OPM Surveys Say Civil Service Retirees Satisfied with Quality of Service

Washington, DC--Civil Service retirees give the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) an overall approval rating of 92 percent for the quality of service they receive from the agency, according to the agency’s 1996 client satisfaction survey, and 98 percent say they receive their annuity payments on the date they are due.

In a second survey, federal retirees and survivors say they are satified with the service they receive through the Annuitant Express System, OPM’s computer-based, self-service, telephone system to make changes to income tax withholdings, request statements of benefits paid for tax purposes, and make Open Season health benefit enrollment changes. Users can call the Annuitant Express System toll-free, 24-hours-a-day at 1 (800) 409-6528.

OPM administers both major federal retirement plans, the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), which cover most federal employees and surviving family members - a customer base of over two million. Civil service retirees and survivors have consistently given the agency high ratings for quality of service since the agency began conducting the surveys in 1990. Survey results were first developed in 1991. No survey was conducted for 1992.

Figure 1

OPM Director Jim King said, " From these surveys, we have quantifiable achievements in how we meet our customers’ needs. In response to the President’s call for a customer-oriented government, we are using new approaches and technology to better serve people. For example, we can begin payments to a retiring employee in one day based on a magnetic tape submission from his or her agency."

The 1996 client satisfaction questionnaire was sent to a random sample of annuitants who did business with the agency in the period from January 1 through April 30, 1996. The findings have a margin of error of plus or minus five percent.

The Annuitant Express Survey is on-going for those who use the self-service system. The results for this report reflect responses received from January 25 through September 27, 1996, when over 280 thousand calls were handled by the system and over 90 thousand users responded to the survey questions.

Topics covered by the satisfaction survey include OPM’s handling of correspondence, telephone inquiries, and claim processing. It also asked new retirees about the extent and quality of pre-retirement counseling they received from their employing agencies. In response to the survey, retirees and survivors provided the five service elements most important to them, as follows:

• concern for me and my problems
• knowledgeable OPM employees
• timely payments
• timely actions on my concerns and complaints
• accurate answers to questions.

While retirees and survivors are generally satisfied with the quality of service they receive from OPM and the level of that satisfaction has increased since the surveys began, the responses also indicate that improvements in some specific areas are needed. Improvements were recommended in the agency’s responses to correspondence and telephone accessibility. And, although the level of satisfaction is high, at 84 percent, with the assistance the agency provides to those claiming death benefits, the level of satisfaction declined from last year. OPM will focus on improving service in areas indicated necessary by the surveys.

The Annuitant Express System is an element of the agency’s actions to improve service through technology. In the future, OPM plans to add functions to the system’s self-service menu, such as form requests, allotments, and verification of income, among other upgrades.

END

To OPM Home Page

Web page created 12 Feb 1997