Americans are almost as satisfied with the service they receive from government agencies as they are with service from private sector companies, according to results of the first-ever government-wide customer satisfaction survey.
The results, released Monday by the University of Michigan Business School, the American Society for Quality and consulting firm Arthur Andersen, place the government at a score of 68.6 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The average private sector score on the index is 72.
"The fruits of our reinvention effort are beginning to be felt by the public," said Morley Winograd, director of the National Partnership for Reinventing Government (NPR). NPR's goal is to get satisfaction with government equal to satisfaction with the private sector. "The results show that satisfaction with government service is improving, and it's on the way to our target number."
The University of Michigan Business School and its partners interviewed 250 customers for each of the 29 federal agencies participating in the survey. The results of the interviews were plugged into the ACSI computer model.
The index provides each agency with a numerical score from 0 to 100 based on customer expectations, perceived quality and perceived value. Since 1994, the ACSI has become a gauge of customer satisfaction for more than 200 private companies in 34 industries, ranging from the Adolph Coors Co. to J.C. Penney to Zenith Electronics Corp.
Citizens had generally low expectations of customer service from government agencies, but several agencies surprised customers with their performance. The Veterans Health Administration, for example, scored a 71 on the ACSI in terms of the level of service veterans expected to receive. But the agency scored an 83 on the ACSI in terms of quality of service received, meaning it far outperformed veterans' expectations.
VHA's hospitals also outperformed private sector hospitals. Private sector hospitals have an average score of 70 on the ACSI this year. VHA's overall score is 79.
The U.S. Mint, the Head Start program, and the Women, Infants and Children program scored high as well. The Federal Aviation Administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Internal Revenue Service were among the agencies that scored low.
"We plan on using the results in our work with the high-impact agencies to make customer service even better," Winograd said.
| AGENCY | CUSTOMER | ACSI SCORE |
| Federal government (aggregate) | 68.6 | |
| Service through local and state | 80 | |
| Administration for Families and Children | Parents of Head Start students | 87 |
| Food and Nutrition Service | WIC program recipients | 83 |
| Housing and Urban Development Department | Community Development Block Grant recipients | 69 |
| Earned benefits | 77 | |
| Social Security Administration | Recent retirement benefit recipients | 82 |
| Veterans Health Administration | Outpatients at VHA clinics | 79 |
| Office of Personnel Management | Federal retirees and annuitants | 75 |
| Health Care Financing Administration | Recent Medicare beneficiaries | 71 |
| Veterans Benefits Administration | Veteran compensation/benefit claimants | 61 |
| Public Information | 75 | |
| Education Publications, Education | Primary users of education publications | 80 |
| NASA | Educators participating recently in NASA Center programs | 80 |
| General Services Administration | Users of the Consumer Information Center | 77 |
| Census Bureau | Data distributors in depository libraries, state and local agencies | 70 |
| Environmental Protection Agency | Reference librarians accessing EPA Web site | 69 |
| Recreational Land Users | 72 | |
| National Park Service | Recreational visitors | 73 |
| U.S. Forest Service | Recreational visitors | 70 |
| Bureau of Land Management | Recreational visitors | 64 |
| Applicants and Users | 71 | |
| U.S. Mint | Buyers of numismatic and commemorative coins | 86 |
| Federal Emergency Management Agency | Disaster assistance recipients, 1997-8 | 73 |
| Student Financial Assistance, Education Dept. | Electronic applicants for Title IV aid | 63 |
| National Science Foundation | Grant applicants, 1998 | 57 |
| Patent and Trademark Office | Recent individual patent and trademark applicants | 57 |
| International Travelers | 68 | |
| Bureau of Consular Affairs, State Dept. | Recent passport applicants/renewals | 73 |
| Immigration and Naturalization Service | International travelers | 69 |
| Customs Service | International air travelers | 66 |
| Household Consumers | 63 | |
| Food and Drug Administration | Principal grocery shoppers and food preparers | 66 |
| Food Safety and Inspection Service | Principal grocery shoppers and food preparers | 62 |
| Tax Filers | ||
| Internal Revenue Service | All tax filers | 51 |
| Internal Revenue Service | Electronic tax filers | 74 |
| Regulation Users | 55 | |
| Federal Aviation Administration | Commercial pilots | 58 |
| Occupational Safety and Health Administration | Health and safety professionals | 51 |
Source: National Quality Research Center, University of Michigan Business School
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