Social Security Administration Continues to Earn
High Marks
In American Customer Satisfaction Index Survey
The University of Michigan announced today that
the Social Security Administration (SSA) received an 84 in the
most recent American Customer Satisfaction Index Survey (ACSI).
This score, one of the highest in Federal Government, is two points
higher than SSA earned in 1999 and 13 points higher than the private
sector index.
The survey focused on SSA customers who are receiving
retirement benefits, the agency’s largest customer base serving
28.3 million beneficiaries. According to survey results, Social
Security customers rated SSA personnel as courteous and professional,
giving SSA an 87 for both Customer Service and Perceived Quality.
Survey respondents gave SSA a 96 for Monthly Benefits citing the
timeliness in which SSA sends benefit payments.
"At the Social Security Administration, we are committed
to improving and expanding customer service," said Kenneth S.
Apfel, Commissioner of Social Security. "These scores show that
our agency is moving in the right direction. I want to commend
our employees for the courtesy and professionalism they display
each and every day."
While SSA scored an 87 for Customer Service, some
customers would like SSA to make its employees even more accessible
and easier to reach than they are today. "In the past year, SSA
has greatly expanded its Internet services, which will provide
greater accessibility for beneficiaries and workers," commented
Commissioner Apfel. "Clearly, the Internet is not for all our
customers, which means that we will continue to give high priority
to improving our face-to-face and telephone service."
SSA scored significant gains in the information
category jumping to a score of 84 in 2000, up from 79 in 1999.
The Social Security Administration has devoted a significant amount
of time and resources to improving the readability of notices
and making its information materials clearer and more useful to
customers. "While we are very pleased with the big improvement
in satisfaction with the information we provide, we still have
work to do in this area," stated Commissioner Apfel. "We plan
to continue our efforts to improve communication with the public."
www.socialsecurity.gov
