Government Contact Center Satisfaction Index Rises Slightly, Still Lags Behind Private Sector

Improvements by CMS and DOE drive overall score boost; web-based contact climbing

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Jun 17, 2015, 08:30 ET

ANN ARBOR, Mich., June 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizen satisfaction with government contact centers improved from the previous year but still lags behind the private sector, according to the CFI Group's Government Center Satisfaction Index (GCCSI) released today. The seventh annual report uses the proven methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index to provide managers a better understanding of how to meet the needs of their contact center users.

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Overall scores for government contact centers improved 4 points in 2014 to 67, a rebound from a 9-point fall in 2013 that provides hope for a positive trend going forward. For comparison, the CFI Group CCSI 2014 study found private sector contact centers had an overall score of 72.

The overall improvement was largely driven by two departments: The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) improved its score 7 points to 68 and the Department of Education (DOE) improved 6 points to 76. Other notable department scores include Social Security Administration (70), Department of Veteran Affairs (65) and Internal Revenue Service (64). State and local governments scored 68.

The report cites three critical drivers – "Policies and Procedures," "Contact Process" and "Representative's Knowledge" – in which government call centers lag behind the private sector, and offers suggestions on how to close the gap.

"We all know government contact centers face inherent and deep-seated challenges," said CFI Group CEO Sheri Petras. "But knowing what matters most to citizens will help contact centers meet their goal of providing excellent customer service. Compare those three critical areas against the private sector and you plainly see where government contact centers can score closer to their private sector counterparts and get back to 2012 levels, when the GCCSI score was 72."

Also notable: The study found a significant increase in the number of respondents using agency websites as a means of contact, jumping from 14% in 2013 to 25% in 2014.

To obtain the complete 2014 Government Call Center Satisfaction Index report, including specific detail on agencies, visit www.cfigroup.com.

About CFI Group (www.cfigroup.com)

CFI Group is a global leader in providing customer feedback insights through analytics using the science of our founding partner, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). As the exclusive licensee of ACSI methodology, we provide a technology platform that continuously measures the customer experience across multiple channels, benchmarks performance, and prioritizes improvements for maximum impact.

About the ACSI

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is the only uniform, cross-industry measure of customer satisfaction proven to predict financial results. Founded at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, the ACSI is a leading economic indicator of consumer spending in the United States. ACSI and its logo are Registered Marks of the University of Michigan, licensed worldwide exclusively to American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC.

Media Contact:

Rich Rezler
Rezler Communications for CFI Group
Email
(734) 358-1910

SOURCE CFI Group