1.4: User Expectations and Customer Service

Ensure that websites are meeting user expectations and needs and that the customer experience with websites is continually enhanced.

Other Information:

How does your Agency currently ensure that websites are meeting user expectations and needs and that the customer experience with websites is continually enhanced? Improving the web experience for users is a top priority of the web strategy project that is underway. To establish a baseline, we have implemented the Foresee Survey tool and Google Analytics, both internally and externally, to assess how well our websites meet user expectations and needs. We use those results to guide our improvements to the customer experience. As part of the customer service plan, in support of Executive Order 13571, we are working to review websites to ensure compliance with policies in OMB Memorandum M-05-04 (Policies for Federal Agency Public Websites) as well as the best practices on HowTo.gov. Content providers are actively involved in the site review. We have asked them to: * provide contact information for each program * assess the importance of keeping the site live * confirm methods for measuring and analyzing web traffic. We are reviewing their feedback to evaluate potential improvements and to share best practices. Our Web team has also begun to collaborate more closely with our telephony team to determine top requests. Some of our call centers have been providing this information, while others have not. We have asked the telephony group to assist in gathering this data from all call centers. Closer collaboration between the web and telephony groups will help us present high-value information on our website in a user-friendly way. Through deployment of a centralized CMS, we will have more flexibility to test and deploy emerging technologies. For example, we are planning to test a CMS module that assists with content translation to improve our service for the Limited English Proficient community. Automated content translation is never a perfect solution, but it is a step in the right direction, and an improvement over the status quo. We have already implemented some tools to enhance the customer experience on DOT websites. GovDelivery, for example, is a subscription-based service that allows users to register on the website and receive alerts when we update content. This kind of proactive users engagement can save our users time and ensure they receive the information they need. We’ll be looking for additional ways to integrate social media. We are placing an increased emphasis on usability for new web development. We have taken advantage of GSA’s “First Fridays” program, which has been a useful resource for usability testing. We are also investing in expanding the skill set of our staff through training and certification.

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

Content