Citizen Satisfaction with e-Government Registers First Decline in a Year
Presidential Transition and Declining Satisfaction with Federal Program Sites Lead to Drop, Says ACSI and ForeSee Results
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (April 28, 2009) –Citizen satisfaction with federal government websites falls in the first quarter, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) E-Government Satisfaction Index. The report, released today from the University of Michigan and e-government sponsor ForeSee Results, finds that citizen satisfaction drops half a point from last quarter’s all-time high to 73.6 on the ACSI’s 100-point scale.
The decline since last quarter may be attributable to high expectations for e-government in Obama’s first 100 days in office and to a fall in satisfaction with program sites, which are sites focused on a particular federal government program rather than on an agency or department. Program sites overall decline 3% to a score of 74, while agency sites (74) and department sites (73) remain on par with the previous quarter. Program sites may be suffering from a lack of attention, focus, and resources during the transition from one administration to the next.
“The appointment of the nation’s first chief technology officer, chief information officer, and chief performance officer should be good news for e-government, as all have said they are dedicated to innovation and breaking through the red tape that hampers technological advancement,” said Freed. “As a candidate, Obama made his campaign accessible to voters, and as President he hopes to do the same for government. Change may have come to Washington, but it’s not going to happen overnight.”
Despite the drop, citizen satisfaction remains higher than it was at this time last year (72.4). Compared to last year, satisfaction with two of the four major categories of federal government websites, e-commerce/transaction (+3% to 78) and portals/department main sites (+3% to 74) increase and news/information (72) remains the same, while the career/recruitment sites category declines slightly (-1% to 76). E-commerce/transaction sites continue to lead all other categories in terms of citizen satisfaction.
Of the 107 sites measured, 24 websites (up from 22 last quarter) are top performers meaning that they have scores of 80 or higher. With two sites scoring 90, the Social Security Administration has higher scores than any private sector website measured by the ACSI. Although in aggregate, e-government trails private sector e-commerce (80) and e-business (79.3) websites.
"In many ways, government websites have it a lot tougher than private sector sites because they have to organize varied, complex, and extensive information. Also, government websites often have more first-time or infrequent users, making it more difficult to create a good user experience,” said Claes Fornell, head of the ACSI at the University of Michigan. “Although the drop in user satisfaction is a reason for concern, there are obviously some e-gov successes that show it is possible to do very well."
Top priorities for improving satisfaction are functionality and navigation. Search is also a high priority for improvement, among sites where this feature is present and heavily utilized. If government websites make improvements to their high-priority areas that matter to citizens, customer satisfaction can be expected to improve significantly.
“When e-gov is executed well and meets the needs and expectations of the citizenry, it has the opportunity to be a real bright spot in a landscape marred by out-of-control spending and concerns about transparency and accountability,” said Freed. “There are many agencies already doing it right and many more working hard to better meet the needs of constituents online. Any website included in this Index should be commended for making a strong effort to improve, because improvement starts with good measurement.”
ABOUT THE ACSI
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is the only uniform, national, cross-industry measure of satisfaction with the quality of goods and services available in the United States. In 1999, the federal government selected ACSI to be a standard metric for measuring citizen satisfaction. Over 100 federal government agencies have used ACSI to measure citizen satisfaction of more than 200 services and programs. The Index is produced by the University of Michigan, in partnership with the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and CFI Group, an international consulting firm. ForeSee Results sponsors the e-government index.
ABOUT FORESEE RESULTS, INC.
ForeSee Results is the market leader in online customer satisfaction measurement and management and specializes in converting satisfaction data into user-driven web development strategies. Using the methodology of the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), ForeSee Results has created a model that scientifically quantifies the elements that drive online customer satisfaction and predicts future behaviors, including the likelihood to return to the site or recommend the site to others. A sponsor of the ACSI e-government, e-business, and e-retail reports, ForeSee Results, a privately held company located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, can be found online at www.ForeSeeResults.com.
ABOUT THE FEDERAL CONSULTING GROUP
The Federal Consulting Group, a franchise of the Department of the Treasury, serves as the executive agent in the government for the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The FCG holds generic clearance from the Office of Management and Budget that enables agencies to utilize ACSI without having to obtain a separate clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act to conduct customer satisfaction surveys. Agencies can participate in the ACSI through an arrangement between the Federal Consulting Group and ForeSee Results.