More Than Half Of Federal Employees Say Their Agency Does Not Measure Customer Service Effectiveness, New Eagle Hill Research Finds

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Dec 04, 2018, 10:00 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 4, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- More than half of federal employees (56 percent) say their agency does not measure customer service effectiveness. At the same time, the majority of federal employees say their agency effectively addresses the needs of its customers, but few have data that supports this notion.

New research from Eagle Hill Consulting also finds that nearly two out of three federal employees(63 percent) say their federal agencies do not provide them with customer satisfaction scores and metrics.

These findings are contained in 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.

"Our survey found little evidence of uniform approaches to measuring customer service performance at both the organizational and individual levels in federal agencies," said Melissa Jezior, Eagle Hill's president and chief executive officer. "This is highly problematic. If government leaders want to quickly advance their customer service performance, designing and implementing a customer service measurement program is a logical and imperative first step. After all, if you can't measure it, you can't manage it."

The research also indicates that at the individual level, nearly 20 percent of survey respondents report that no assessment of customer service—either to internal or external customers—is included in their performance evaluations. In addition, more than 1/3 (34 percent) of federal employees report receiving no recognition whatsoever related to customer service. This means that agencies are relying heavily on employees' self-motivation for excellence in service delivery—a finding with concerning implications not just for service, but for employee morale as well.

This is the second 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 most recent President's Management Agenda and OMB Circular No. A-11, Section 208 have brought the topic of government customer service front and center. Now, agencies must make improving customer experience a priority, and measurement is one of the core customer experience functions described by in the OMB circular. Download here a 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