The Applicant Violator System Office routinely exceeds 70 percent response rate on its customer surveys and, incredibly, over the last five years those surveys show an average customer service satisfaction rating of 97 percent!

"The AVS Office sets the bar on what Customer Service is all about," said Jeff Jarrett, Director of OSM. "I continually receive praise from both the States and industry on what an outstanding job this office is doing. If you contact this office, you get a real person with real answers in real time."

The AVS is a national information database that identifies violators of environmental laws on surface coal mining operations. As part of the permit review process for coal mines, State and Federal regulatory authorities use the information in the AVS to evaluate an applicant's mining and violation history in order to determine the applicant's eligibility to engage in surface coal mining operations. OSM responds to approximately 3,000 requests per year for these evaluation reports.

Customers of the AVS system also include the coal industry, citizens groups, and other Federal agencies, all of who turn to AVS for services including: determining the eligibility of potential recipients of AML reclamation contracts and grants under the Small Operator Assistance Program; providing software and technical assistance for customers wishing to access the AVS from a personal computer; updating information in the AVS for coal companies that mine in multiple States; providing basic and advanced system training; and providing investigative assistance to States on complex ownership and control issues.

Under the Government Performance and Results Act federal agencies must verify and validate performance measure data. The AVS Office measures customer satisfaction of the services they provide through a simple survey form. They utilize off-the-shelf software to track customers. They also work with the staff to develop customer service standards.

Based on combined results from five years of surveys, the AVS Office has averaged a customer service rating of 97 percent - an outstanding achievement under the Government Performance and Results Act.

"Often when we're working with AVS and ownership/control issues, we are in the unpleasant business of informing applicants they may be ineligible for a permit," said Earl Bandy, director of AVS. "Despite having to sometimes deliver bad news to the industry we regulate, we continue to receive high marks for service. People want information, good or bad. Just give them an answer."

Bandy attributes the success of the AVS Office's approach to a shared conviction by the staff that serving customers is the office's primary business.

That conviction has resulted in the AVS staff implementing several innovations that have made AVS widely accessible to government, industry, and citizen users, including:

• developing a user friendly website;
• delivering nearly all services electronically;
• extending system operation hours to accommodate weekend and evening users;
• maintaining a toll-free help line;
• streamlining forms and paperwork requirements; and
• working closely with our State partners and the public in early stages of policy development

Staff members of the AVS Office have been recognized on two occasions for contributing to creation of a "customer-driven" environment. The Director's Special Recognition Award (1996) and OSM's Customer Service Excellence Award (2001) highlight the high quality of service the AVS Office provides in their day-to-day operations.

Agencies interested in learning more about establishing a survey tool to measure customer satisfaction may contact the AVS Office, Earl D. Bandy, Jr., Chief, at ebandy@osmre.gov.