Events & News

 

Second Annual Citizen Service Award

Overview

The General Services Administration's Office of Citizen Services recognizes agencies across the government that have achieved excellence in customer service via Web, telephone, and/or email with the Annual Citizen Service Award. The Award honors federal, state and local government agencies that demonstrate the following:

  • Creativity and innovation in the development and implementation of citizen-focused activities
  • Significant enhancements in existing citizen service

The Office of Citizen Services presented the Second Annual Citizen Service Award to three agencies at the 48th annual Interagency Resources Management Conference in Cambridge, MD, April 22, 2009. The winners are:.

  • The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention’s National Contact Center, for achieving cost savings through consolidation, and using new media such as the mobile Web and MySpace to promote 800-CDC-INFO. Accepting the award was Amy Burnett, Program Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Contact Center.
  • Business Gateway (Business.gov, Small Business Administration), for using new media to launch an online community to provide small businesses, experts, and government a place to share information about starting and running a business. Other new media efforts include Twitter, its own blog, and guest blogging. Accepting the award was Christine Rider, Chief Information Officer, Small Business Administration
  • Social Security Administration, for its iClaim project that replaces SSA’s old online benefits application. The iClaim project is a time saver for citizens, so the online benefit filing rate has increased. The project is also a time saver for the government since an Internet claim can be processed faster than a telephone or in-office claim. SSA used new media (YouTube and podcasting) to promote awareness of iClaim. Accepting the award was Michelle King, Deputy Associate Commissioner, Social Security Administration

Presenting the awards to the recipients were Martha Dorris, Acting Associate Administrator for GSA's Office of Citizen Services, and Stuart Willoughby, Director of the Federal Solutions Division for GSA's Office of Citizen Services.

 

The first Annual Citizen Service Awards were given in 2008:

  • First Place winner of the 2008 Award - the Participant Assistance Program, Employee Benefits Security Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.
  • Second Place winner of 2008 Award - Recruitment OneStop: USAJOBS, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
  • Third Place winner of 2008 Award - National Cancer Institute: Cancer Information Service, National Institutes of Health

For more information contact Karen Trebon, Program Manager, at Karen.Trebon@gsa.gov.