Experience Investigators is partnering with the City of Tampa to transform citizen experience across all municipal departments. The initiative applies private-sector customer experience strategy to government services, from utility scheduling to building permits, positioning Tampa as a national leader in citizen-centric governance. Photo by Kristina Volgenau on Unsplash.

Partnership Will Apply Private-Sector Customer Experience Strategy to Municipal Services, Positioning Tampa as National Leader in Citizen-Centric Government

Sept. 24, 2024 – Experience Investigators, a customer experience consulting firm, formed a partnership with the City of Tampa, Florida, to elevate the citizen experience — referred to as customer experience (CX) in the business world — for its residents, businesses and visitors. This strategic collaboration aims to position Tampa as a more customer-centric city, transforming everyday experiences like scheduling utilities, reporting road issues, and more.

“This partnership goes beyond enhancing efficiency — it’s about making a real difference in the everyday lives of our residents,” said City of Tampa Director of CX Marilyn Heldt. “By ensuring their voices are truly heard and their needs prioritized, we’re creating a Tampa where everyone feels valued.”

Experience Investigators will guide the City of Tampa to create a customized plan for improving the city’s overall customer experience. This enterprise-wide initiative will help ensure that all city departments are working together to meet the specific needs of Tampa’s key stakeholders.

“The City of Tampa is committed to becoming a national leader in citizen experience, and Experience Investigators is honored to help build that framework,” said Experience Investigators CEO Jeannie Walters. “Our model allows us to work with each department to create a citizen-first experience for everything from building permits to summer camp registration.”

According to Walters, her firm will use a strategic and flexible approach as it develops solutions tailored to each department’s unique services.

The customized plan is a multi-phased CX strategy that includes customized training and coaching, departmental flexibility, and continuous improvement and measurement.

The training and coaching is a hybrid and on-demand training model that empowers all city employees, from leadership to frontline staff, with the tools and knowledge to deliver a citizen-first experience. Departmental flexibility will offer tailored solutions allowing department leaders to provide input and receive support, helping ensure the training is relevant and impactful for their specific needs. And the continuous improvement and measurement features ongoing communication and reporting with city leadership to build momentum, measure progress, and determine the most impactful next steps.

This City of Tampa CX initiative aligns with a broader national trend where government entities recognize the importance of customer experience as a differentiator and necessity, as emphasized by the Executive Order on CX. For instance, several U.S. federal agencies and the State of New York hired Chief Customer Officers to lead CX initiatives, demonstrating the growing importance of CX in the public sector.

For more information, visit: ExperienceInvestigators.com

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About Experience Investigators
Experience Investigators, founded in 2009 by award-winning customer experience leader and international keynote speaker Jeannie Walters, CCXP, CSP, helps organizations shift from reactive customer service to a proactive customer experience strategy. Recognized by LinkedIn as one of the most influential voices in the industry, Walters and her team provide strategic consulting, training, and thought leadership for Fortune 500 companies and SMBs across multiple industries. The firm’s proven CXI Navigator™ framework empowers leaders at all levels to drive measurable customer experience outcomes. More than 500,000 professionals have taken Walters’ LinkedIn Learning courses, and her insights on customer experience strategy have been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, and The Chicago Tribune. Walters is the author of “Experience Is Everything: Making Every Moment Count in the Age of Customer Expectations” (releasing April 2026). Visit: experienceinvestigators.com

About the City of Tampa:
The City of Tampa, a vibrant coastal city in Florida, is known for its strong economy, cultural diversity, and natural beauty. With a focus on sustainable development and community involvement, Tampa continues to be a great place to live, work, and visit. Learn more: tampa.gov

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Press Contact: Jeff Pizzino, APR (or +1 480-606-8292)

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