Why the Client Experience Should Be a Public Sector Priority
Tyler Podcast Episode 119, Transcript
Our Tyler Technologies podcast explores a wide range of complex, timely, and important issues facing communities and the public sector. Expect approachable tech talk mixed with insights from subject matter experts and a bit of fun. Each episode highlights the people, places, and technology making a difference. Give the podcast a listen today and subscribe.
Show Notes:
In this episode of the Tyler Tech Podcast, Andrew Kahl, chief client officer at Tyler Technologies, joins us to explore why trust, transparency, and responsiveness are more critical than ever in the public sector. He shares how his decades of experience in technology shaped his approach to client relationships, and how his "infinity loop" philosophy helps agencies create stronger connections and deliver lasting value.
Throughout the conversation, Andrew discusses how public expectations are evolving, why simplifying engagement is essential, and how agencies can move beyond transactional interactions to build trusted, long-term partnerships. He also offers insights into the role of technology — from usability to AI and automation — in helping government leaders modernize services and meet rising constituent demands.
Tune in to learn how thoughtful client experience strategies can help agencies deliver with greater ease, strengthen resident trust, and shape a more responsive future for public service.
This episode also highlights Digital Access and Accessibility in the Resident Experience, a new white paper exploring how public sector organizations can remove barriers and create more inclusive digital services. As governments continue to expand digital offerings, ensuring a seamless, user-friendly experience is more important than ever.
And learn more about the topics discussed in this episode with these resources:
Listen to other episodes of the podcast.
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Transcript:
Andrew Kahl: I think there has to be a level of transparency with, you know, what the agencies are looking to do and what we can or can’t do. I think one of the things I’ve been really impressed with, Tyler, is we don’t sell future functionality that doesn’t exist. We try and be very direct and say, look, here’s your use case. Here’s how we can solve that.
Josh Henderson: From Tyler Technologies, this is the Tyler Tech Podcast where we explore the trends, technologies, and people shaping the public sector. I’m your host, Josh Henderson. Thanks for joining us.
Today, I’m talking with Andrew Kahl, Tyler’s chief client officer, about what it really means to put the client experience front and center.
We’ll explore how trust, transparency, and responsiveness are shaping public sector expectations and how agencies can elevate service at every level. Let’s dive right into the conversation.
Alright. Andrew, welcome to the Tyler Tech Podcast. We’re really glad to have you here.
Andrew Kahl: Thanks for the invitation. It’s great to be here. Super excited.
Josh Henderson: Of course. Now, Andrew, you’ve been a champion of putting the client experience at the center of everything that we do. You know, and in the public sector, that’s a powerful concept because it applies not just to agencies as our clients, but also to the experience those agencies create for the people they serve.
Today, we’re pulling back the curtain a little bit, looking at how the client experience is evolving and how government leaders can rethink public services through a more intentional resident or client-centered lens.
But let’s start with a little bit about you. Can you share a bit about your background and what drew you to focus so deeply on the client experience throughout your career?
Andrew Kahl: Sure. I think background context is always good. So, I’ve been in the software and high-tech industry for twenty nine let’s call it thirty years. Not my entire career, professional career since I graduated from college.
And I’ve been really fortunate that I’ve, you know, been able to be in the software space, dynamic, fast moving, primarily focused on either the data management industry or the cybersecurity industry. So, I don’t have a background in government technology.
But I love this because I cut my teeth early on at a company that was really focused on just providing a great client experience internally and externally. They define clients as, you know, the employees as well. And so, when you have that first impression, when you see how important the experience is, transparency, communication, you really start to love it. And then I was fortunate enough to be part of an early stage company and had my own start up where when you get those first customers and you put your arms around them and you do everything you can to retain them, you realize how important the client experience is.
And so, for the last 25 years of my career, I’ve really been very focused on making sure that clients have a good experience, whether it’s through professional services, or the buying process, making sure they understand all the benefits and attributes about a company when they’re considering us. That’s just what I love, and I was drawn to that very early on and then just made it my practice over the last twenty five years.
Josh Henderson: That’s great. Such a wide breadth of experience that you bring to us at Tyler. We’re so lucky to have you here.
And now, you have a philosophy around the client experience that you’ve described as an infinity loop. Right? So, this continuous cycle of connection, trust, and feedback.
Can you walk our listeners through what that philosophy looks like and sort of why you believe it’s so foundational across industries and client relationships?
Andrew Kahl: Yeah. And this is something that I’ve honed over the years. A lot of people think of you know, client relationships as a circle and there’s nothing wrong with that. But the thing about a perfect circle is that there’s absolute symmetry through every stage.
But in reality, there isn’t always absolute symmetry within a client relationship. And I use the example of an infinity loop. Everybody should know what that is. That’s a figure eight on its side.
And I like this because it shows more of the ebbs and flows and the up momentum and the down momentum that can happen in certain parts. And so, if you were to start with the infinity loop on kind of, and you’re diagramming the elements starting on the left, it really begins with the products that you build. So, the engineering team, for example, for in the software world. And then it moves to how you market those products.
Who are you selling to? What are the attributes you want to share? Then goes to the selling. Once you’ve got that client on board, then you’ve got to do the implementation work, the support work, and the client success, which is really just the new term du jour for account management.
And so, when you take all six of those elements and you string them together, there’s going to be ebbs and flows. But they have to work in symmetry together and there has to be a continuous loop so that because if you think of each one as a transaction or a separate function, you don’t have the ability to understand the importance and the dependency that that function then has on the next element. And so, for me, I’ve realized, again, having been part of startup organizations, when you realize that you don’t have good feedback from the implementation to the account management back into the engineering team, you’re not going to be able to build products the clients want.
You’re not going to think about things from a usability standpoint.
If you don’t think about how you want to then market the product, it’s not just the features and functionalities, it’s the downstream experience they’re going to have when you support and sell and manage that relationship. And so that infinity loop is kind of the customer continuum or the client continuum as I like to refer to it.
Josh Henderson: That’s really great. And now, you know, the client experience is often seen as sort of a private sector focus.
But the principles you’re talking about really, they do transcend industries. So, in your view, why are trust, connection, and responsiveness just as critical, maybe even more critical, in the public sector?
Andrew Kahl: Well, you know, it’s interesting because when I first started this part of my career and started focusing on it, it was really about retaining those clients. You want the clients trust you. You want them to have a good experience. And so, it was about retaining the clients.
Now, we live in a world where everything’s amplified. Everything is on social media. You can get instant reviews whether it’s a product review or it’s a review on Yelp for a restaurant that you want to go to. Everything is highly, highly visible.
And people are going to determine where they spend their time, where they spend their dollars, and who they’re going to trust based on that visibility and that level of transparency. And so if you’re not thinking about not only the products you’re putting out in the market and how you’re going to make money off that, if you’re not thinking about the potential impact that can be had if you have a bad review, if you have a negative review, and the instantaneous decision making that happens as a result of that, you’re not going to be able to be very sustain things very long term. And so, from my perspective, the ability to react in this hyper focused world where instantaneous results are not only expected, but they’re also table stakes now. And so, you have to be able to deliver an experience that not only meets expectations but oftentimes exceeds expectations.
Josh Henderson: Now let’s stick with those expectations a little bit here. When you’re thinking about the public sector today, what is it that stands out to you about how expectations around the client experience have changed or evolved over time, both for the agencies we work with and for the people that they serve?
Andrew Kahl: I think I think part of it aligns to what I just mentioned a few minutes ago. I mean, we live in an era now where everything is publicized, everything is visible. The minute somebody has a negative experience, guess what happens?
It goes up on TikTok or it goes up on YouTube or it’s shared across any form of social media. And as a result, you know, when we think about our private citizens, not just the agencies but private citizens, they want an experience that’s easy to engage with. And so, we have to think not only about the agencies and what their needs are, but we have to think about their downstream clients as well. And so, if you make it easy to engage with, if you think about product usability the right way, if you think about how transparent the transaction needs to be, it’s not just with the agency, it’s with the end citizen because, look, their lives are complicated, lives are busy, good, bad, or indifferent.
We have to think not only about the agencies and what their needs are, but we have to think about their downstream clients as well.
Andrew Kahl
Chief Client Officer, Tyler Technologies
You know, a lot of government entities just don’t have a reputation as being easy to work with. And if we can help those agencies eliminate those perceptions, then that’s something that’s very important to us.
And so, if we can do that through the right experience, through a positive experience, through a product that is easy to engage with and easy to use, that’s of primary importance to us.
Josh Henderson: Right. And now it’s an interesting vantage point that you find yourself in because, you know, the government agencies that Tyler serves, they are our clients.
And in turn, their clients are the public. They’re residents or constituents.
What advice would you offer to agency leaders who want to elevate the client experience, you know, to serve their residents with more trust, ease, and intentionality?
Andrew Kahl: I think this is with the growth in population. So many areas are growing. I think the agencies need to think not only about the challenges they’re addressing today, but what is their population use case going to look like five or ten years out?
And I think if they can align their solutions, they want to put in place to what things are going to look five or ten years out, and look, there’s census data that they can refer to. They can look at metrics and growth and understand, you know, population increase, population decline. If they can get a handle on that, then I think that’ll allow them to determine, okay, that’s where we’re going to be. Let’s start building for that.
We can solve problems that they’ve got today. Don’t get me wrong. But I think when a real successful relationship between us and our clients is one based on us understanding where they want to go long term.
Josh Henderson: Stay tuned. We’ll be right back with more of the Tyler Tech Podcast.
Hey there, Tyler Tech Podcast listeners.
Let’s talk about something that’s becoming more important every day, digital access and accessibility.
As more public services move online, ensuring a seamless, user-friendly experience for residents is critical.
I’m here with my colleague, Jade Champion, to talk about our new white paper, Digital Access and Accessibility in the Resident Experience, that explores the challenges and opportunities in this space.
Jade Champion: That’s right. This white paper takes a closer look at the barriers residents face when engaging with digital services and how public sector organizations are addressing them with modern technology.
Josh Henderson: Whether it’s simplifying online interactions, designing intuitive systems, or making services more available across different devices, digital access is about creating a better experience for residents. And as technology continues to evolve, so do the strategies for improving public sector engagement.
Jade Champion: This white paper is packed with insights to help public sector leaders think strategically. It explores the role of technology in resident interactions, enhancing usability, and expanding digital reach, helping you gain a deeper understanding of today’s digital expectations.
Josh Henderson: You can download your copy today at the link in our show notes.
It’s time to rethink how residents connect with public services, and it all starts with access.
Now let’s get back to the Tyler Tech Podcast.
A lot of resident-facing improvements do sort of rely on that sort of internal structure, within agencies. So, you know, systems, communication, support. How do you see technology partners like Tyler playing that role in shaping the environment that makes great public service possible?
Andrew Kahl: I think part of it is just there has to be a level of transparency. Transparency and I know that’s an overused word these days, but I think there has to be a level of transparency with, you know, what the agencies are looking to do, and what we can or can’t do. I think one of the things I’ve been really impressed with at Tyler, we don’t sell future functionality that doesn’t exist. We try and we try and be very direct and say, look, here’s your use case, here’s how we can solve that.
And then I think in turn, if we can help the agencies be transparent with their users, I think that’s incredibly important as well. So, that’s something that’s incredibly important. The other one would be accountability. This goes back to kind of the old mantra as you were growing up.
You probably heard, you know, do what you say you’re going to do and then show it. And then when you when you do things well, give credit where credit’s due. And when you don’t do things well, be accountable for it.
I know it sounds a little bit cliche, but those are two fundamental guiding principles that I think are so important to the way I like to operate, but I think the way Tyler operates with our clients as well.
Josh Henderson: So as someone who’s been instrumental in shaping the client experience, what would you say are some principles or lessons you’ve learned that public sector leaders might be able to apply in their own organizations?
Andrew Kahl: Approaching things is wanting to be a trusted partner. And, again, another kind of cliche phrase, but people are going to spend their time, they’re going to spend their dollars, they’re going to trust their data with somebody that they trust. And that trust is built on relationships.
You know, I talked about that infinity loop, and part of trust is built through the continuum that happens with that if we don’t view things as just transactional. It’s not, okay, we sold the product, now go implement it. Okay, we implemented, now you’re on your own. We view this as making sure that you can trust us through every phase of that process.
And when that trust happens, then clients are going to be more inclined to want to spend more money with you. They’re going to want to be inclined to keep you long term. They’re going to want to be inclined to include you in their strategic direction. So that element of trust is not just, yes, we got a good price.
It’s we’ve we see that you value the entire relationship. And every company approaches trust differently. I view it as the entire experience from the minute we start building products to the minute we implement and sell and support. That has to happen throughout every single phase of the relationship.
Josh Henderson: I think trusted partner, definitely a term we hear a lot and definitely something that is increasingly important in this the world of client and the client experience.
I think also feedback is a huge part of shaping a strong client experience. But I think it also has to go beyond just surveys. So, how can governments create more meaningful feedback loops with residents, and what’s your approach to gathering and acting on that feedback?
Andrew Kahl: Listen to your citizens. Listen to the to the entities that you serve. Like, you can’t react to everything, and you can’t respond to everything.
I mean, if you listen, you have to be able to say, okay, we’re going to listen to our citizens, whether it’s a town hall forum or maybe you roll out a new technology and you want to have some feedback from a group of users. You have to be able to say, okay, I’ve got all this feedback, but now I’m going to look for the common threads. What are the common themes? And if you can find those, then you can make sure that you’re serving the public and you’re serving your constituents in a way that they want to be served through product usability, through ease of engagement.
And so, surveys are one way, forums are another way, user groups are another way to do this. But whenever you roll something out, if you’re a government agency, think of it in terms of what’s the experience you want your constituents to have. There needs to be an element that makes life easier for you as that agency. I completely get that, and we want to make sure our agencies have a good experience with us.
But the agencies need to think of all the people that they serve. So, what’s going to make it easier as your population grows or maybe your population’s going to contract a little bit? What’s the best way for them to engage with you where their life ex or their experience makes their life easier? Last thing an agency should do is want to add complexity to a to a citizen’s or a constituent’s life.
Josh Henderson: You know, government work can be pretty challenging at times. So, you know, there can be unexpected crises, budget constraints. There can be aging infrastructure that creates those challenges.
You know, in an environment facing those kinds of challenges, why does the client experience still matter? Or maybe the question is why might it matter even more?
Andrew Kahl: Well, look. There are two client experiences. There are good ones and there’s bad ones. And the bad ones, you hear about a lot, unfortunately.
And, you know, the bad ones often happen because there’s not been strategic planning or a level of transparency. Sometimes bad ones happen just because the product isn’t very good. Those are things that if you put the right tools and systems and workflows in place, you can fix those. But the good client experience really starts from looking outside in and really understanding how clients want to engage with you.
And it’s easy sometimes easier said than done, but you have to be able to make sure that you don’t react to every little blip you have, every little speed bump that you have. Because if you react to every bump, you have and all of a sudden, it’s, okay, let’s shift student body left and go focus on this problem, all you’re doing is fighting fires. You have to think about how you make something so that you’ve got it so it can be sustainable, so that it can scale and grow, so that the tools that you have are the right tools that you’ve got in place. And this is where a lot of times I see organizations hire for the problem at hand, but they’re not thinking about, okay, I’ve had this problem in front of me for a long, long time.
How do I mitigate this problem in the future? And so, this is the hard part where government agencies or agencies in general, they don’t always have the luxury of having a strategy team or somebody to look long term. But that’s where I think a company like Tyler can be a partner to help you with that. What are the use cases you’re trying to solve for?
Lean on us. Let us help you look long term so that you’re not just fighting fires today.
Josh Henderson: And so, you know, as we start to wrap this conversation up, as agencies modernize and resident expectations continue to rise, where do you see the concept of client experience heading in the public sector, and what should leaders be thinking about now to kind of stay ahead? I know you’ve been talking a little bit about forward thinking, future thinking, but I’m curious to get your take on how to kind of stay ahead in that regard.
Andrew Kahl: I think I think embracing new technologies that are coming out, I mean, I don’t think you can pick up a paper or look at a website today without seeing two letters, AI, everywhere you look. So, AI I view AI as an enabler to help with things. I don’t view it as the ultimate solution. Like any new technology, there’s going to be elements and massive benefit positive elements and massive benefits that come from it. But I think if you if agencies can look and understand how technology can help make their life easier, not just the technology that Tyler sells, but, for example, automation or artificial intelligence.
Think about how you can implement tool sets like that into your environment.
And if you can be do that, you can become a more progressive organization. If you’re more progressive, I think there’s an element of trust that comes with that. Again, one of the negative elements about a lot of government agencies is they seem to be more behind the times. They’re not as forward looking. I think if it whatever you can do to think about how your citizens, how your constituents want to engage with you in the future, again, looking for those trends, I think you can build products and services that are going to match for that.
Josh Henderson: I think that’s a great way to wrap things up today, Andrew. Thank you so much for joining us today. You know, we appreciate you sharing your insights, and we’ll look forward to having you back on the show as the conversation continues to evolve.
Andrew Kahl: You’re welcome. I enjoyed it as well, Josh. Thanks for your time.
Josh Henderson: Thanks so much for joining us for this conversation with Tyler’s chief client officer, Andrew Kahl.
As we heard today, creating a great client experience goes beyond individual interactions. It’s about building trust, fostering meaningful connections, and offering transparent support.
By focusing not only on agency needs, but also the residents and constituents they serve, governments can deliver with greater ease, responsiveness, and lasting impact.
At Tyler, we’re dedicated to helping agencies strengthen those connections and create positive experiences at every level.
If you’d like to learn more about what we discussed today, check out the show notes for additional resources, and we’d love to hear your feedback. Fill out the survey linked in the show notes or reach out anytime at podcast@tylertech.com. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review so you won’t miss what’s ahead.
For Tyler Technologies, I’m Josh Henderson. Thanks for listening to the Tyler Tech Podcast.