Modernizing FOIA Customer Experience: Practical Strategies for Faster, Clearer, More Transparent Service

Growing backlogs and limited resources often leave Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) teams struggling to keep up with daily processing, let alone public inquiries. Yet, the requester community’s number one frustration isn’t just the wait time, it is the lack of communication. Agencies want to provide excellent customer service, but staff are trapped in putting out administrative fires. How do we close the gap?

This virtual workshop brings together a unique group of government FOIA professionals, requester advocates, and industry experts to tackle the customer service pain points head-on. Attendees will discover how modern, automated technology can handle the heavy lifting of communication, freeing up staff while keeping the public informed. From proactive tracking to automated updates, this session delivers a practical roadmap to deliver faster, clearer, and more transparent public service without burning out your team.

Learning Objectives include:

• Leverage Automated Tracking and Notifications: Implement automated milestone notifications (via email or text) and portal-based self-service tracking to give requesters instant visibility and dramatically cut down on “status check” phone calls and emails.
• Optimize Staff Workflows with Intelligent Case Management: Utilize modern case management systems with built-in automated reminders to help staff prioritize tasks, manage deadlines, and maintain consistent communication.
• Bridge the Agency-Requester Communication Gap: Apply best practices and global insights to foster constructive, human-centric dialogue between agency staff and the requester community, ensuring mutual expectations are managed from day one.