by Jerry Cornfield, Washington State Standard
September 15, 2025
For two decades, embattled consumers knew having investigative journalist Jesse Jones on their side could very likely make things right for them.
Now, Gov. Bob Ferguson is counting on Jones to level up such success for residents across the state.
Ferguson renamed and rebranded Results Washington, an obscure data-driven creation of his predecessor, into a “customer experience hub” called Your Washington that launched last week. He hired Jones in January to lead the transformation, which became formal with Ferguson’s signing of an executive order on Sept. 3.
“Washingtonians know that when there is a problem to be solved, you get Jesse,” Ferguson said in January. “Government must work better. Jesse’s track record makes him an ideal candidate for this role.”
The executive order directs agencies under Ferguson’s control to provide Your Washington staff with an overview of how they account for customer experience and track their delivery of key services. In six months, each agency must begin implementing a Customer Experience Improvement Plan. Quarterly progress reports must be filed with Your Washington.
“In my inaugural address, I promised to improve customer service in state government. We’re going to make it happen,” Ferguson posted on social media after signing the executive order.
Ferguson’s effort follows a series of initiatives along these lines that Washington governors have pursued over the past three decades.
As part of the governor’s order, Jones and his staff are working with WaTech, the state’s IT agency, to expand wa.gov, the state’s existing online portal to state services, programs and information.
The Your Washington website, meanwhile, is a place where residents can share their experiences and state employees can learn best practices for serving the public.
Jones said there are plans for a hotline for people to call to leave complaints and compliments about government agencies. There is also going to be a small studio where “folks can come in and tell their customer service story,” he said.
And, each quarter, two state employees “who embody the spirit of service excellence” will be recognized. They’ll be chosen based on the nominations from the public, Jones said.
“Our role is to assist, embrace and help these agencies do their best with customer experience,” said Jones, who joined Ferguson following 20 years as an investigative and consumer reporter with two Seattle television stations. “It is a huge undertaking for a group of 10 people,” he said.
In search of better customer service
Customers, in the vision of Your Washington, are “anyone who interacts with a state program or service” including residents, businesses, organizations, and agency employees.
Customer experience, or CX for short, is defined as “a shared mindset” in the design of services for those who use and deliver them.
The website has a resource page with links to research and tools for better understanding the mindset of customers. There is information on practices such as influence mapping and empathy mapping to help employees get a broader picture of those affected by a potential decision.
Jones, in a statement on the website, says customer experience “doesn’t start at the front counter – IT STARTS INSIDE. How leaders support staff, and how managers treat their teams, directly shapes the experience we deliver to the public.”
A new way to address an old idea
Ferguson is the latest Washington governor with a scheme to make state agencies relevant and responsive.
In the late 90s, Gov. Gary Locke unfurled priorities of government to figure out what services people most wanted and needed from the state, and how to best fund them.
Gov. Christine Gregoire followed with Government Management Accountability and Performance, which she introduced in February 2005, her second month in office. It called for developing “clear, relevant and easy-to-understand measures” to show whether programs were successful. Department managers to front-line employees were required to work “creatively and cooperatively” across agency lines “to improve government service.”
Then came Gov. Jay Inslee with Results Washington in September 2013, his first year on the job. Its team did deep dives in data collection, then used findings to craft policies in the areas of education, economy, clean energy and environment, health and safety, and government accountability. A lot of the data is retained on the Your Washington site.
With Results Washington, the director was responsible for “implementing a continued customer-oriented approach to state government” centered on expanding public participation “in efforts to improve our state.”
For his endeavor, Ferguson is counting on Jones’ media savvy to further enhance public interest and awareness in such work.
“Washingtonians deserve efficient, responsive, and person-focused government services that respect their time and meet their needs,” Ferguson said in an emailed statement. “This executive order is the next step in our efforts to ensure we deliver.”
Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Bill Lucia for questions: [email protected].