# Presentation: 549291

## Using the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) to Measure and Improve  Customer Satisfaction 

**Department of Veterans Affairs**
**Organizational Transformation Symposium**
**Washington, DC**
**September 12, 2001**

## FEDERAL CONSULTING GROUP   

**Centers of Excellence**
**Collaborative and Customized Consulting and Facilitation Services**
**Executive Coaching Through A National Network of Qualified Coaches**
**Customer Satisfaction Strategies and Measurement**

**Notes:**
Studies recognized decline in trust in government and linkage between customer sat and trust.  Executive Order 12862 set out to build on linkage.  Directs agencies to survey customer sat; develop, post and measure results against standards; identify who their customer are; benchmark against best in business; provide complaint system.
Admin and Congress worked together to pass GPRA - basic premise is to hold agencies accountable for results.  Part of broad management reform agenda that seeks to improve federal management by shifting focus from traditional concerns of activities to the real results of programs.  As one component of that, agencies are to prepare perfor- mance plans that describe goals & measures, strategies & resources to meet those goals and procedures to verify & validate performance.  
Balanced scorecard applies performance management concepts proven successful in the private sector to help agencies identify programs that are best performing; where improvements are needed and what investments will be most effective in achieving results important to the customers.  IRS and OSFA use it already
OPM issued draft regs in June that established three criteria for rating Senior Executives - employee sat; customer sat; and business results.
Link customer sat to outcomes and expectations

## ACSI Executive Agent  
Assist agencies to  improve performance
Expand participation 
Report out results on www.customerservice.gov	 

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- <date/time>

**ACSI Executive Agent  **
**Assist agencies to  improve performance**
**Expand participation **
**Report out results on **_[www.customerservice.gov](http://www.customerservice.gov/)_**	**** **

***What is the Federal Consulting Group’s Role?***

**Notes:**
Expand participation to top federal services (not only high impact).  Have gone from original 30 to total of 60 signed up so far in 2000. 
Second survey to take place late this summer.  Agencies will have had improvement plans in place approximately one year and be able to see results.
PMC members met in June and agreed to expand High Impact Agency participation.  Waiting to hear outcome.  We anticipate that the number of services will go to 100 by end of this year. This will be the PMC’s legacy.  Union leaders have committed to lend their support.  NTEU solidly behind the ACSI.  President’s 2001 budget described the results of the 1999 survey and indicated that the number of services would be expanded (HANDOUT)
Next results to be published in December 2000

## Why Measure Customer Satisfaction?  

**Improve program operating performance**
**Raise citizen trust in government **
**Benchmark against other services **
**Comply with GPRA reporting requirements**
**Balanced measures for Senior Executives**

**Notes:**
Studies recognized decline in trust in government and linkage between customer sat and trust.  Executive Order 12862 set out to build on linkage.  Directs agencies to survey customer sat; develop, post and measure results against standards; identify who their customer are; benchmark against best in business; provide complaint system.
Admin and Congress worked together to pass GPRA - basic premise is to hold agencies accountable for results.  Part of broad management reform agenda that seeks to improve federal management by shifting focus from traditional concerns of activities to the real results of programs.  As one component of that, agencies are to prepare perfor- mance plans that describe goals & measures, strategies & resources to meet those goals and procedures to verify & validate performance.  
Balanced scorecard applies performance management concepts proven successful in the private sector to help agencies identify programs that are best performing; where improvements are needed and what investments will be most effective in achieving results important to the customers.  IRS and OSFA use it already
OPM issued draft regs in June that established three criteria for rating Senior Executives - employee sat; customer sat; and business results.
Link customer sat to outcomes and expectations

## Why the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)?

**An interactive **_***INDEX***_** that uses survey methodology **
**Highly valid and internationally recognized **
**Cross-industry measure **
**Effective for external or internal customers**
**Utilized by private and public sectors**

**Notes:**
ACSI developed in 1989 by Swedish professor as the first quality of output measure.  ASQ, non-profit organization that promotes improved quality, assisted in bringing Dr. Fornell to the US where he created a partnership with ASQ and the University of Michigan’s National Quality Research Center (Director - Dr. Barbara Bryant, fmr US Census Director)
ACSI used since 1994 to measure satisfaction with goods and services from the private and public sector.  Companies include household names and many Baldrige winners.  Public sector underrepresented until 1999 (IRS for federal government; police and sanitation services for state and local).
ACSI is a sophisticated interactive index that employs survey methodology.  It provides diagnostic information that analyzes an organizations strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.  More to follow.
First year results for federal government were very satisfactory.

## What Federal Services areMeasured by the ACSI?

**More than 100 Federal services delivered to: **
**Recreational visitors to public lands**
**US residents returning from international travel **
**Citizens receiving health and retirement benefits**
**Information and data users**
**Veterans**
**Applicants for grants and loan guarantees**

**Notes:**
ACSI developed in 1989 by Swedish professor as the first quality of output measure.  ASQ, non-profit organization that promotes improved quality, assisted in bringing Dr. Fornell to the US where he created a partnership with ASQ and the University of Michigan’s National Quality Research Center (Director - Dr. Barbara Bryant, fmr US Census Director)
ACSI used since 1994 to measure satisfaction with goods and services from the private and public sector.  Companies include household names and many Baldrige winners.  Public sector underrepresented until 1999 (IRS for federal government; police and sanitation services for state and local).
ACSI is a sophisticated interactive index that employs survey methodology.  It provides diagnostic information that analyzes an organizations strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.  More to follow.
First year results for federal government were very satisfactory.

## What USDA Services areMeasured by the ACSI?

**Seven Agencies and Ten Services/Programs**
**Food and Nutrition Service **
**Forest Service **
**Food Safety and Inspection Service**
**Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service**
**Farm Service Agency**
**National Agricultural Statistics Service**
**Natural Resources Conservation Service**

**Notes:**
ACSI developed in 1989 by Swedish professor as the first quality of output measure.  ASQ, non-profit organization that promotes improved quality, assisted in bringing Dr. Fornell to the US where he created a partnership with ASQ and the University of Michigan’s National Quality Research Center (Director - Dr. Barbara Bryant, fmr US Census Director)
ACSI used since 1994 to measure satisfaction with goods and services from the private and public sector.  Companies include household names and many Baldrige winners.  Public sector underrepresented until 1999 (IRS for federal government; police and sanitation services for state and local).
ACSI is a sophisticated interactive index that employs survey methodology.  It provides diagnostic information that analyzes an organizations strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.  More to follow.
First year results for federal government were very satisfactory.

## Customer Satisfaction Results for NRCS

**CUSTOMER**

**SATISFACTION**

**(ACSI)**

**TRUST**

**CUSTOMER**

**COMPLAINTS**

**PERCEIVED**

**QUALITY**

**CUSTOMER**

**EXPECTATIONS**

**Overall**

**Overall**

**     **

**Satisfaction**

**Confirm/**

**Disconfirm**

**Expectations**

**Comparison **

**to Ideal**

**Complaint**

**Behavior**

**CONSERVATION**

**TECHNICAL**

**ASSISTANCE**

**INFORMATION **

**ON**

**CONSERVATION**

**CUSTOMER**

**SERVICE**

**Usefulness**

**Accessible**

**Clarity**

**Courtesy**

**Professional**

**Loyalty**

**Advocacy**

**Convenience**

**8.1**

**8.6**

**8.8**

**8.9**

**8.6**

**9.6**

**9.2**

**8.9**

**8.6**

**8.0**

**8.0**

**9.0**

**9.3**

**80**

**86**

**86**

**94**

**88**

**81**

**11.3%**

**90**

**0.3**

**0.4**

**1.6**

**1.2**

**2.6**

**4.4**

**-3.0**

**2.8**

**-0.2**

**C.I.=-/+ 2.2**

## Test results against current assumptions
Reexamine improvement plans and strategy
Report results to Congress, customers, employees
Design and conduct more detailed drill-down surveys
Identify strategic benchmarking partners

**Reexamine improvement plans and strategy**
**Report results to Congress, customers, employees**
**Design and conduct more detailed drill-down surveys**
**Identify strategic benchmarking partners**

***How Can an Agency Utilize ACSI Data to Drive Improvement?***

**Notes:**
Entire process takes 90 days from contract signing.  
FCG along with U Michigan assists agency in defining customer segment(s), identifying customer list, develops activities and outcomes and designs questionnaire.
Survey is done by outside market research firm.  Analysis is done by U Michigan and FCG delivers the ACSI results

*** ******What Do the Results of the ACSI Have to Say about the Public’s Satisfaction with the Federal Government’s Delivery of Services?***

**Notes:**
Entire process takes 90 days from contract signing.  
FCG along with U Michigan assists agency in defining customer segment(s), identifying customer list, develops activities and outcomes and designs questionnaire.
Survey is done by outside market research firm.  Analysis is done by U Michigan and FCG delivers the ACSI results

## “This Is Something You Don’t Hear Often – Federal Employees Are Doing a Good Job”Peter JenningsNational NewsDecember 13, 1999

- Peter   j

## How the Federal Government Compares 

-  government delivers

## Where Does Government Excel? 

-  government delivers

## Where Can Government Improve? 

-  government delivers

## APHIS
Food & Nutrition Service 
U.S. Mint
U.S. Postal Service
Federal Aviation Admin. 
 Internal Revenue Service  

**Food & Nutrition Service **
**U.S. Mint**
**U.S. Postal Service**
**Federal Aviation Admin. **
** ****Internal Revenue Service  **

***How Have Agencies Benefited?***

**CUSTOMER **
**SATISFACTION **
**ACHIEVEMENTS**

**Notes:**
I like this slide - it’s reflects some of the successes that we’ve already seen
EDPubs - Followed up with its own in-depth survey.  Random sample surveys; established internal Information Products Team that can access on-line product inventory; cut public inquiry response time; employ bilingual customer service reps; published bilingual catalogs
SFA - first Performance Based Organization established in 1998.  New customer focused management. Customer Service Task Force. Created SFA Ombudsman.  Reengineering business processes and computer systems.  Working on employee sat strategy.   Has expanded measurement to all of its major activities within its 3 channels on an ongoing basis using ACSI.
US Postal Service cited had the greatest increase in ACSI score since the survey began of any organization. “They’ve really moved up in the quality of their services,” Peter Coleman, BOA Securities (HANDOUT)
FAA - within 10 days held customer focus group and implemented its first plain language regulation
IRS - measured electronic filers and received a score of 74 compared with 51 - reinforced importance of e-efforts and won praise from Hill 
Forest Service - Using ACSI in GPRA Annual Report

## Thank YouAnne KellyDirectorFederal Consulting Group202-906-6287

- Peter   j