Subscriptions to Newsletter Encouraging 

We are pleased to report that your response to our invitation to subscribe 

to the free NTIS Customer Advocate’s Corner quarterly newsletter 

exceeded our expectations. We look forward to providing you updates on 

activities at NTIS, and hope you will take a moment to let us know: 

How you are using the information you purchase from NTIS; 

Products you are finding difficult to locate but which would be 

candidates for inclusion in the NTIS collection; 

Innovative ideas about how NTIS can better assist you in reaching 

your business and research goals. 

It’s easy to forward your suggestions. Simply e-mail me, Pat Moton, at 

customeradvocate@ntis.gov or call me on my direct line, 703-605-6103. 

 

National Technical Information Service www.ntis.gov pmoton@ntis.gov

U.S. Department of Commerce 703-605-6103 

5285 Port Royal Road 

Springfield, VA 22161 

 We at NTIS wish you a joyful and prosperous New Year 

 and look forward to working with you in 2009. 

 CUSTOMER ADVOCATE’S 

 Winter - January 2009 CORNER Volume 1, Issue 2 

I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE

1 Subscriptions to Newsletter 

Encouraging 

2 NTIS Associate Director 

Shares His Views 

3 RSS Feeds Now Available 

at the NTIS Web Site 

4 It’s That Time of Year 

Again—Tax Time 

5 Where’s NTIS Exhibiting? 

6 Did you know . . .? 

NTIS Associate Director Shares His Views 

Jon Birdsall came to NTIS from private industry in 1993, working in the 

NTIS Office of Customer Services and ultimately becoming its Associate 

Director in 2005. More recently, Jon was appointed the Associate 

Director for Manufacturing and Distribution, but still oversees the Office 

of Customer Services. 

Pat Moton: “Jon, why do you think customer service is viewed with such

importance at NTIS?” 

Jon Birdsall: “We have a tremendous opportunity as a small 

Government agency that is service-oriented to set the standard for other 

Government agencies to follow. NTIS customers are well-educated and 

“. . . we cannot afford 

to make mistakes—we 

have to do it right the 

first time.” 

Please see NTIS Associate Director Shares His Views on page3.
Page 2 NTIS CUSTOMER ADVOCATE’S CORNER

DID YOU KNOW THAT RSS FEEDS ARE 

NOW AVAILABLE AT THE NTIS WEB SITE? 

Do you need to keep up with the latest Government reports in a specific 

subject area? If so, our RSS Feeds are a great opportunity. Just go to our 

Web page at www.ntis.gov, and click on “Subscribe to RSS Feeds” in the 

green box on the right near the top of our page. 

RSS Feeds – Another 

free service NTIS is 

offering to enhance the 

knowledge of our 

customers and help 

you keep current in 

your areas of expertise. 

You can sign up for any of the 39 categories that interest you—and it’s 

free. From Administration and Management, through Business, Chemistry, 

Civil Engineering, and the Environment, to Health Care, Library and 

Information Sciences, as well as Military, Nuclear and Ocean Sciences, and 

even Photography—it’s all there. Every two weeks, we’ll let you know the 

new reports that have been added to the NTIS collection in your areas of 

interest. 

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN 

It’s time to start thinking about filing your taxes, and again this year 

NTIS is selling the official Internal Revenue Service Tax Products IRS 

Pub-1796. The 2008 version is available only on DVD; so if your 

computer doesn’t have a DVD drive, you’ll want to think about 

purchasing one to accommodate accessing the IRS DVD as well as 

other DVD’s you may be considering buying in the future. To find out

the particulars of what’s on this new version of the IRS Tax Products 

DVD, just go to the NTIS Web site at 

http://www.ntis.gov/products/irsdvd.aspx. 

WHERE’S NTIS EXHIBITING? 

 

We hope you’ll be able to stop by whenever NTIS is exhibiting in your 

area. 

From March 12-15, 2009, we will be exhibiting at the 14th National 

Conference of the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) in 

Seattle, Washington—Booth No. 600. 

From June 14-17, 2009, NTIS will be exhibiting at the Special Libraries 

Association Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO in Washington, D.C.—

Booth No. 631. 

 * * * * * * * 

Are there upcoming conferences at which you feel an NTIS exhibit or 

speech would be a valuable contribution? 

Just e-mail me at customeradvocate@ntis.gov or call me at 

703-605-6103. I’ll be sure your suggestion is forwarded to the proper 

NTIS management staff. 

 * * * * * * * 
NTIS CUSTOMER ADVOCATE’S CORNER Page 3

NTIS Associate Director Shares His Views from Page 1

Jon (Cont.): have high expectations of customer service. As a small 

Federal agency, we can more easily modify our procedures and policies 

quickly to accommodate customer needs. Since we are self-supporting and 

receive no appropriations, we cannot afford to make mistakes—we have to 

do it right the first time.” 

Pat: “What factors play a crucial role in ensuring the highest standards of 

customer service are at the forefront of NTIS policies and procedures?” 

Jon: “It starts at the top with our Director, Ellen Herbst. She sets the 

standards that she wants the Agency to follow. Ellen’s influence permeates

the entire agency. NTIS wants to be the best at providing customer service 

in the Federal Government. Both Ellen and our Deputy Director, Bruce 

Borzino, are 100 percent behind that effort. Customer service is at the 

forefront of everything NTIS does. New product development at our Agency

includes conversations with NTIS customer service personnel to define areas

of responsibility with an assurance that all the staff members in Customer 

Service are informed of the product, how it works, and how to resolve 

customer concerns before the product is offered to the public.” 

Pat: “Are there any measurements employed that ensure continued 

positive interactions with our customers?” 

Jon: “Both the Office of Customer Relations and Subscriptions and the 

Office of Sales monitor, on a daily basis, the telephone system, e-mail 

requests, incoming mail, and faxes. Requests that come in on the weekend 

or holidays are always addressed during the next business day. The 

Dropped Call Rate (the number of customers that hang up after waiting in 

queue) is an excellent measurement that we consistently keep below the 

industry average, ensuring that NTIS customers speak to a “live” person 

without a long wait when calling in on the phone. Customers also may walk

into our Bookstore in Springfield, Virginia, where a staff member provides 

them immediate assistance. The workload in the Office of Customer 

Services is reviewed daily, and any modifications are made as needed to 

ensure continued excellent customer service and access. Further, our 

employees are not rated on the number of phone calls they answer which 

frees them to take the time necessary to provide the customer with 

complete, understandable answers to any of their questions. 

Approximately two-thirds of the calls that come into the Sales area are calls

requesting information, only one-third of those calling place orders. ” 

Pat: “What changes do you foresee in NTIS’ future approach to customer 

service?” 

Jon: “NTIS customer service will continue to evolve in tandem with the 

growth of more sophisticated products and lines of communication. We will

constantly strive, as we do now, to meet or exceed our customers’ 

expectations.” 

“NTIS customer 

service will continue to 

evolve in tandem with 

the growth of more 

sophisticated products 

and lines of 

communication.” 
Page 4 NTIS CUSTOMER ADVOCATE’S CORNER

 Did you know . . .?

Ellen Herbst is on the Board of Directors of

NFAIS

NTIS is a longstanding member of NFAIS, the 

National Federation of Advanced Information 

Services. Our Director, Ellen Herbst, is on the 

Board of Directors and is participating in the 

update to the NFAIS Strategic Plan. 

Representing an international cross-section of 

publishing, technology, and information 

providers, NFAIS is a partnership of commercial 

and nonprofit organizations as well as 

government entities. Primarily, member 

rganizations aggregate, organize, and facilitate 

access to information. 

o

NTIS Sells Military Publications and Manuals

Have you ever bought an Army surplus tank or 

helicopter? Perhaps not, but your company 

may have purchased a large Army surplus item 

and now needs a manual to go with it—or you

may need an Army technical manual (also 

known as a TM), field manual (FM), Army 

regulation (AR), or technical bulletin (TB). 

Most of these can be purchased through NTIS. 

Just access our Web page at 

http://www.ntis.gov/products/military.aspx

for information on how to search for and order 

these items. Don’t forget to take a moment to

read the “Search Tips” by scrolling down the 

page. You’ll find them helpful. 

NTIS Offers a Certification Service

Many of our customers don’t realize that NTIS 

offers a certification service. If you require a 

certified copy of a document in our collection 

for an upcoming court case, or if your State 

requires that selected courses be taught only 

from certified copies of a manual we offer for 

sale, then this is the service for you. 

Orders for certified copies need to be placed 

over the phone at 1-800-553-NTIS(6847). The 

fee is $130 per copy, which includes rush 

delivery. If you need multiple certified copies of

a document, our Sales Desk will be glad to work 

with you on modifying the fee. (Some of our 

customers have needed up to 20 certified copies 

of one manual.) 

Written and Edited by: 

Pat Moton 

Customer Advocate 

National Technical 

 Information Service 

5285 Port Royal Road 

Springfield, VA 22161

Phone: 

703-605-6103 

Fax: 

703-605-6900 

E-mail: 

customeradvocate@ntis.gov 

NTIS Sells Armed Forces Recipes, Too

Cooking for large groups, such as scouting 

organizations, schools, churches, and family 

reunions, will no longer be as challenging once 

you purchase the Armed Forces Recipe Service 

on CD-ROM. You’ll find 1,700 recipes to make 

portions for 100 people or more. The recipes 

can easily be decreased or increased to suit 

your needs and include nutritional-value-offood information. Browse through an index of 

appetizers, beverages, breads, meats, fish, 

poultry, pasta, salads, vegetables, cakes, 

frostings, and more. The cost is $79 domestic, 

$158 international, plus a shipping and 

handling fee. Just ask for product number 

TM10412. See 

http://www.ntis.gov/products/recipes.aspx

for more information. 

 

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