80 Percent of Federal Employees Say Their Agency Does Not Have a Single Customer Service Leader

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Dec 11, 2018, 10:00 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In overwhelming numbers, federal employees (80 percent) say that no one leader is in charge of customer service at their agencies. The research also finds that for agencies with a single customer service lead, employees are much more likely to score their agency higher on critical customer service elements – as much as 25 to 30 percent higher.

Details are contained in a new research series, Improving Customer Service in Federal Government: Start Here. The research was conducted by Eagle Hill Consulting in collaboration with Government Executive research intelligence division, Government Business Council (GBC). Download the research here.

The findings come as the pressure is on agencies to improve customer experience under the President's Management Agenda and Office of Management and Budget guidance.

"Put a leader in charge of customer service," says Melissa Jezior, Eagle Hill's president and chief executive officer. "That is the main takeaway for government leaders from this research. Federal agencies can swiftly and substantially improve customer service when there is structured oversight, accountability and leadership. For example, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) reportedly is seeing progress with a chief customer experience officer in place. This has resulted in the agency taking a wholistic approach and implementing programs that consolidate disparate information to create data-centric and measurable approaches to customer service. The agency already is driving savings and strengthening its culture,"Jezior explained.

The research also finds that:

Only about half (56 percent) of federal employees say their leadership frequently includes the importance of customer service in their conversations with employees.
Some 77 percent of federal workers believe that communication between levels of government is a critical element in customer service strategy.
Measuring customer satisfaction also is a key element of the strategy according to 64 percent of federal staff.

This is the third segment in a series of four reports Eagle Hill is releasing with data findings and insights on federal agency customer service challenges and opportunities. The first report found that organizational culture is more important than technology and budgets when it comes to improving customer service. The second report found that more than half of federal employees (56 percent) say their agency does not measure customer service effectiveness.

The most recent President's Management Agenda and OMB Circular No. A-11, Section 208 are requiring agencies to substantially improve customer service. Agencies must make improving customer experience a priority and deliver modern, streamlined and responsive experiences from federal agencies. Download here Eagle Hill's new Three Minute Guide for Federal Agencies to OMB Circular A-11 Section 280.

The 2018 Eagle Hill Consulting Federal Government Customer Service Survey was conducted online by GBC between June and July 2018. The online survey included 625 respondents from a random sample of respondents across the Federal Government including civilian and Department of Defense agencies. This research series provides a roadmap for government leaders to steer their agencies and offices in the right direction.

Learn about Eagle Hill's Public Service practice here.

Eagle Hill Consulting LLC is a woman-owned business that provides unconventional management consulting services in the areas of business strategy, process improvement, organizational design, change management, program management and human capital consulting. The company's expertise in delivering innovative solutions to unique challenges spans across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, from financial services to healthcare to media & entertainment. Eagle Hill has offices in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and in Seattle, WA. More information is available at www.eaglehillconsulting.com.

SOURCE Eagle Hill Consulting