Executive Order 13571 – “Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service”

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Presidential Documents

Federal Register
Vol. 76, No. 84
Monday, May 2, 2011

Title 3—

Executive Order 13571 of April 27, 2011

The President

Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the
laws of the United States of America, and in order to improve the quality
of service to the public by the Federal Government, it is hereby ordered
as follows:
Section 1. Policy. The public deserves competent, efficient, and responsive
service from the Federal Government. Executive departments and agencies
(agencies) must continuously evaluate their performance in meeting this
standard and work to improve it. To this end, Executive Order 12862 (Setting
Customer Service Standards), issued on September 11, 1993, requires agencies
that provide significant services directly to the public to identify and survey
their customers, establish service standards and track performance against
those standards, and benchmark customer service performance against the
best in business. This effort to ‘‘put people first’’ was an important step.
It was reinforced by a Presidential Memorandum for the Heads of Executive
Departments and Agencies issued on March 22, 1995 (Improving Customer
Service), and a further Presidential Memorandum issued on March 3, 1998
(Conducting ‘‘Conversations with America’’ to Further Improve Customer
Service).

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However, with advances in technology and service delivery systems in other
sectors, the public’s expectations of the Government have continued to rise.
The Government must keep pace with and even exceed those expectations.
Government must also address the need to improve its services, not only
to individuals, but also to private and Governmental entities to which the
agency directly provides significant services. Government managers must
learn from what is working in the private sector and apply these best
practices to deliver services better, faster, and at lower cost. Such best
practices include increasingly popular lower-cost, self-service options
accessed by the Internet or mobile phone and improved processes that
deliver services faster and more responsively, reducing the overall need
for customer inquiries and complaints. The Federal Government has a responsibility to streamline and make more efficient its service delivery to better
serve the public.
Sec. 2. Agency Customer Service Plans and Activities. Within 180 days
of the date of this order, each agency shall develop, in consultation with
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), a Customer Service Plan
(plan) to address how the agency will provide services in a manner that
seeks to streamline service delivery and improve the experience of its customers. As used in this order, the term ‘‘customer’’ refers to any individual
or to any entity, including a business, tribal, State or local government,
or other agency, to which the agency directly provides significant services.
The plan shall set forth the agency’s approach, intended benefits, and an
implementation timeline for the following actions:
(a) establishing one major initiative (signature initiative) that will use
technology to improve the customer experience;
(b) establishing mechanisms to solicit customer feedback on Government
services and using such feedback regularly to make service improvements;
(c) setting clear customer service standards and expectations, including,
where appropriate, performance goals for customer service required by the

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 84 / Monday, May 2, 2011 / Presidential Documents
GPRA (Government Performance and Results) Modernization Act of 2010
(Public Law 111–352);
(d) improving the customer experience by adopting proven customer service best practices and coordinating across service channels (such as online,
phone, in-person, and mail services);
(e) streamlining agency processes to reduce costs and accelerate delivery,
while reducing the need for customer calls and inquiries; and
(f) identifying ways to use innovative technologies to accomplish the
customer service activities above, thereby lowering costs, decreasing service
delivery times, and improving the customer experience.
Sec. 3. Publication of Agency Customer Service Plans. Each agency shall
publish its plan on its Open Government web page.
Sec. 4. Assistance in Implementation. In consultation with the heads of
executive departments and agencies, the Chief Performance Officer, who
also serves as the Deputy Director for Management of the OMB, shall develop
guidance for implementing the activities outlined in this order. Such guidance shall include, among other things, the nature and scope of services
to which the order’s requirements will apply. The Office of Management
and Budget, the General Services Administration, and the Office of Science
and Technology Policy shall assist and support agencies in developing customer service standards and plans, online posting of customer service metrics
and best practices, expediting review for customer feedback mechanisms
under the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), improving
the design and management of agency websites providing services or information to the public in compliance with section 508 of the Rehabilitation
Act (29 U.S.C. 794d), and using innovative technologies to improve customer
service at lower costs.
Sec. 5. Independent Agencies. Independent agencies are requested to adhere
to this order.
Sec. 6. Privileged Information. Nothing in this order shall compel or authorize
the disclosure of privileged information, law enforcement information, information affecting national security, or information the disclosure of which
is prohibited by law.
Sec. 7. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed
to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) authority granted by law to an executive department, agency, or the
head thereof; or

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(ii) functions of the Director of the OMB relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and
subject to the availability of appropriations.

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(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit,
substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party
against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers,
employees, or agents, or any other person.

THE WHITE HOUSE,
April 27, 2011.
[FR Doc. 2011–10732
Filed 4–29–11; 8:45 am]

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