User experience at the heart of ServiceSG
By Si Ying Thian
ServiceSG’s Ted Wang shares about how its 4-in-1 CRM system enables seamless operations, as well as how the team maintains service consistency and quality across its expanding network.
ServiceSG's CRM system was designed to enhance both officer efficiency and citizen experience, says ServiceSG's Deputy Director (Centre Operations & Planning), Ted Wang. Image: Canva
This is the second of a two-part story on ServiceSG. The first part of this story can be found here.
The 4-in-1 customer relationship management (CRM) system, ServiceConnect, powers ServiceSG’s ambitions as a one-stop shop for citizens to access Singapore government services.
Managing the citizen requests across 600 government services from more than 25 agencies (as of 2024) is no easy feat.
Speaking to GovInsider, ServiceSG’s Deputy Director (Centre Operations & Planning)’s Ted Wang, says that the system was developed to support service delivery and allow frontline officers to focus on citizen engagement.
“The system we built was based on extensive user service journey mapping, and our implementation followed human-centric design principles,” he explains, adding that the system was “designed to enhance both officer efficiency and citizen experience.”
Wang shares more about the system, as well as how his team overcame challenges around maintaining service consistency and quality across its rapidly expanding network of centres.
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User experience-first approach
To scope its initial service offerings, the ServiceSG team conducted in-depth interviews with more than 50 citizens and frontline officers from agency partners.
The interviews were targeted at understanding the user's needs, as well as gathering feedback on the citizen and officer's respective experiences with receiving and delivering services.
These insights subsequently shaped its operating model to serve users (both public officers and citizens), as well as the physical centres' layouts.
The system was also developed to address pain points like officers having to navigate multiple operating systems while serving citizens.
Developing and implementing this system was a multistakeholder endeavour, involving GovTech Singapore which developed the system, as well as over 20 public officers from the frontline centres and the headquarters who supported with the conceptualisation and provided feedback from user testing.
Wang says that the system was built using GovTech's GatherSG tech stack.
According to him, ServiceConnect consolidated four key functions for the ServiceSG team: A queue management system, case management system, statistical dashboard, as well as a feedback system.
The system provides both ServiceSG and other public agencies an integrated view of citizens’ interactions with government, including the their profiles, services rendered and feedback.
This allows agencies to have a better understanding of each citizen’s needs, deliver more proactive and personalised services, and serve citizens more seamlessly as one public service, he notes.
Let tech be the backbone, not the frontliner
While tech has proven crucial to ServiceSG’s operational model, Wang cautions that the tech needed to “always be in service of human needs rather than driving them.”
Instead of replacing human officers, tech becomes the “backbone” that supports officers in better serving citizens.
“The system's effectiveness is evident in helping us in our daily operations and planning. It allows officers to seamlessly manage queue systems, case documentation, statistical dashboards, and feedback collection - all through a single interface,” he notes.
The system has proven particularly valuable during high-volume periods such as tax filing seasons or national scheme launches.
Today, the system continues to be updated and customised based on regular feedback from ground operations, he adds.
Maintaining quality and consistency across 600 services
Amidst the expanding network of ServiceSG centres and increasing scope of services covered, the team has adopted a few different approaches to ensure consistent service quality.
One of which is through an intensive recruitment process. “We take time to recruit those whom we think best fit our philosophy. We look out for those who possess a positive, can-do attitude with heart to serve.” Wang says.
Candidates undergo scenario-based assessments, group and individual interviews before the team makes a collective decision on the selection.
On training and development, ServiceSG has put in place a comprehensive 2.5-month training programme for its new hires.
The programme included practical training in real-life scenarios and applications, specialised training on specific services provided by agency partners, as well as soft skills training by professional trainers.
“To ensure sustained quality, regular refresher training and assessments were conducted periodically, keeping staff updated on schemes and standard operating procedures,” Wang adds.
On service design, all centres come with a standardised four-touchpoint design, namely concierge, self-help/digital lobby, engagement counter and agency consultation.
“This design ensures consistent service delivery while allowing for flexible staff deployment based on local demand patterns,” he explains.
The range of feedback mechanisms includes iPads “strategically placed throughout centres and tied to specific service areas for targeted improvements”, as well as periodic monthly visits conducted by senior management.
To ensure alignment of standard operating processes between centres and agency partners, senior officers at ServiceSG are designated as agency liaison officers.
As subject matter experts, they are the go-to resource for officers needing guidance on specific agency services and would work closely with both agency partners and ServiceSG centre leads.
Daily debriefs are conducted to address citizen feedback and encourage continuous improvement via shared insights. Regular meetings are also organised between individual centres, community partners, and public agencies to maintain operational alignment.
Success factors for WOG service model
Wang points to a few key learnings from the journey of setting up and expanding the ServiceSG centres.
First, it needed alignment to common outcomes and goals.
“Strong inter-agency collaboration has been especially crucial, particularly as our work spans partnerships with more than 25 government agencies.
“We take time and care to engage with multiple stakeholders to seek views and get buy in,” he says, adding that collaboration needs to be built on clear objectives, robust governance, trust and open communication.
Secondly, its operations have to be driven by a stakeholder-centric approach, evidenced by extensive initial user research and ongoing feedback integration with multiple stakeholders, including citizens, agency partners and frontline officers.
Thirdly, it encouraged an open mindset towards innovation and a resilient mindset among staff.
“Our philosophy is simple: it is ok to fail, but if we fail, we learn quickly, and we try again.
“This mindset and approach have led to numerous successful innovations, from our rapid scaling from one pilot centre to nine and our experimentation and expansion from 150 to almost 600 services within five years,” he explains.
Lastly, it is through ongoing efforts to develop staff and recognise their hard work.
ServiceSG has put in place the “Service Heroes” service excellence awards held on a biannual basis to create a culture of appreciation and continuous improvement.
This is coupled with the involvement of senior leadership in maintaining strong ground connections, ensuring policy intentions align with citizen needs, he adds.
Editor's note (May 20): The story was edited to specify the name of the CRM system and the tech stack it was built upon.