Measuring Satisfaction with Government Using the ACSI

1

ACSIAmerican Customer Satisfaction Index TM

Measuring Satisfaction with Government Using the ACSI

Mexico City, September 2009

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Snapshot of ACSI

• Established in 1994, ACSI is the only standardized measure of customer satisfaction in the U.S. economy, covering approximately 200 companies in 45 industries and 10 sectors; companies measured account for roughly one-third of the U.S. GDP

• A quarterly measure of the national economy’s health; complementary to measures such as inflation and unemployment

• 50+ departments and agencies of the U.S. Federal Government measured on an annual basis

• Results from all surveys are published quarterly in various media and on the ACSI website, www.theacsi.org

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T M M ETürkiye Müşteri Memnuniyeti Endeksi

Turkish CSI Korean CSI

Mexican CSIColombian CSI Swedish CSI

ACSI Methodology Adopted Internationally

UK CSISingapore CSI

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ACSI and Government Satisfaction

• ACSI measured portions of Federal Government as early as 1994

– Internal Revenue Service measured as part of the ACSI since 1994

• In 1999, ACSI chosen as the “gold standard” measure of customer satisfaction by the Federal government

• Currently more than 200 different government services measured using the ACSI methodology

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Why Measure Satisfaction with Government?

Link customer satisfaction with expectations and

desired outcomes

Benchmark against “best” in business and

government

Set “baseline” for customer satisfaction and measure progress

Provide critical information for annual performance plans to Congress (as required

under GPRA)

Identify areas for improving quality of service provided

to customers

Raise trust in agencies and the

government overallEnable Senior Executives to meet performance criteria

ACSI

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ACSI METHODOLOGY

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ACSI Methodology

• Customer satisfaction (ACSI) is embedded in a system of cause and effect relationships

• Measures are general enough to be comparable across agencies, and private sector companies

• ACSI is measured using multiple indicators

• Objective: Explain desired outcomes

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● A component score is a weighted average of the set of attributes, or survey questions, comprising a component or activity. Responses to survey questions are given on a 1-10 scale, which is converted to a 0-100 scale for score reporting.

● An impact, on the other hand, predicts the increase in satisfaction that would result from a 5-point increase in a component or input score.

● Areas for improvement are those components or activities with a relatively low score and a relatively high impact on satisfaction.

In the simplified example shown here, Activity 2

would be a key action area due to its relatively low score and high impact.

ACSI

65Activity 2

65

Activity 1

76

1.5

.8

Impact

Score

EXAMPLE

ACSI Methodology

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Federal Government ACSI Model

CustomerComplaints

CustomerComplaints

Agency TrustAgency Trust

Customer Satisfaction

(ACSI)


(ACSI)

PerceivedQuality

PerceivedQuality

Customer Expectations


CustomerService

CustomerService

InformationInformation

ProcessProcess

Confidence

Recommend

Courtesy

Professional

Clarity

Accessibility

Ease

Timeliness

WebsiteWebsite

Ease

Usefulness

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ACSI RESULTSFOR THE

U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

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68.6 68.6

71.3

70.2

70.9

72.1

71.3

72.3

67.8

68.9

65

70

75

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Aggregate Customer Satisfaction withFederal Government, 1999-2008*

*A methodology change in 2007 limits comparability to prior years. Year-to-year trending is recommended.

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2008 Federal Government ACSI Model

CustomerComplaints

CustomerComplaints



(ACSI)


(ACSI)

PerceivedQuality

PerceivedQuality



CustomerService

CustomerService

InformationInformation

ProcessProcess

Confidence

Recommend

Courtesy

Professional

Clarity

Accessibility

Ease

Timeliness

73

75

80

69

76

69

70

9%

1.8

0.6

1.6

1.1

4.0

0.2

-1.9

4.5

0.0

72

69

WebsiteWebsite

Ease

Usefulness

74

80

79

75

74

73

74

79

70

2.3

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How Agencies Utilize ACSI Data

• Test results against current assumptions• Reexamine improvement plans and

strategy• Report results to Congress, employees,

and customers• Design and conduct more detailed drill-

down surveys on low-performing areas• Identify strategic benchmarking

partners; identify/adopt “best practices”

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IRS Finding: e-Filers Vastly More Satisfied

•fewer errors, quicker problem resolution•earlier refunds, easy status tracking

5451

5550

5253535248

44

7678 787778777877

7574

40

50

60

70

80

90

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Paper Filers e-Filers

23 points30 points

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20%

55%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

1998 2006

Number of e-filers nearly triples in 8 years

“We realize we have more work to do, but the survey is just one more indication that the IRS reorganization and its emphasis on customer service are paying off. The satisfaction with IRS e-file won´t surprise any taxpayer who has used it. When they try it, they like it. It is fast, accurate and dependable.” - Charles O. Rossotti, IRS commissioner, December 17, 2001

IRS: More e-Filers

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IRS: Improved Individual Tax Filing Experience

IRS hears the voice of the customer… • Commitment to customer service• Increased awareness and usage of e-filing

Customer Satisfaction Up 17 Points51

56

60

6263

64 6465

68 68

50

55

60

65

70

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

All Individual Tax Filers

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57

62

67

68

70

71

73

74

75

78

69

40 50 60 70 80

Homeland Security

Treasury

Education

Agriculture

Federal Government

Veterans Affairs

State

SSA

HHS

Defense

Interior

Citizen Satisfaction by Department

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7880

69

76

65

70

75

80

85

90

National Federal Government


Perceived Quality

Government “Expectations Gap”

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80

7574

73

70

65

70

75

80

85

90

CustomerService

Information Website Process AgencyTrust

Customer Service Leads the Way

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Few Citizens Complain, but…

9%

14%17%

47%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

FederalGovernment

Supermarkets Airlines Cable TV

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Complaints are Handled Poorly, and…

4143

58

72

30

40

50

60

70

80

Airlines FederalGovernment

Cable TV Supermarkets

Complaint Handling Score (0-100)

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Complaint Handling Impacts Satisfaction

25

69

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

Citizen Satisfaction

Satisfaction when Complaint Handled Poorly

Satisfaction when Complaint Handled Well

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● ACSI measures both agency trust (trust with the specific agency experienced), and overall trust (trust in the Federal government as a whole).

● Overall trust measured by asking:

“Generally speaking, how much of the time do you think you can trust the government?”

Agency-Specific Trust vs. Overall Trust

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69 70

37

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

Citizen Satisfaction Agency Trust Overall Trust

Agency and Overall Trust

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(ACSI)


(ACSI)

1.7

4.5Overall Trust in

Federal Government

Overall Trust in Federal

Government

70

69

0.0

37

Agency and Overall Trust

● Customer Satisfaction has a very strong direct impact on trust in a specific agency

● Customer Satisfaction has no direct impact on overall trust in government, but has a small indirect impact via agency trust

Measuring Satisfaction with Government Using the ACSI

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