"If you think about an agency as large as the Department of Veterans Affairs, where they have over 20 different service lines to serve veterans, caregivers, their families, and over 200 different numbers, barriers exist because service is fragmented across many different places within an agency," MaryAnn Monroe said at Federal News Network’s CX Exchange 2026.
The 2023 Government Service Delivery Improvement Act and the 2026 deadline
The act passed in 2023 requires federal agencies to designate a service delivery leader responsible for "improving and enhancing government service delivery" beginning in 2026. That statutory requirement creates a concrete accountability mechanism: each agency must name a leader charged with coordinating service delivery improvements across programs and service lines. Monroe framed that change as a critical structural step toward reducing fragmentation inside large agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, where multiple service lines and hundreds of contact points can obscure ownership of citizen-facing processes.
Accountability in practice: one person in charge
Monroe emphasized that naming a recognized leader will "hold agency officials accountable" by providing a single point of coordination for execution and outcomes. She argued that agencies lacking that role today can suffer fragmented service because there “isn’t always one person in charge of that service delivery improvement plan for the agency.” The expectation set by the Act is that a designated leader will bring discipline to complex, cross-program work and to measurable improvements in how citizens access services.
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End the scrambleHuman-centered AI, intelligent automation, and shorter tech cycles
Monroe described two technological trends she sees as central to transforming service delivery. First, human-centered AI and intelligent automation can triage incoming inquiries, quickly answer routine questions, and handle administrative tasks—actions that free customer service representatives to focus on complex cases and citizens with unique needs. Second, she noted that technology refresh cycles are getting shorter—"think weeks, not months"—meaning agencies need environments that can integrate new technology rapidly and iterate on processes and outcomes.
Data governance and making customer service data actionable
Central to Monroe’s argument is the need to unlock data that currently sits in program silos. She said the key is "unlocking … data and not allowing it to live in the silos within one program or one area" and establishing governance for sharing that data. When customer service repositories are made actionable, AI can analyze large quantities of interaction data in seconds and provide detailed feedback to agents and managers—improving outcomes and supporting performance measures that go beyond raw volume metrics.
Outcome-based contracting and the role of trusted partners
Monroe tied technology and data improvements to contracting trends inside the federal government. Agencies are showing preference for partners committed to outcome-based contracting, she said—contracts that measure success by productive results such as "the number of calls resolved in a single encounter" rather than the volume of calls answered. For agencies pursuing quicker benefits delivery and reduced administrative burden, mission-ready technology platforms paired with a "trusted partner" are essential. Monroe characterized that partner as one with a proven track record, an understanding of federal procurement priorities, and domain-level expertise in future-focused technologies.
What this means for technologists, procurement leaders, and citizens
- Technologists and customer service teams: Expect pressure to deploy human-centered AI and automation that can triage routine interactions and provide analytics to managers; environments must support frequent tech refreshes and rapid iteration.
- Procurement and contracting leaders: Outcome-based contracting will be a focal point—contracts will increasingly measure resolution and outcomes rather than output volume, favoring partners aligned on procurement and delivery metrics.
- Citizens and benefit recipients: If agencies follow Monroe’s prescription—designated service leaders, unlocked data, and mission-ready platforms—citizens could see faster decisions and a higher proportion of inquiries resolved in single encounters, reducing administrative friction.
Monroe’s prescription is straightforward: designate accountable leaders in 2026, unlock and govern customer-service data, adopt human-centered AI and automation for routine tasks, and align procurement around outcome-based contracts and trusted, mission-ready partners. The next concrete step is already set by law—the appointment of service delivery leaders—but the course forward will depend on whether agencies can operationalize data sharing and select partners that balance federal procurement realities with rapid technology cycles. Will those governance and procurement choices follow quickly enough to match the "weeks, not months" cadence Monroe described? The answer will determine how fast citizen service delivery moves from promise to measurable improvement.
