Experts of Experience
Tech Obsession is Failing Citizens (Rescuing Government Customer Service)
05 Feb 2025
Government services don’t have to suck. (And no, robots aren’t taking over… yet.)This week, host Lauren Wood sits down with Mike Raker, CTO of Maximus, to crack the code on using AI and machine learning to fix customer experience nightmares — even in the most bureaucratic corners of government. Mike shares exactly why listening beats tech obsession every time, how to balance innovation with red tape, and why “Total Experience Management” is the secret sauce you’ve been missing. They also tackle the AI trends that matter (way beyond ChatGPT), the facepalm-worthy question Mike asks before ANY tech rollout, and how empathy became his ultimate leadership hack in a world obsessed with automation.What are you waiting for? Press play to rethink everything you know about AI, empathy, and how Maximus is ensuring your next DMV visit feels as seamless as possible.Key Moments: 00:00 Who is Mike Raker, CTO of Maximus?03:35 The Role of Innovation in CX06:57 Exactly How Maximus Helps Government Services08:59 Total Experience Management (TXM)14:02 Balancing Innovation and Regulation17:44 The Future of AI in Customer Experience24:27 The Importance of Human-Centered Design in Government34:11 Policy and Responsibility in AI 38:16 Mike Raker’s Expert Advice & Key Takeaways –Are your teams facing growing demands? Join CX leaders transforming their AI strategy with Agentforce. Start achieving your ambitious goals. Visit salesforce.com/agentforce Mission.org is a media studio producing content alongside world-class clients. Learn more at mission.org
Full Episode
Don't fall in love with your technology. Don't fall in love with your strategy. Fall in love with how you listen. Fall in love with how you watch. Fall in love with really getting an understanding of customers' problems. That is the name of the game when it comes to CX. I could not agree more.
There's only one outcome that matters to the citizen, and that's their outcome, right? And every person you leave behind is one person that didn't get that service. And it tends to be the more vulnerable parts of the population All customers' missions are unique, but the blind application of technology, just because it's better technology, it very rarely works.
If I don't do this thing, if I don't put this technology in place, if I don't take this little bit of risk in whatever part of the system, how many more citizens are not getting served? Are you concerned with our policymaking around AI and our speed of policymaking around AI? Yes and no. The hint of concern to me is
Hello, everyone, and welcome to Experts of Experience. I'm your host, Lauren Wood. Today, I'm joined by Mike Raker, the CTO of Maximus, where their mission is simple yet powerful, making vital government services accessible through transformative technology. Mike is passionate about how AI and machine learning can revolutionize customer experience, as I know many of you are as well.
And I can't wait to explore how he's leveraging these tools to enhance customer journeys, especially within federal and health services. Mike, so great to have you on the show. Thanks for having me.
So your career spans many different industries from defense primes to startups and scale ups. And I'm curious to know, how has your diverse experience really taught you about innovation? and its role in transforming customer experiences.
Thanks again for having me. You know, I'm a student of the world, and I think part of what's really transformed me over time is, you know, your learning journey is really never done, right? So when you take positions at different companies or different parts of different companies, I've worked across the globe, is you take unique insights from all those roles and people that you meet, right?
And I think people that are successful at it are good at understanding those differences, applying their history into new missions, and then harvesting from those organizations and taking them back out, right? And I've had a real pleasure in my career to work with lots of fantastic people, lots of fantastic missions, and hopefully I've contributed equally to what I've gained out of those.
And that makes me a better technologist over time. Regardless of if I'm working in the US or the UK or elsewhere, I think there are certain truths about the market and tech and how you apply it. And to me, one of those main elements in successful companies and individuals is how do you combine technology and the operational understanding of the mission that it's going to get applied to, right?
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