A bipartisan bill cosponsored by U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) that would require the collection of voluntary customer service feedback on federal agency services, on Nov. 29 received approval by the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Federal Agency Customer Experience (FACE) Act of 2018, H.R. 2846, introduced in June 2017 by U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold (R-TX) and also cosponsored by U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), seeks to improve the effectiveness of federal government public services.
“The American people deserve a federal government that provides efficient, effective and high-quality service,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said. “Unfortunately, the federal government ranks among the bottom of all U.S. industries when it comes to customer satisfaction.”
H.R. 2846 would require certain federal agencies to collect voluntary customer service feedback and would mandate that the subsequent feedback summary results be made publicly available. The measure defines ‘voluntary feedback’ as being any submission of information, opinion or concern that is made freely by a specific individual or entity about an agency service or transaction that has been specifically solicited by that agency, according to the text of the bill in the congressional record.
“By gathering user comments, agencies will be able to gauge customer service concerns and publicly report the feedback they receive,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick. “The result is a win-win. The American public receives better services and customer care, while agencies achieve greater impact and ability to fulfill their missions.”
If enacted, H.R. 2846 also would ensure that voluntary responses to the federal solicitations remain anonymous, and that if individuals decline to participate, they won’t be treated differently by the soliciting agency, according to a summary provided by the congressman’s office.
Additionally, a related report on the feedback would be provided to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by each soliciting federal agency, under the bill. OMB would be required to develop standardized questions that the agencies would use to gather feedback on service satisfaction, timeliness and professionalism.
Likewise, the bill would authorize the Government Accountability Office to make the feedback publicly available and would submit a scorecard report to Congress that assesses the quality of services provided to the public by each agency, according to the summary.
H.R. 2846 now advances to the U.S. Senate for consideration.