There is a Service to the Citizen alliance of information technology leaders from 12 federal agencies collaborating on projects and funding to sort out how technology can improve service to the government's customers. These and other initiatives already under way provide the first building blocks for a customer-driven government. But more is needed before the culture of government can change from designing programs and systems that satisfy bosses to establishing principles and goals that serve customers. We must move from a government of central control to one of decentralized operations held accountable for the results, from a system based on mistrust of people to one where employees are empowered to do their jobs. For the past 15 years, private industry has been busy reinventing itself to focus on customer satisfaction.
Businesses live and die by the maxim that customers come first.
And usually, if they are successful, they long ago abandoned the old way of thinking that decisions come only from the top. Unlike businesses, however, government agencies rarely get their funding directly from the public. Lacking this direct link to their real customers, agencies often focus instead on powerful stakeholders, such as higher-level management. As these stakeholders raise issues, agencies increase their specialization, add regulations, and pile on more directives. There are three reasons why improving customer service is critically important.