On April 27, 2011, Executive Order 13571, Streamlining Service Delivery  and Improving Customer Service, was issued to strengthen customer  service and require agencies to develop and publish a customer service  plan, in consultation with OMB. As a result, we identified performance goals as a key element for effective  customer service standards. None of the agencies in our review had standards that included all of the  key elements (see table 3). Without all of the key elements present in  their standards, agencies may not be able to inform customers, provide  accountability, measure progress, or improve customer service. Forest  Service and NPS do not have criteria or guidance for when to elevate  customer comments from the local level up to the agency level. Forest Service. Identification of Customer Service as a Cross-Agency Priority Goal May Provide Additional Focus Needed to Further Improve the Customer Experience Governmment-wide

OMB has taken several steps to facilitate the improvement of agencies’  customer service initiatives. The PIC, however, did not have an  active role in assisting agencies with the development of their plans. However, moving forward, OMB stated that if plans on involving the PIC  in the CAP goal implementation plan for customer service. Conclusions

All five agencies established customer service standards. However, only CBP and VBA’s  disability compensation had a formal or systematic process for reviewing  customer feedback. Recommendations for Executive Action

Recognizing that moving toward a more customer-oriented culture within  federal agencies is likely to be a continuous effort, we recommend that  the:  Secretary of Agriculture direct the Under Secretary for Natural Resources  and Environment to take the following four actions to improve Forest  Service’s customer service standards and feedback review: ensure  standards include performance targets or goals; ensure standards include  performance measures; ensure standards are easily publicly available;  and develop a feedback mechanism to collect comments agency-wide,  which should include guidance or criteria to elevate customer feedback  from local and regional offices to identify the need for and to make service  improvements;  Secretary of Education direct Federal Student Aid’s Chief Operating  Officer to take the following two actions to improve Federal Student Aid’s  customer service standards and feedback review: ensure standards are  easily publicly available and develop a feedback mechanism that includes  guidance or criteria for service providers to elevate customer feedback to  identify the need for and to make service improvements;  Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection take the following  two actions to improve CBP’s customer service standards: ensure  standards include performance targets or goals and ensure standards  include performance measures;  Secretary of the Interior direct the Assistant Secretary of Fish, Wildlife  and Parks to take the following four actions to improve the National Park  Service’s customer service standards and feedback review: ensure  standards include performance targets or goals; ensure standards include  performance measures; ensure standards are easily publicly available;  and develop a feedback mechanism that includes guidance or criteria to  review and elevate customer feedback from local and regional offices to  identify the need for and to make service improvements;  Secretary of Veterans Affairs direct the Veterans Benefits Administration  to improve disability compensation customer service standards by making  the standards easily publicly available; and  Secretary of Veterans Affairs direct the Veterans Benefits Administration  to take the following two actions to improve Veterans’ Group Life  Insurance’s customer service standards and feedback review: ensure  standards are easily publicly available and develop a feedback  mechanism that includes guidance or criteria for service providers to  elevate customer feedback and identify the need for and to make service  improvements. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The objectives of this study were to address the extent to which (1)  selected agencies and their services are using customer service  standards and measuring performance results against these standards,  and how selected agencies are communicating standards and using  customer feedback to improve customer service; and (2) the Office of  Management and Budget (OMB) and the Performance Improvement  Council are facilitating federal agencies’ use of tools and practices to  improve customer service. To address our two objectives, we selected  agencies and their services for our review based on prior work in which  we surveyed 12 federal agencies (which are among those with the most  widespread contact with the public) about 13 services they provided. In addition, we compared agency information to relevant  executive orders, presidential and OMB memorandums, and OMB  guidance consistent with GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA)  provisions related to customer service (see table 11).
Why GAO Did This Study

Providing customer service has been a long-standing challenge for federal agencies. GPRAMA requires that agencies establish a balanced set of performance indicators to be used in measuring progress toward performance goals, including customer service. This report is part of GAO's response to its mandate to evaluate the implementation of GPRAMA. It evaluates (1) the extent to which selected agencies and their services are using customer service standards and measuring performance results against these standards, and how selected agencies are communicating standards and using customer feedback to improve customer service; and (2) the extent to which OMB and the PIC are facilitating federal agencies' use of tools and practices to improve customer service. GAO selected five agencies and their services based on prior work in which it surveyed 12 federal agencies that are among those with the most widespread contact with the public. GAO reviewed and compared agency customer service documents to federal legislation and guidance, and interviewed agency officials about customer service.

What GAO Found

GAO reviewed the customer service standards at Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Forest Service, Federal Student Aid (FSA), the National Park Service (NPS), and two services in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA)—disability compensation and Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI). GAO found that none of the agencies' standards included all of the key elements of customer service standards (see table). GAO identified key elements of effective customer service standards by reviewing the requirements of the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (GPRAMA) and executive orders that focused on providing greater accountability, oversight, and transparency. Without all of the key elements present, agencies may not be able to easily communicate performance targets or goals to customers, measure their progress towards meeting those goals, and pinpoint improvement opportunities.
GAO found that all five agencies provide customers with opportunities to submit feedback, including comments and complaints. CBP and VBA's disability compensation had formal mechanisms for reviewing customer feedback, but the other agencies did not. For example, Forest Service and NPS do not have guidance for when to elevate customer comments from the local level up to the agency level. As a result, these agencies may not be effectively reviewing and addressing customer concerns across the agency.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has taken steps to facilitate the improvement of agencies' customer service initiatives. For example, OMB issued guidance to assist agencies in their implementation of Executive Order 13571, Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service which was issued to strengthen customer service and require agencies to develop and publish a customer service plan. OMB formed a task force to assist agencies with the development of customer service plans. Moving forward, OMB has identified customer service as a cross-agency priority (CAP) goal in 2014 in an effort to elevate the importance of customer service by the federal government and intends to have the Performance Improvement Council (PIC) play a role in the CAP goal implementation planning for customer service.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that the five agencies update their customer service standards and that Forest Service, NPS, FSA, and VBA's VGLI implement formal feedback mechanisms to improve customer service. CBP, Forest Service, FSA, NPS, and VBA all agreed with GAO's recommendations.