• IVR Service Provider
• Articles

Bill Calls for Improved Customer Service in Federal Agencies Following Service Provider Trends

By Ed Silverstein, TMCnet Contributor

A bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate to set up, monitor and improve customer service found in federal agencies – similar to the improvements seen among business service providers.

Proposed by U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), it is known as the “Government Customer Service Improvement Act of 2012.” It will lead to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to collaborate with federal agencies to develop government customer service standards, the naming of a service improvement officer at each agency to monitor customer service, and reports issued each year on customer service. OMB will also assist agencies which fall below customer service standards.

“Government customer service delivery breakdowns appear in the headlines all too often. Many of our veterans wait too long for critical medical services, and federal retirees often wait months before they begin to receive full benefits. That simply is not acceptable,” Warner said in a statement. “As any business school graduate can tell you, ‘what gets measured gets done.’ I believe citizens should expect federal agencies to deliver customer service at least as well as the private sector does and, unfortunately, too often that is not the case."

“Government agencies simply don’t have to respond to competition the way private companies do,” Johnson, a former plastics manufacturing executive, added. “This legislation ensures that federal agencies are responsive to the taxpayers who fund them by requiring the development of customer service standards and performance measures at each agency. By embedding the concept of customer service into government operations, agencies will ultimately become more efficient and effective.”

The bill will improve processing, transparency and efficiency. The bill also sets service improvement targets for the Office of Personnel Management, which has seen backlogs for several years in processing retirement benefits for federal employees. The bill is the Senate version of House bill introduced by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas). Both come at a time when businesses have renewed focus on customer service.

“The fact that this extends to groups without any competition (i.e. the government) shows just how important it is in today's environment, and how much stock today's consumers put in customer experience,” according to an inContact blog.

Many government offices have picked up on the trend. For instance, Jens Romaus, senior vice president, Public Services Industry Solutions, SAP (News - Alert), said in a recent statement carried by TMCnet that, "Governments everywhere are looking for ways to increase efficiency, improve services, and get citizens more engaged.”

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2012, taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX.  Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Follow us on Twitter.