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? The major sites, such as www.ed.gov, studentaid.ed.gov, and ies.ed.gov, use standard web analytics such as Google Analytics, Web Trends, or Urchin to provide information on usage and inform decisions on site improvements. They also use a number of different methods for direct feedback from customers, such as surveys, contact forms, focus groups, and social media contacts. Site owners have been using this data to make incremental improvements to sites. For example, the Office of Communications and Outreach (OCO) used this data to determine likely top tasks and provided links to associated task pages near the top of every page. OCO then continued to monitor the data to improve the task list, refine the linking language, and provide better information on the individual task pages. OCO also provides support for smaller sites by helping them set up individual profiles in the ED.gov Google Analytics or Urchin systems and by providing guidance on how to use the tools, and what to do with the information. Based on its performance data, Federal Student Aid has determined that the best way to address the current issues users have with its sites for students is to overhaul the entire portfolio. The Integrated Student View project, which guides this reorganization and consolidation will continue for the next few years.

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

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