January 2024 NCSEA CSQ

customers are not forgotten. Potential customers will remember how they
felt on that first phone call, or the language on their first online application,
and it’s imperative that child support professionals put their most
compassionate foot forward from the beginning.
Conclusion & Practical Tips for Attracting Customers to the IV-D
Program
Behavioral economics suggest that child support agencies
can attract potential customers by making it easy for them to
apply and giving them great customer service. Even with all
the digital ways to communicate with current customers and
potential customers, many still prefer traditional ways of
communicating, such as phone calls and face-to-face
appointments. The best way to engage potential customers is to
communicate with them in their preferred way and to continuously improve
the ways the child support program offers services, promotes programs,
and communicates with customers. In addition to targeting a specific
audience, to achieve the best results agencies must keep in mind that
marketing messages should reflect the social and economic context in
which potentially eligible clients live.
i
Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein, (2021) Nudge: The Final Edition
ii
Thaler and Sunstein, 3
iii
Ibid., 11
iv
Daniel Schroeder and Ashweeta Patnaik (2016) Texas Integrated Child Support System: Final Evaluation Report Ray Marshall Center,
University of Texas at Austin.
https://sites.utexas.edu/raymarshallcenter/files/2016/10/ICSS_Local-Rule_Final_Sep2016.pdf
v
Thaler and Sunstein, 3
vi
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/03/05/most-americans-rely-on-their-own-research-to-make-big-decisions-and-that-oftenmeans-online-searches/
vii
https://www.urban.org/research/publication/improvements-public-programs-customer-service-experiences, 3
viii
Ibid.
ix
Ibid., 13
x
APA Dictionary of Psychology, Primacy Effect https://dictionary.apa.org/primacy-effects
xi
https://www.urban.org/research/publication/improvements-public-programs-customer-service-experiences, 3
Taylor Ashe is a Policy Program Consultant for the Program Initiatives team with the Virginia Division of
Child Support Enforcement. He started with the agency in February of 2021 and currently serves as the
Project Manager for Virginia’s Safe Access for Victims’ Economic Security (SAVES) demonstration grant.
Taylor’s interests in research design, data analysis, and critical theory keep him busy reading about,
designing, and implementing human-centered services that reflect the needs of the citizens he serves.
Taylor has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Georgia.