Thousands of Washington D.C. residents come to the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) for help with building permits, inspections, and business licenses. DCRA partnered with FUSE executive fellow Jon Quimby to improve the customer experience of residents.

Jon focused on the housing inspection process, working with employees at the staff, manager, and executive levels to identify operational challenges and the impact on the customer. Among the insights Jon uncovered was a need for a more streamlined inspection scheduling process. Using historical data to confirm these findings, he found that much of the problem stemmed from incomplete information in the agency’s enterprise system. In response, Jon introduced new methods for tracking key performance indicators and developed an enhanced change-management process to better align technological resources. These improvements are increasing the productivity of DCRA’s staff and enhancing the customer experience delivered by the agency.