NIH
Customer Service Plan: Attachment 1
Customer Commitments
by Customer Group
For General
Public:
1. NIH will publicize
ways in which the public can request and find information, including
its web page, toll-free numbers and email contact information to help
ensure consistency of information provided to consumers.
2. NIH will make
better use of the correspondence tracking system to track written
inquiries more effectively and will provide accountability for timely
response to inquiries.
3. NIH will develop
a system for retrieving, tracking and responding to customer feedback.
Periodic reports will be provided to appropriate NIH staff. In web-presentations,
whether it be information about grant funding or health information,
an e-mail address will be added for suggestions or comments (How are
we doing?).
4. NIH will seek
advice from consumers through conferences, focus groups and advisory
committees to help reengineer its business processes and improve NIH
services for the public.
5. NIH will increase
its accessibility to the public by expanding public outreach to ensure
the general public is aware of NIH, knows how to access NIH's information,
and understands the role NIH plays in the health of our nation. This
includes making information available in Spanish and other languages
to persons who do not speak English as a primary language. It also
involves making information presentations available on tape so persons
with disabilities can listen to them or run them through a Braille
printer.
6. NIH will provide
a web site for easy access to its health information for the public
through MEDLINEplus.
For Grantee
Community:
1. NIH has provided
leadership in the development of the NIH/Federal Commons, a web-based
client/server environment where NIH and the grantee community will
conduct electronic research administration business applications.
2. NIH has developed
the searchable CRISP database, which includes information regarding
federally funded biomedical research projects conducted at universities,
hospitals
and other research institutions.
3. NIH will work
with the grantee community industry, professional organizations and
agency staff
to develop workshops, grassroots meetings and training events to educate
the grantee community on policies and procedures.
4. NIH will continue
to move toward a paperless, electronic submission and review of grant
applications to reduce the time and burden on institutions.
For Health
Professionals:
1. NIH will identify
additional electronic mechanisms that could be used to more effectively
communicate NIH health messages to physicians, nurses, pharmacists,
hospitals and HMOs.
2. NIH will
increase its accessibility by amplifying public outreach programs
and by holding
workshops and symposia with health professionals and associations.
3. NIH will
provide liaison services to health professional organizations in order
to facilitate
communication of important agency issues and findings.
4. NIH will provide
a convenient means of communication with health professionals and
respond to feedback received via electronic inquiries.
Other Government
Agencies:
1. NIH will expand
collaborative partnerships with other Federal, state and local agencies
providing information related to health, biomedical research, new
drugs, product information and their appropriate use.
2. NIH will enhance
its current web site to post relevant information, particularly on
hot issues related to the research community.
3. NIH will
expand the use of collaborative agreements and partnership with other
agencies
to provide a team approach to solving important research issues.
4. NIH will evaluate
its internal processes in order to develop and enhance staff skills
as needed to assure
consistency in service and on-going communications with other
government agencies.
Internal
Processes to Support Customer Service
NIH will evaluate
its internal processes in order to enhance staff skills and develop
supporting systems to assure consistency in service and improve communications
with all of its customers.
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