CFI Group - Claes Fornell International

Government Satisfaction

The science of government success.

Government Satisfaction

In the commercial world, the customer will punish poor performing firms by withdrawing their business.  Firms that satisfy customers will prosper, those who do not will fail.  This mechanism does not exist in the government realm – at least, not directly. For instance, citizens cannot choose not to pay taxes if they receive poor customer service from the IRS.  

How to Build Trust, Confidence, and Engagement

So why should government – whether federal, state, or local – concern itself about how it performs in the eyes of its constituents? Is “Customer” Satisfaction relevant to such organizations? The answer is a resounding “Yes”. Intuitively, it feels like the right thing to do: Providing good customer service is a necessity, as well as good practice. And research conducted by CFI Group has further shown that higher levels of Satisfaction with federal or local government lead to increased trust and confidence, as well as to higher levels of commitment, compliance, and engagement with government.

Measuring Performance

Further, today’s requirements for accountability and transparency in government call for a performance assessment tool which is reliable, actionable, and proven. That tool is CFI Group’s ACSI-based Citizen Satisfaction measurement solution.

The ACSI was established as the "gold standard" of government satisfaction measurement in 1999 and has been a standard metric ever since. A large number of federal agencies have since chosen the ACSI to measure their constituents’ satisfaction – including NASA, the Department of Education, FAS, the IRS, HRSA, and CMS.

Understanding Where to Invest Resources

Using the ACSI cause-and-effect methodology, CFI Group helps government organizations better understand the needs of their constituents, citizens, and stakeholders. We identify the key drivers of citizen satisfaction and dissatisfaction, and pinpoint where agencies or local governments should invest first in order to deliver the most value to their “customers”.  By applying the science of satisfaction, we help government agencies of all levels allocate scarce resources for maximum effectiveness and improve the quality of life for citizens.