Reference citation

EXECUTIVE ORDER

EO 12862 Effective Date: September 11, 1993

Responsible Office: Office of Management Systems

Subject: SETTING CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS

TEXT

Putting people first means ensuring that the Federal Government

provides the highest quality service possible to the American

people. Public officials must embark upon a revolution within

the Federal Government to change the way it does business. This

will require continual reform of the executive branch's

management practices and operations to provide service to the

public that matches or exceeds the best service available in the

private sector.

NOW, THEREFORE, to establish and implement customer service

standards to guide the operations of the executive branch, and by

the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and

the laws of the United States, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Customer Service Standards. In order to carry out the

principles of the National Performance Review, the Federal

Government must be customer-driven. The standard of quality for

services provided to the public shall be: Customer service equal

to the best in business. For the purposes of this order,

"customer" shall mean an individual or entity who is directly

served by a department or agency. "Best in business" shall mean

the highest quality of service delivered to customers by private

organizations providing a comparable or analogous service.

All executive departments and agencies (hereinafter referred to

collectively as "agency" or "agencies") that provide significant

services directly to the public shall provide those services in a

manner that seeks to meet the customer service standard

established herein and shall take the following actions:

(a) identify the customers who are, or should be, served by

the agency;

(b) survey customers to determine the kind and quality of

services they want and their level of satisfaction with

existing services;

(c) post service standards and measure results against

them;

(d) benchmark customer service performance against the best

in business;

(e) survey front-line employees on barriers to, and ideas

for, matching the best in business;

(f) provide customers with choices in both the sources of

service and the means of delivery;

(g) make information, services, and complaint systems

easily accessible; and

(h) provide means to address customer complaints.

Sec. 2. Report on Customer Service Surveys. By March 8, 1994,

each agency subject to this order shall report on its customer

surveys to the President. As information about customer

satisfaction becomes available, each agency shall use that

information in judging the performance of agency management and

in making resource allocations.

Sec. 3. Customer Service Plans. By September 8, 1994, each

agency subject to this order shall publish a customer service

plan that can be readily understood by its customers. The plan

shall include customer service standards and describe future

plans for customer surveys. It also shall identify the private

and public sector standards that the agency used to benchmark its

performance against the best in business. In connection with the

plan, each agency is encouraged to provide training resources for

programs needed by employees who directly serve customers and by

managers making use of customer survey information to promote the

principles and objectives contained herein.

Sec. 4. Independent Agencies. Independent agencies are requested

to adhere to this order.

Sec. 5. Judicial Review. This order is for the internal

management of the executive branch and does not create any right

or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable by a party

against the United States, it agencies or instrumentalities, it

officers or employees, or any other person.

/s/William J. Clinton

THE WHITE HOUSE,

September 11, 1993.