WASHINGTON – Can you guess which federal agency rates the highest among Americans when it comes to satisfaction with government services?
It's the system of 120 national cemeteries run by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). In fact, VA's cemetery system has received the highest rating ever achieved by a federal agency in a nationwide satisfaction survey.
"These results tell us our cemetery employees are providing the services veterans and their families deserve,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. “Honoring our heroes in perpetuity and providing compassion to their families are among VA's highest callings. Our cemetery staffs have always met that challenge superbly."
The survey was the 2004 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). It produced a customer satisfaction rating of 95 out of a possible 100 points for the VA-run cemetery system. This is two points higher than the last survey in 2001, when VA’s national cemeteries also ranked number one in customer satisfaction.
In the ACSI study, scores of 80 or higher are considered strong and those near 90 are excellent. The study was conducted by the National QualityResearch Center at the University of Michigan Business School, the CFI Group and the Federal Consulting Group.
The ACSI study polled next of kin or other people who had arranged for the interment of a loved one in a VA national cemetery within the past six months to one year. More than 2,800 people received the survey and nearly 500 responded. A total of 93,000 burials were conducted at VA national cemeteries last year.
In addition, ACSI’s index for “user trust” produced a rating of 97 out of a possible 100 points for the VA-run cemetery system. This is two points above overall satisfaction and indicates that respondents are exceptionally willing to say positive things about VA’s national cemeteries.
The ACSI study echoes a recent VA survey that showed 97 percent of next-of-kin were satisfied with their experience.
Since 1994, ACSI has been a national indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of goods and services available to U.S. residents. It is the only uniform measure of customer satisfaction for government and industry. It produces satisfaction scores for seven economic sectors, 41 industries, 200 private-sector companies and some local government services. ACSI allows benchmarking between the public and private sectors and between one year's results and the next.
