Federal agencies are working to improve customer service in accordance with President Obama's Executive Order 13571. The order outlines four key areas of focus: improving customer service delivery, advancing customer service through innovative technology, soliciting timely customer feedback, and improving online services. Agencies are publishing customer service plans, developing signature initiatives that leverage new technologies, using a variety of tools to engage customers and gather feedback, and streamlining online experiences. Overall, the goal is to enhance the customer experience and better meet rising public expectations of responsive, efficient government services.

1. government - tech - customer service - leadership - opengov - gov2.0
The SEPTEMBER 2011
GovLoop Guide
To
Customer
Service
Excellence
IMPROVE CUSTOMER
SERVICE DELIVERY
PAGE7
& TIMELY
SOLICIT
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
PAGE11
&
IMPROVE ONLINE
BLOGS,
FORUMS
SERVICES & OTHER
PAGE13 RESOURCES
What’s your customer
service strategy?
PAGE15

2. WELCOMECONTENTS
02
WELCOME/
CONTENTS Sep 2011
Customer Service Guide Improve Online Services
3 About the GovLoop Guide Series 13 E.O. Requirement: Eliminate Redundancies, Update
3 About Our Sponsor, RightNow Web Policies and Guidelines
4 Introduction 13 From the GovLoop Symposium: Ways to Improve
Online Services
13 GovLoop Tip: When Appropriate, Move to Digital
Improve Customer Service
Delivery 5 Reasons Why
7 E.O. Requirement: Publish Your Customer Service
Plan Government Should
7 From the GovLoop Symposium: How to Improve Engage In a Cross-
Customer Service Delivery
Channel Contact Strategy
7 GovLoop Tip: Use Search.usa.gov
14 Customer Service Checklist
Advance Customer GovLoop Blog Posts
Service through 15 Written by Members of the GovLoop Community
Innovative Tech
9 E.O. Requirement: Develop a Signature Initiative
Resources
9 From the GovLoop Symposium: Social Media Tips
15 List of Additional Customer Service Resources
to Improve Customer Service
9 GovLoop Tip: How to Improve Customer Experience
Solicit Timely Customer
Feedback 15 Learn from the
11 E.O. Requirement: Use a Broad Set of Tools for wisdom of the crowd
Active Engagement through insightful
blog posts at Gov-
11 From the GovLoop Symposium: Soliciting
Loop.com
Customer Feedback Tips
11 GovLoop Tip: Prioritize the 80/20 Rule

3. About the
GovLoop Guide
Series
GovLoop, in partnership with various companies and
organizations has created a set of guides on a variety of
subjects to provide managers with the information they need
to know.
In partnership with GovLoop held a Customer to improve government. and beneficial relationship.
RightNow, GovLoop has Service Symposium to fa- Since 1997 RightNow has
been preparing resources cilitate a discussion about RightNow helps pioneered technological
to help agencies meet the how federal agencies can public and private organi- delivery of the mechanisms
requirements of President improve customer service. zations deliver customer to deliver those experienc-
Obama’s Customer Service At the symposium, federal experiences and interac- es and provided training
Executive Order. GovLoop workers shared resources tions that are rewarding and insights as to how to
developed the Customer and ideas on how they are and beneficial to both achieve them. RightNow is
Service Hub that has been working to meet the re- parties. RightNow helps headquartered in Bozem-
the go-to resource for cus- quirements of the Custom- to improve efficiencies, an, Montana, employs over
tomer service content. Gov- er Service Executive Order. reduce costs and increase 1,000 people and serves
Loop and RightNow have In the spirit of GovLoop, we revenue. Their customers 2,000 organizations, both
created over twenty blog wanted to connect govies find answers to questions public and private, world-
posts and discussions on who are working on the and resolution to their wide. RightNow is listed
customer service strategies same challenges, and work needs quickly, easily and in on the NASDAQ under the
for government. Recently, towards finding solutions ways that create a positive symbol RNOW.
Acknowledgements
STEVE RESSLER- Founder and CEO
govloop
Published by GovLoop in partnership with RightNow, 743 15th St. Washington, D.C. 20005
Govloop Team: Created & Developed by: GovLoop is the premier social
network connecting over 43,000
government innovators from
federal, state and local govern-
ment. The community is a great
DOUG MASHKURI- Director of Business
resource for all people in and
Development
around government, whether
they are looking to connect with
PAT FIORENZA- Graduate Fellow peers, collaborate on projects or
discover career-building opportu-
JEFF RIBEIRA- Creative Director nities. GovLoop is the place to be
In Partnership with: for today’s government leaders.
Contributors:
MELISSA HARDT- RightNow Director,
PAST GUIDES
Industry & Public Sector Marketing • New Hire Handbook
• Core Project Management
ALL GOVLOOP MEMBERS AND OTHER Process (For Small Projects)
PARTICIPANTS FROM THE CUSTOMER • Managing the PMF Applica-
SERVICE SYMPOSIUM tion Process
• Guide to Getting an MPA 2011

4. GOVLOOPGUIDE
04
Customer Service
Introduction
Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service,”
“With advances in technology and Zients walks you through some steps to make sure your
service delivery systems in other agency complies with the Executive Order. The four over-
arching categories that Zients identifies are:
sectors, the public’s expectations
of the Government have continued 1. Improve Customer Service Delivery
to rise. 2. Advance Customer Service through In-
The Government must keep pace with and even novative Technology
exceed those expectations. Government must also 3. Solicit Timely Customer Feedback
address the need to improve its services, not only
to individuals, but also to private and Governmen- 4. Improve Online Services
tal entities to which the agency directly provides
significant services. Government managers must Below we have mapped out each area and provided
learn from what is working in the private sector and some insights from the GovLoop Community as to how
apply these best practices to deliver services better, best meet the requirements of the Executive Order and
faster, and at lower cost.” improve your customer service. Be sure to check out
GovLoop and our Customer Service Hub for even more
great resources to improve customer service within your
On April 27, 2011, President Barack Obama issued agency.
Executive Order 13571. The Executive Order was a re-
newed vow by President Obama to improving customer All data presented in this guide comes from the Au-
service by Federal Agencies. In the Executive Order, gust 2011 study entitled, “Uncle Sam at Your Service The
President Obama reminds us “the public deserves com- 2011 Federal Customer Experience Study.” The study was
petent, efficient, and responsive service from the Fed- produced by MeriTalk and underwritten by RightNow.
eral Government.” Government has traditionally been
criticized for poor customer service and weak service
delivery. With new and emerging technologies, President
Obama has issued a challenge to Federal agencies to
capitalize on the available technology to improve cus-
tomer service processes and operations for citizens.
In a memo by Jeffrey Zients, Federal Chief Perfor-
mance Officer and Deputy Director for Management,
“Implementing Executive Order 13571 on Streamlining

5. GOVLOOPGUIDE
05
How satisfied are you with
Federal customer service?
TAKE
AWAY:
Agencies with
superior service
show others what is
possible. Aim high!
Who are considered the “best” agencies?
“Providing real, live
customer service
reps at the point-of-
service can be costly,
but it provides for ap- Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Social Security Administration (SSA) US Postal Service (USPS)
propriately awesome
customer service”
Eric R. Payne
Organization Excellence Department of Education Department of State
Consultant, Booz Allen
Hamilton

6. GOVLOOPGUIDE
06
TAKE
AWAY:
There is still a lot of
work to be done. It’s
time to close that gap!
“Customers (include your-
self here) are satisfied
when they get what they
want, when & how they
want it.” R. Anne Hull
President, Hull Strategies, LLC

7. GOVLOOPGUIDE
07
Improve Customer Service
Delivery
Due to the current fiscal landscape, all levels of governance have
been called to do more with less. With increasing budget constraints
agencies need to find new and innovative ways to improve how they
interface with their customers.
Executive Order Requirement From The GovLoop Symposium
Publish Your Customer Service Plan How to Improve Customer Service Delivery
To fulfill the requirements of the Executive Order, and an At the GovLoop Symposium, we found that in order to
easy way to improve customer service, be sure to publish move forward and improve customer service, agencies
your Customer Service Plan. All customer service plans need to take a hard look at themselves, the services they
must be posted within 180 days of the Executive Order. provide and the mission of the agency. One of challenge
The plan should be posted to your Open Government we heard at the symposium is for agencies to “untangle
website. A template of how to structure your plan can be the knots” and the ability to quickly solve problems re-
found in the appendix. lated to customer service. Agencies sometimes struggle
identifying the right point of contact and finding the right
Jeffrey Zients recommends that by developing a Custom- information to resolve a customers complaint.
er Service Task Force your agency will be able to easily
exchange best practices. Further, OMB will be creating a Some suggestions that emerged from the symposium
Customer Service Task Force, which will be comprised of to improve customer service are to start by identifying
agencies that provide significant services. This task force your customers. Think critically about what they want to
will meet regularly to discuss their Customer Service accomplish and what the relationship looks like. Chart
Plans and exchange best practices. out a map that walks you through each contact point
and interaction with the customer, at each level, decide
If you are an agency that is heavy in customer service, how you can improve the customer experience. In doing
your agency has already nominated a representative to so, you might see numerous redundancies and ways
serve on the OPM Customer Service Task Force, which to streamline the customer experience. In order to best
meets regularly to discuss best practices on how to im- serve your customers, you need to be able to walk a mile
prove customer service. in their shoes, understand their frustrations, identify pos-
sible solutions and understand the dimensions of being
a customer.
GOVLOOP TIP: Mapping out the experience is critical. You need to know
Use Seach.usa.gov who is doing what, when, why and how - identifying each
layer of customer service will allow you get a stronger
Search.usa.gov is a great resource for you to find informa- picture of the entire customer service experience and
tion across government. Be sure to check out the site and see improve the end process.
what other agencies are up to in terms of customer service.
This tool is a great way to make sure you are no recreating
the wheel and learning from colleagues in government fac-
ing similar challenges.

8. GOVLOOPGUIDE
08
TAKE
AWAY:
Americans ask
agencies to point
them in the right
direction. Simplify
the search and
watch for trends!
for example...
Mobile Apps and the
American People
“It’s extremely important to have
a strong organizational change
and transition component to help
people adapt to the new environ-
ment and expections.”
Wendi Pomerance Brick
President, Customer Service Advantage, Inc.

9. GOVLOOPGUIDE
09
Advance Customer Service
Innovative TEch
THROUGH
There is no doubt that as we witness improvements in service delivery
systems, there is an increase in customer’s demands for improved
customer service.
Executive Order Requirement From The GovLoop Symposium
Develop a Signature Initiative Social Media Tips to Improve Customer Service
Obama’s Executive Order requires that each agency es- At the GovLoop symposium, we looked at various tech-
tablish a signature initiative to improve customer service. nologies that could be used to improve customer service.
This signature initiative must use technology to improve Using social media tools was brought up as one potential
the customer experience, clearly articulate how agencies solution. Participants stated that with social media plat-
will interact with customers using new technology, show forms it is important to have a dedicated person looking
efficiency gains and improve current customer service up comments and complaints, keeping a database of
systems. The signature initiative should be placed in the what people are asking, and having a system to manage
customer service plan that your agency publishes. comments. Numerous participants also mentioned the
concept of having a multiple channel customer service
Various examples of potential signature initiatives are approach. At your agency, customers have access to
programs that enable customers to: numerous engagement channels and there must be a
consistent message across all channels. Regardless if a
• Reserve an office appointment online customer is calling you on the phone, chatting online, or
• Reducing time spent waiting in line submitting questions on your website, information must
• Complete an entire transaction independently be consistent and accurate across all channels.
online, limiting the need for calls or office visits
• Track the status of a service online, allowing ac-
cess to updates via a mobile device
• Set up mobile text alerts for notifications on
a range of topics, including emergency an-
nouncements
GOVLOOP TIP:
How To Improve Customer Experience
• Provide Options for Self-service
• Automate the process through the phone and on
the web to help people find the information they
want quickly
• Ask the right questions, develop the right FAQ’s
• Use video as a way to engage with customers

10. GOVLOOPGUIDE
010
TAKE
Understand AWAY:
Most Americans report
connecting with the
government online.
Customer
Embrace a multi-
channel approach!
Connections
“Customer service is much
like anything in life in that
a small percentage of
items (the 20%) represent
80% of overall calls”
Steve Ressler
Founder- Govloop.com

11. GOVLOOPGUIDE
011
Solicit Timely Customer
Feedback
Agencies should think of new ways to gather customer feedback and
improve how they manage comments, respond to complaints in a
timely manner, and develop methods on how to turn customer sug-
gestions into action to improve service within the agency.
Executive Order Requirement From The GovLoop Symposium
Use Broad Set of Tools For Active Engagement Soliciting Customer Feedback Tips
President Obama’s Executive Order expands the defi- Providing timely feedback to your customers is critical.
nition of customer and encourages agencies to use A lesson learned from the GovLoop Symposium is that
a broader set of tools to solicit comments, respond developing a new method or using a new platform is not
promptly, capture insights, and identify early warning necessarily an indication that you have improved cus-
signals. tomer service. If comments or concerns lay idle on your
new channels of communication, you are simply provid-
ing a new, innovative way to provide bad customer ser-
vice. You need to be invested in the new technologies to
capitalize with the new tools. Be sure to set up a strategy
and properly staff your agency to capatilize the potential
of the new tools you are using.
GOVLOOP TIP: “Customer service is much like anything in life in that a small
percentage of items (the 20%) represent 80% of overall calls. In
Prioritize for the 80/20 Rule customer service, out of the 10,000 calls or emails you get a day, I’m
sure about 80% are the same.
Excerpt from GovLoop Founder and President,
When I was in NYC with their 311 call center, their magic item
Steve Ressler’s Blog, 3 Ways to Improve Cus-
was alternate-site parking (where people have to move their cars
tomer Service
from one side of the street to the other on certain days). That was a
large large percentage of the calls. So they prioritized that to one of
the 1st things you hear when you call 311, so they can funnel those
80% calls away and get to the more urgent issues.”

12. GOVLOOPGUIDE
012
TAKE
AWAY:
Support for Continued Use cautious
optimism. Americans
believe agencies can
Change
continue to improve.
Optimize
Customer 39% 91%
Data of Americans are willing to
share some personal informa-
of Americans want to tell their
story only once. So, if they are on
a service call and are transferred to
tion (such as their address and
another person, they already have
contact information) for the
the background to their question.
Federal government to store in
a “customer profile” if it means
improved customer service.
“In 2011, citizens want immedi-
ate changes (new password
now) and I think they want
all things digital”
Steve Ressler
Founder- Govloop.com

13. GOVLOOPGUIDE
013
Improve Online
Services
As more and more Americans turn to the web for information, agencies should
be sure that websites post information that is easy to find, accessible, and time-
ly for citizens. Make sure your website is up to date, and is providing the content
that your customers demand. Also be sure that you are providing a consistent
message across all your channels of communication.
Executive Order Requirement From The GovLoop Symposium
Eliminate Redundancies, Update Web Policies Ways to Improve Online Services
and Guidelines
There are numerous other ways too that customer ser-
Jeffery Zients identifies that more than half of all Ameri- vice can be improved by improving online services. The
cans accessed a Federal website in 2010. Many services GovLoop community has provided other solutions to
are now provided online and citizens are expecting more improve web practices for customer service.
services to be available to them. Many agencies have al-
ready adapted their websites to improve service delivery. • Develop a Live Chat Feature for Customer Ser
Some websites still remain hard to navigate, outdated, or vice
poorly maintained. • Provide Automated, Personal Reminders
• Create Internal/External FAQ and make it search
In a post by Candi Harrison, Eliminating Websites, friendly
Consolidating Others = Better Customer Service!, Candi • Don’t forget about the Plain Language Act
expresses the power of consolidating websites and the
enormous impact on customer service. By consolidating President Obama signed the Plain Writing Act of 2010
websites, information is easier to find by users, decrease on October 13, 2010. Agencies are required to use “clear
the time spent looking for information and increase user Government communication that the public can under-
satisfaction on the website. stand and use.”
GOVLOOP TIP: “I’m not sure if it’s still the case but TSP used to mail me
a new password when I wanted it reset. Really? In 2011,
When Appropriate, Move to Digital citizens want immediate changes (new password now) and
I think they want all things digital (I don’t know what to do
An excerpt from President and Founder of w/ my print TSP statements they keep sending me - I’d love
GovLoop, Steve Ressler’s blog, 10 Ideas on to store them online). If you think about it, most banks, 401k
Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving style companies have transitioned most of the interactions
Customer Service: to digital.”

14. GOVLOOPGUIDE
014
5 Reasons WHy
Government Should Engage in a Cross-Channel Contact Strategy
Customer Service
GovLoop member and impacts the ability to get
RightNow employee
Melissa Hardt identifies 5
quality healthcare, or the
consequence could nega-
CHECKLIST
reasons why Government tively impact the environ-
should be engaging in ment or national security.
a cross-channel contact As a result, it is critical for
strategy. agencies to manage and
deliver knowledge effec-
RESAON #1 tively across all channels.
Significantly Reduced
Communication Work- REASON #3
load Rising Constituent
Cross channel contact Expectations
centers resolve problems As consumers of private
more quickly and are better sector products and servic- Publish Customer Service Plan
able to provide the right es, citizens are accustomed
information the first time. to real time responses. As Establish a Customer Service Task Force
It promotes self-service by a result, citizens strug- Establish Your Agencies Signature Initiative
gle to understand why
these experiences can’t be Create a “Fast Track” Review Process
replicated by a government Provide Guidance on Customer Feedback
agency. To keep pace with
Options
the private sector, govern-
ment agencies must raise Freeze Establishment of New Federal Executive
service levels across all Branch Domains
channels. The impact of
not doing so is poor perfor- Update .Gov Domain Policy and Guidelines
mance, low staff morale Eliminate Duplicative and Outdated Websites
and frustrated citizens.
ensuring that the informa- REASON #4
tion available is the same Better Insight Into service at less cost.
as what an agency subject- Emerging Issues
matter expert would pro- REASON #5
Agencies that implement
vide over the phone. It’s Very Do-able
multi-channel contact
centers know more about Multi-channel communica-
RESAON #2 the people they serve than tion management requires
Consistant, Accurate, those that don’t. They new thinking about how
and Up-to-date An- can consistently track inquiries are managed
swers what people are asking and how knowledge can
by phone, email, the web, be effectively leveraged.
We’ve all had an experi- and chat. They can re- However, it does not re- solutions are available via
ence where we have spond to that information quire major investments in the internet. Instead of
received bad informa- with better policies and technology infrastructure
tion. However, in many processes. They can also deploying a complex CRM
and may not even require application in your own
cases, when a government use that information to the involvement of IT at all.
improve website content, data center, you can get
agency provides a wrong That’s because todays on
and thereby deliver better multi-channel case man-
answer it significantly demand citizen experience

15. GOVLOOPGUIDE
015
agement and knowledge
base management capabil-
ities delivered to your PCs
new and improved chan-
nels to communicate with
government. Government
RESOURCES
using nothing more than is adept to these changes
your web browser. Under and continuously looking
this hosted delivery model, to accommodate new com-
the service provider man- munication channels. Now
ages all the software and it is time to advance from
underlying server infra- offering a multi channel
structure. strategy to an integrated
cross channel strategy.
Technology is available and • Implementing E.O. 13571
citizens expect to leverage • Presidential Executive Order -- Streamlining
Service Delivery and Improving Customer
Service
GovLoop Blog
• RightNow for Gov Group
• Customer Service in Government Group
Posts
• Citizen Engagement and Customer Service
Group
• 10 Examples of Shockingly-Excellent
Customer Service Hub on GovLoop Customer Service
10 Ideas on Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving • Why Zappos Pays New Employees to Quit --
Customer Service And You Should Too
• Citizen Engagement Training Webinar
A Time for a Change?
• HowTo.gov Website
22 Ideas to Improve Customer Service
Service Where You Serve
It’s All About Knowledge
This Guide Created & Developed by:
3 Ways to Improve Customer Service
Too Many Websites, Too Little Time
Does Customer Service Matter for Gov’t? 5 Examples for
Change
10 Ideas on Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving
In Partnership with:
Customer Service
Executive Order - Improving Service
Eliminating Websites, Consolidating Others = Better Cus-
tomer Service!
Stop Complaining About Your Local DMV! How Would
You Improve It?
WANT TO COLLABORATE
The New USAJobs - Great Customer Service! WITH US ON A GUIDE?
What Do You Think About New Executive Order on Cus-
tomer Satisfaction? We love making guides! Here at GovLoop we’re all about
telling the stories of public servants. Whether it be customer
What Is the Best Customer Experience You’ve Had? service, leadership best practices, or the latest and greatest
piece of tech, we’d love to work with you to create one of
Challenges in Customer Service & Measurement? these amazing resources for the government community.
Email: founder@govloop.com