The public deserves user-friendly services from the federal government, whether it’s veterans in need of health care, taxpayers seeking IRS assistance or college students applying for financial aid. While the private sector is quickly adapting to changing customer needs during the coronavirus pandemic, the public consistently rates federal agencies far behind other sectors and industries, leading to a lack of trust in government.
Read more about why customer experience is important and what government should do to improve.
Source: Pew Research Center
WHAT WE’RE DOING
Our goal is to help the government earn the trust of its customers by meeting their needs and expectations. We share knowledge and best practices on improving the customer experience through our research and events; advocate for removing policy and legislative barriers; and hold agencies accountable by publishing insights on their interactions with the public.
Government for the People
Serving the Public in a New World
In collaboration with Accenture Federal Services, we publish an annual “Government for the People” report — a comprehensive collection of data and insights on how customers experience some of the government’s key services.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, many federal agencies were striving to serve more people and meet rising customer expectations—which are set by the best experiences people have in the commercial sector. Faced with the challenge of delivering services during an unprecedented crisis, some agencies quickly adopted new strategies to meet changing customer needs. These enhancements should be the new normal for how government operates, not just something it does when facing a crisis.
Our second annual report provides in-depth data and insights on 11 key federal services, assesses the progress government has made since last year, and offers three service-delivery principles for advancing customer experience improvements in the pandemic and beyond.
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE PROFILES
These profiles offer detailed data and insights on how customers experience 11 key federal services.
Airport security
screening and
passenger support
services
Transportation Security
Administration
Citizenship and
immigration
applicant services
U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services
Customs security
and screening
services
Customs and
Border Protection
Farm loan and
conservation
services
Department of Agriculture
Federal student
aid services
Office of Federal Student Aid
Read the 2020 Profile Read the 2019 Profile
Medicare customer
support services
Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services
Recreation
reservations for
federal lands
Recreation.gov—
a multiagency initiative
Veterans education
and training
benefits
Veterans Benefits
Administration
Veterans outpatient
health care services
Veterans Health Administration
Read the 2020 Profile Read the 2019 ProfileCustomer Experience
Research Reports
Behind the Scenes: How Government Mission-Support Services Can Use a Customer Lens to Meet Big Challenges
This issue-brief demonstrates how mission-support offices have created—and can create—more customer-focused services that better enable government to solve big challenges.
Government for the People: Profiles on the customer experience
This report features in-depth customer experience profiles that highlight what is working well, where improvements are needed, and the actions that agencies are taking to strengthen the customer experience. It also highlights concrete steps that federal agencies, the Office of Management and Budget and Congress can take to enhance these services.
Colleagues as Customers: How Mission-Support Services Can Improve the Customer Experience
The Partnership for Public Service and Medallia identify three key strategies for mission-support service providers to use to improve the internal customer experience.
Time for a Change: How agencies are transforming business practices to meet customer needs
In this issue whitepaper we worked with Accenture Federal Services to identify how federal departments and agencies are rethinking traditional ways of doing business.
Beating the Tax Rush: Providing Critical Information Early Improves the IRS Customer Experience
In this issue brief, we worked with Accenture Federal Services to examine how the IRS overcame significant budget and staffing constraints to get ahead of customer questions and improve customer understanding and experience.
Customer Experience Dashboard
This sample customer experience dashboard highlights some of the important data that agency leaders can track to understand services from a customer’s perspective.
Beyond the Basics: Leading Practices for Improving Customer Experience in Government
This white paper highlights three proven private-sector strategies that government can adopt to improve citizen services, and explores common challenges federal agencies experience when implementing these practices.
The Most Important Customer: Improving the Citizen Experience with Government
Benefits of improving the customer experience go well beyond satisfied customers. Learn how in the Partnership for Public Service and Accenture Federal Service’s new issue brief.
Serving Citizens: Strategies for Customer-Centered Government in the Digital Age
In this report the Partnership for Public Service and Accenture highlight lessons learned from federal initiatives that have simplified and streamlined the process of interacting with the government by implementing a customer-centered approach to digital services.
RECENT NEWS
Building a Better Experience for Government’s Customers
June 19, 2020
Publication Type: In the News
The coronavirus pandemic has required nearly all organizations—from restaurants to schools to banks—to drastically rethink how they deliver services. It has been the same for government. The pandemic shuttered federal field offices, disrupted contact center operations, overwhelmed some online systems serving the public and moved many employees to full-time telework.
PARTNERSHIP FOR PUBLIC SERVICE AND ACCENTURE FEDERAL SERVICES UNVEIL FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND FEDERAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE REPORT
October 7, 2019
Publication Type: News Release
Publication Tags: Agencies
Tags: Customer Experience
Report reveals what is working well, what needs improving and what actions agencies are taking to strengthen customer experience across eight high-impact service providers WASHINGTON – The nonprofit, nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, in collaboration with Accenture Federal Services, today released “Government for the People: Profiles on the Customer Experience” — a first-of-its kind report…
PARTNERSHIP FOR PUBLIC SERVICE STATEMENT ON THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET’S NEWLY RELEASED DATA ON FEDERAL SERVICES
September 19, 2019
Publication Type: News Release
Tags: Customer Experience,Leadership Development
WASHINGTON – Partnership for Public Service Executive Vice President Meroe Park released the following statement applauding the Office of Management and Budget’s newly released data and information on 25 high-impact federal service providers. Whether working with veterans to access health care services or assisting students with financial aid to attend college, the federal government serves…
PARTNERSHIP FOR PUBLIC SERVICE APPLAUDS LEGISLATION DESIGNED TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN GOVERNMENT
July 26, 2019
Publication Type: News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2019 CONTACT: Onamé Thompson 202-775-6898 WASHINGTON – Partnership for Public Service President and CEO Max Stier released the following statement on the Senate’s passage of S. 1275, the Federal Agency Customer Experience Act of 2019. “The Partnership for Public Service applauds the Senate passing the Federal Agency Customer Experience Act….
3 agencies praised for making customer experience a top priority
October 24, 2018
Publication Type: In the News
Publication Topic: Build Networks of Support,Develop Strong Leaders,Engage Employees
The Trump administration has recently placed what’s come to be known as customer experience high on its priority list. A report from the Partnership for Public Service and Accenture detailed ways several agencies have successfully overhauled their business processes to better optimize customer service. But there is still work to do.
PARTNERSHIP BLOG
- A new look for the Partnership for Public Service
- The government should use R&D to solve our biggest societal challenges. Here’s how.
- The federal government’s new value proposition: the future of work
- The Partnership for Public Service launches the Alliance for Congress, a new initiative to support Congress and strengthen our democracy
- Diversity in federal leadership matters: Perspectives from a public servant
OUR EXPERTS
For more information on our customer experience work, sign up for email updates below or contact Eric Keller at [email protected].