Customer Service Legislation Advances Through Senate Committee

The Federal Agency Customer Experience (FACE) Act recently advanced through the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The bill now faces a full Senate vote before moving forward to the House of Representatives for consideration. Similar legislation unanimously passed the Senate in 2017 and passed the House in 2018, but the chambers have not come together in the same session to advance the legislation to the president’s desk for signature.

The FACE Act would require agencies to collect voluntary feedback from customers regarding their services and transactions. Under the bill, each agency would be required to report annually on the feedback they receive both on their website and in a report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Agencies would also need to report on their solicitation efforts for public feedback.

The committee issued a report on the bill in July which outlines the background and goals for the legislation. The report explains that according to the 2020 American Customer Satisfaction Index, public administration and government are at the bottom of all American economic sectors in customer satisfaction. Additionally, the public sector’s score in 2020 was among the worst since 1999.

The feedback survey envisioned under the legislation would consist of questions generated by the Director of OMB in consultation with the General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator. Surveys must be voluntary, and respondents must be kept anonymous. Finally, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) would be required to prepare an annual report on the quality of customer service provided by federal agencies.

The committee report includes Congressional Budget Office analysis of the legislation which reports that the budget impact would be negligible overall, particularly as agencies may use fess and receipts from the sale of goods to pay for the survey outreach.

The bipartisan bill is sponsored by Senators Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and James Lankford (R-OK).  In the House, the bill is sponsored by Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA).

Connolly said in a statement, “Improving customer service at federal agencies is not a partisan issue. Federal employees are dedicated civil servants who want to deliver services to taxpayers as best they can. The FACE Act will improve customer service by allowing agencies to collect feedback, measure customer satisfaction, and use the feedback to improve their service.”