operational standards, integrating technologies, and modernising service channels.

Three key achievements created significant impact:

1. Centralising public services 

We unified multiple channels, processes, and SOPs that previously operated separately into a single integrated service point. This increased clarity for citizens, reduced duplication, and improved cross-unit handling quality. 

2. Winning the Platinum Award at the Best Contact Center Indonesia (TBCCI) for Contact Center Operations – Public Sector 

This award served as independent validation that our SPOC implementation—from operational standards to workforce management and interaction quality—had reached industry best practice.

3. Introducing the WhatsApp FAQ Bot 

This channel expanded public access, provided quick answers to common questions, and reduced basic enquiries. This enabled the team to focus on more complex and high-priority cases. 

The results included faster response and resolution times, reduced repetitive processes, improved accuracy through refined escalation flows and SOPs, and a more modern, consistent citizen experience.

This transformation not only enhanced internal efficiency but also strengthened public trust, as citizens experienced more responsive, clear, and professional services. 

4. What was one unexpected lesson you learned this year about designing for real people?  

The most important lesson is that transformation is not just about technology. It requires mindset shifts, alignment of work standards, and breaking down silos between units.  

5. We hear a lot about AI. What’s a practical example of how AI can be used to make government services more inclusive and trustworthy?  

AI adds tremendous value to the frontline of public services.

It can automatically categorise questions and complaints, help service agents start handling cases more quickly and accurately, provide Article Suggestions in WhatsApp chatbots or Information Centre pages, enable user self-service to significantly reduce ticket queues, help agents instantly understand the core issue without reading very long messages, ensure consistent, data-driven responses so all citizens receive fair and accurate service.  

However, AI remains a supporting tool. Its use must be monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure alignment with guidelines and SOPs. 

6. How are you preparing for the next wave of change in the public sector? What new skill, approach, or technology are you most excited to explore in the coming year?  

I am preparing by strengthening my understanding of emerging technologies, especially AI for public service delivery, and by advancing operational automation that is more centred on users.

I am also working to improve data literacy, from reading citizen complaint patterns to using VoC more strategically for service and product improvements.  

Expanding collaboration with technical teams, policy teams, and service officers is also a key part of preparation to ensure working patterns become more adaptive and responsive. 

Next year, I am particularly excited to explore AI copilots that can help service agents work faster, provide automated answer recommendations, and analyse recurring issues. 

7. What advice do you have for public sector innovators who want to build a career focused on serving all citizens?  

Understand that technology is merely a supporting tool. What matters equally is adopting a human-centred approach, towards both service officers and citizens as end users.

Understand how they work, interact, what they need, and the processes they face every day. With this commitment, the technology and innovations we build will create a real impact. 

8. Who inspires you to build a more inclusive and trustworthy public sector?  

I am deeply inspired by my colleagues and leaders in my workplace. With their strong professionalism, they view every challenge as an opportunity to grow and improve services.  

They design solutions based on citizen needs and feedback, ensuring each innovation is relevant and impactful. Their dedication convinces me that inclusive and trustworthy public services are built from true commitment and public-centred values.  

9. If you had an unlimited budget, what would your dream project be? 

I would build a fully integrated national public service platform that connects all government CRMs and service channels, utilises AI for triage, recommendations, and decision support, delivers a real-time public service intelligence dashboard, and provides inclusive omni-channel access to various government services.

10. Outside tech, what excites you the most? 

Outside of technology, I am deeply interested in people's development and leadership. I am fascinated by how leaders create healthy work environments, empower their teams, and cultivate collaborative cultures. 

I learn a great deal from modern management practices, organisational psychology, and leaders who can drive positive change.