Issue No. 40 | September 2026

The good news is that this already describes the overwhelming majority of what we see in our CoP. These expectations aren't intended to make our conversations less open or discourage thoughtful disagreement. They're here to help preserve an environment where people feel comfortable asking questions, sharing expertise, trying out new ideas, and even getting things wrong while they learn.

Who is this community for?

Our CoP is designed primarily for Washington State employees and practitioners engaged in public-sector customer experience work. From time to time, invited presenters, partners, or guests may also join us when their participation supports the learning and purpose of the community.

Our goal isn't exclusivity, it's intentionality. We want to preserve a space where state employees can openly learn, share, ask questions, and strengthen the experiences we create for Washingtonians.

And sometimes, protecting the space means stepping in.

We hope we rarely need to, and based on the community we've built together, we don't expect this to be a common occurrence. Most situations can be handled with a simple reminder or redirection, and we'll always aim to approach those moments with respect.

At the same time, part of caring for this community means being willing to protect the experience when needed.

Facilitators may mute, limit participation, or remove someone from a session when behavior repeatedly disrupts the learning environment. This may include:

• Repeatedly interrupting or redirecting the presentation
• Dominating the chat or discussion after being asked to allow space for others
• Repeatedly debating presenters or participants in a way that disrupts the session
• Disrespectful, hostile, discriminatory, or personally directed comments
• Continuing off-topic discussion after facilitator redirection
• Otherwise interfering with the community's ability to learn and participate

Whenever reasonable, we'll start with redirection. But facilitators may remove a participant immediately when behavior is significantly disruptive, threatening, discriminatory, or unsafe.

This is our community. Creating a great customer experience starts with how we experience one another.

And if you've joined us before, thank you for helping make this the kind of community people want to come back to. Every thoughtful question, shared resource, encouraging chat comment, volunteered success story, and willingness to learn from someone else's experience contributes to the culture we've built.

We want this to remain a place where people feel comfortable contributing, presenters feel supported in sharing what they know, and curiosity is encouraged, even when we're exploring complicated ideas or don't all see things exactly the same way.

Bring your questions. Bring your experience. Bring a different perspective. Just bring it with curiosity, generosity, and respect for the people learning alongside you.

We're grateful you're here. This community belongs to all of us, and together, we can keep it a space meant for growing and worth protecting.

One goal, different paths: targeted universalism in CX

We were extremely fortunate this September to have Amber Ortiz-Diaz with the Washington State Office of Equity present on targeted universalism (TU) in customer experience (CX) and exploring how this framework can help us design services that move everyone toward better outcomes.

At its core, TU starts with one shared goal for everyone while recognizing that different people and communities may face different barriers to reaching it. Rather than comparing groups to one another, TU looks at how close each population or community is to the universal goal and what may be standing in the way.

So, what does that look like when we bring it into our CX work? A few takeaways stood out:

• One destination doesn’t mean one path. Start with the outcome we want everyone to reach, then look more closely at what different communities may need to get there.
• Ask who may still be experiencing barriers. Instead of comparing groups to one another, look at how close each is to the shared goal and what systems, structures, or experiences may be affecting their progress.
• Design with people, not just for them. Community voice and co-creation shouldn't be a box we check along the way. The people most affected can help us better understand the problem, shape solutions, and make decisions throughout the process.
• How we do the work matters, too. Care, fairness, belonging, shared power, transparency, and strong relationships are part of the framework - not just the outcome we're trying to achieve.
• Don’t stop at “Did it work?” Look at both outcomes and process. Did more people move toward the goal? Who was included? What did we learn? Did anything change at a systems or structural level? What might we need to do differently next time?
• Stay curious and keep adjusting. Measurement isn't simply the end of the work. It's an opportunity to learn what is working, listen again, and adapt our strategies as we go.

For CX practitioners, targeted universalism gives us another way to think about what it means to design services that work well for everyone. The goal can be shared without assuming the experience - or the path to getting there, is the same.

By better understanding different experiences and barriers, partnering with the people most affected, and learning as we go, we can create public services that help more people move toward the outcomes we collectively want to achieve.

A huge thank you to Amber for bringing this important topic and practice to light!

Missed the presentation or want to rewatch it? Check out the recording and presentation materials.

Registration now open for our 2026 CX conference!

Registration is now open for our second annual Washington State Customer Experience Conference!

Happening October 27–29, 2026, this free, virtual conference brings together people from across state government, local agencies, tribes, nonprofits, and the private sector who are working to improve how we serve our customers.

This year’s theme, “From Policy to People: Human-Centered Government”, highlights the importance of designing services with, not just for, those we serve. We’ll explore real case studies and strategies that invite leaders, practitioners, and frontline staff to consider how empathy, accessibility, and inclusivity can be embedded at every stage of the policy and service lifecycle. We'll also explore how we can collectively prioritize human needs, reduce friction, and build trust with the public.

By better understanding the lived experiences of the people who government is meant to serve, we can close the gap between intention and impact, ensuring that government works not just efficiently, but meaningfully, in the lives of our customers.

You can expect:

• Three days of virtual, interactive sessions (about 4 hours each day)
• NEW! One keynote speaker each day to inspire and kick off the learning activities
• NEW! Three specialized tracks (leadership, CX practitioner, and general) that attendees can explore to tailor their learning experience
• A variety of topics, from customer experience basics to advanced strategies, from speakers from across government and the industry
• Opportunities to learn, ask questions, and connect with others

Conference details, including the schedule, presenters and registration, can be found on our website. Register today!

Please share this bulletin with anyone you think might be interested. We hope to see you there!

Passwords for our meeting series

We've gotten a few emails stating that folks are having trouble joining our meetings. For all of our 2026 community of practice meetings, the password for logging onto the Zoom meeting from your computer is “YWCOP”. If you're tuning into the meeting via audio-only, the password is "141313". 

Coming up next!

November 17, 2026 10:30am - 12:00pm Zoom Registration Topic: Building Psychological Safety in Customer-Facing Teams