Digital-first experiences in the private sector are transforming citizens’ expectations of interactions with public services.
They are used to easily accessing information, using self-service options, receiving support whenever they need it. With increasing familiarity and positive experiences with chatbots and live chat, public scepticism toward automated support is diminishing.
This shift presents a major opportunity for governments to enhance citizen experience - delivering efficient, user-friendly services while freeing up resources to focus on complex cases and vulnerable individuals who need more personalised support. To deliver the next generation of services, public sector agencies need to develop new ways to design and execute to match those citizen needs.
To explore those opportunities, Government Transformation Magazine, in partnership with Serco and their advisory business, +impact, hosted a roundtable dinner for 10 senior UK public sector leaders to discuss the future of customer experience transformation across government. Hosted under the Chatham House rule, the conversation focused on four key areas: strategic innovation, collaborative impact, operational excellence, and technology-driven solutions. With insights from leaders in digital transformation, citizen services and public sector delivery, the discussion highlighted both challenges and opportunities in reshaping citizen-facing services.
Public sector agencies have already made progress towards this new vision for citizen services, with the NHS app during the COVID-19 pandemic and the One Login initiative cited as successful examples of user-centered digital transformation.
Attendees emphasised that transformation does not necessarily require a perfect foundation, and that technology like robotic process automation could be used to overlay legacy systems to deliver more rapid improvements. That would demonstrate progress while organisations addressed longer-term internal challenges such as complex operating models, capability gaps, and legacy systems.
A key theme that emerged in the discussion was the importance of deeply understanding user experiences and needs - and making that understanding the foundation for how public services are designed and delivered. This means moving beyond the idea of simply digitising existing processes or applying new technologies for their own sake. Instead, the focus must be on what citizens are actually trying to achieve, and how government can support those goals in increasingly effective and intuitive ways.
True transformation comes from continually exploring and responding to citizen needs, not from one-off solutions. Iteration must become a core principle - where services are regularly tested, refined, and improved in response to real-world use and feedback. This approach demands a cultural shift: viewing services not as static products, but as evolving experiences shaped by ongoing learning.
Crucially, meeting these expectations often requires collaboration across organisational boundaries. Delivering a seamless experience for citizens means bringing together all the providers - public and private - who contribute to any part of that journey.
Cross-departmental collaboration and industry partnerships were highlighted as essential for improving service delivery. While collaboration has already been happening across many services, there is an opportunity to deepen and formalise these relationships to ensure consistency and scalability. Cross-sector, multidisciplinary teams should work jointly to examine every touchpoint in the user experience, regardless of who owns or delivers it.
The discussion also highlighted the significant potential of forming joint teams made up of both public and private sector members, as well as representatives from multiple departments or organisations where appropriate. By bringing together everyone involved in enabling a citizen to meet a particular need or complete a specific user journey, these teams can gain a more holistic understanding of the full experience.
That collaboration allows for shared insight, collective problem-solving, and a coordinated approach to service design and delivery. Rather than each organisation working in isolation on its own piece of the puzzle, joint teams can focus on the entire end-to-end journey, identifying pain points and opportunities for improvement across boundaries. This kind of integrated, cross-sector approach is essential for creating more seamless, user-centred services and for making ongoing, meaningful progress in how public needs are met.
Data standards also emerged as a crucial enabler of collaboration. The discussion touched on the importance of geospatial data, with the Unique Property Reference Number (UPRN) as a potential linking framework for various public services such as fraud detection, council services, and biodiversity initiatives. Ensuring consistent and interoperable data standards across departments can enhance decision-making and unlock service efficiency.
Scaling public sector customer service operations while maintaining efficiency and quality presents ongoing challenges. The discussion highlighted the role of AI and automation in optimising customer interactions, particularly in contact centres, where AI can handle routine queries, allowing human operatives to focus on more complex cases.
However, there was a recognition that while automation can enhance efficiency, it does not always lead to cost savings. Instead, it may shift workloads toward higher-value activities, underlining the importance of strategic decision-making around resource allocation and operational priorities.
Another key theme was the need for consistency and longevity in service delivery. Multi-year programmes require stable leadership and clear roadmaps to avoid fragmentation and inefficiency. The balance between investing in innovation and maintaining existing systems ("keeping the lights on") was a recurring concern, with the need to ensure that change activities do not undermine core operations.
The potential of AI, automation, and data analytics in service transformation was a major focus. There was broad consensus that AI can play a pivotal role in improving citizen engagement, streamlining processes, and reducing costs - but only if data quality and governance are properly managed.
Concerns were raised about AI-generated data compounding existing inaccuracies, leading to erroneous outputs. Attendees stressed the need for rigorous performance monitoring of AI systems to mitigate risks and ensure reliability. The concept of using synthetic data for service evaluation was discussed as a way to accelerate AI adoption while maintaining privacy and security.
A significant takeaway was the government’s commitment to achieving 10% digital, data, and technology (DDAT) capability by 2040. This long-term vision requires both investment and a shift in mindset, encouraging "collective bravery" in approaching innovation and risk management.
The roundtable attendees also stressed the importance of addressing digital exclusion. While technology enables efficiency, it must not come at the cost of accessibility. Ensuring that all citizens, including those who are digitally disadvantaged, can access public services remains a critical consideration.
The roundtable highlighted the necessity of aligning public services with evolving citizen expectations through innovation, collaboration, operational excellence, and technological advancement. While challenges such as data quality, capability gaps, and legacy systems remain, strategic leadership and industry partnerships offer pathways to meaningful transformation. Key takeaways that emerged included:
Prioritise self-service for citizens
As automation in the private sector becomes more advanced and widely accepted, citizens now expect similar convenience from public services. Moving beyond "digital by default" to a model where self-service is available for all who prefer it can improve efficiency, reduce costs, and free up resources to better support those with more complex needs.
Adopt an incremental approach to transformation
Small, continuous improvements in how users interact with government services can lead to significant, measurable enhancements in citizen experience. Focusing on gradual, user-centered changes can drive meaningful progress without requiring large-scale overhauls.
Encourage cross-departmental collaboration
Pooling expertise and sharing data across departments - and across the public and private sectors - is essential for overcoming operational challenges, closing capability gaps, and modernising outdated systems. A collaborative approach will ensure a smoother transition to more efficient and citizen-focused public services.