Overview - Customer Service in Government
Why It's Important
Great customer service happens when you exceed expectations—and expectations are higher than ever. People want to interact with government on their own terms. They want instant, accurate, easy-to-understand information, delivered via their channel of choice.
To deliver great customer service, government agencies must understand the needs of their customers, and adapt to improve the way those needs are met.
Requirements and Guidance
- Executive Order 13571 - Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service (April 2011). Directs agencies to set service standards and use customer feedback to improve the customer experience.
- OMB Memorandum M-11-24, Implementing Executive Order 13571 on Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service (PDF, 2.4 MB, 6 pages, June 2011). Guidance to help agencies implement the April 2011 Executive Order (above).
- An introduction for agencies on how to collect customer feedback (April 2011)
- Guidelines for Ensuring the Quality of Information Disseminated to the Public: A law requiring federal agencies to ensure maximum quality, objectivity, utility and integrity of information disseminated to the public (PDF, 161 KB, 10 pages, February 2002).
Examples
Resources
- .gov Reform Effort: Improving Federal Websites (an FAQ at USA.gov)
- White House Forum on Modernizing Government (PDF, 394 KB, 26 pages, March 2010). This forum brought together dozens of CEOs from top companies to give recommendations for how federal agencies can improve service to citizens.
- Govloop's Customer Service in Government group
We are looking for additional resources to feature here, so if you have suggestions, please let us know!
Content Lead:
Alycia Piazza
Page Reviewed/Updated: February 22, 2013