The Volpe Center's Commitment to Customer Satisfaction
The Volpe Center understands the importance of customer satisfaction—quality work and customer responsiveness are vital to our success. As a Federal fee-for-service agency, our very existence is testimony to our ability to not just meet our customers' needs and expectations but also to go above and beyond. We are more committed than ever to ensuring the satisfaction and continued support of our sponsors. Not only are we continuing to provide innovative and creative solutions to our nation's transportation needs, we are always listening and learning from our customers about the areas in which we can improve our service.
Our Method and Results
Our customer satisfaction process is extremely rigorous.
To assure unbiased interview results, an independent
third party consultancy biennially conducts customer
interviews. Interviews with 176 customers from 23
organizations were conducted in the most recent round.
Results of our customer satisfaction interviews continue
to be positive.
The Volpe Center received an overall satisfaction rating
of 8.4 on a scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 = extremely
satisfied). This is the highest level of overall satisfaction
attained since the Volpe Center started measuring
customer satisfaction. Technical expertise and
accessibility of quality staff were cited as the primary
reasons customers come to the Volpe Center.
Customer-Identified Volpe Center Strengths
- Working Relationships and Volpe Staff Competence: our highest rated performance measures.
- Technical Expertise and Accessibility to Quality Staff: identified by 82% of our customers as the primary reasons they bring their business to Volpe.
- Federal Status: Volpe has a strong understanding of the federal operating environment, procedures, and processes, providing an "ease of access" in generating work with Volpe.
- Institutional knowledge and longstanding working relationships: cited by many customers as major factors influencing their continued work with Volpe.
Customer-Identified Areas for Improvement
- Financial and Project Status Reporting: some customers consider the Volpe Center's financial and project status reporting an area for improvement. In response, we have instituted project and budget status reports and regular program reviews to monitor spending and accounting.
- Perceived High Costs and Overhead: while some customers felt that the Volpe Center is expensive relative to private sector contractors, they also felt that we provided good value for our products and services. In 2009, the Volpe Center's indirect project- and acquisition-overhead rates both came in well below the provisional rate established at the start of the fiscal year. As a result of these decreased overhead rates, $4 million has been returned to customer projects.
- More Aggressive Marketing: many customers felt they or their colleagues did not have a clear or comprehensive picture of the Volpe Center's capabilities. The Volpe Center is continuously working to raise awareness about our technical work, making it a point to brief key personnel from sponsoring agencies about our capabilities.
Meeting Customer Needs is Our Priority
Customers have told us they welcome the opportunity to provide feedback. The Volpe Center appreciates and internalizes our customers' comments and suggestions, in order to provide excellent service that exceeds expectations. As we continue our Customer Satisfaction process, we welcome the chance to further our mission of providing the best possible service to our customers.
Customers Interviewed
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Highway Administration
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Federal Railroad Administration
Federal Transit Administration
Maritime Administration
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Office of the Secretary
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
Research and Innovative Technology
Administration
St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
American Public Transportation Association
Columbia River Pilots Association
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Defense
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Maine Department of Transportation
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Contact Information
Helen Blackman
(617) 494-3095
HelenBlackman@dot.gov
www.volpe.dot.gov
