Bill Overview
Title: Federal Agency Customer Experience Act of 2021
Description: This bill requires certain agencies to collect voluntary customer experience feedback with respect to their services and transactions. Each of the agencies must (1) annually publish such feedback on its website and report on such feedback to the Office of Management and Budget, and (2) report on the solicitation of such feedback. The Government Accountability Office shall publish a report assessing the data collected and reported by the agencies. The feedback may not be used in any appraisal of job performance of a federal employee.
Sponsors: Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
Target Audience
Population: Individuals using services of US federal agencies
Estimated Size: 330000000
- The bill specifically targets federal agencies, which are required to collect customer feedback.
- All individuals and entities using federal agency services are effectively the 'customers' whose experiences will be collected and can be improved through feedback.
- The bill indirectly impacts employees of federal agencies by ensuring their job performance is not evaluated based on customer feedback.
- The effectiveness of services provided by federal agencies might be improved by using the feedback, impacting all service users.
Reasoning
- This policy fundamentally targets people who interact with federal agencies, a very broad demographic including most American adults who file taxes, apply for social security, use postal services, etc.
- Considering the policy's purpose, there is a broad reach but a subtle direct impact, primarily focused on customer service satisfaction rather than tangible benefits like monetary support or healthcare.
- The budget constraints in year 1 are significant, so the policy's immediate impact is likely limited to setting up feedback systems and initial data collection, hence why the long-term projections might have subtle improvements.
- Individuals not regularly interacting with federal services might remain unaffected and therefore anonymously under the radar in policy evaluations.
- The policy's impact on federal employees will be limited by the non-associative clause with performance evaluations, maintaining internal morale.
- Improvements in user experience are indirect and spread over time as agencies adjust to feedback, so marginal annual well-being changes are expected rather than transformative leaps.
Simulated Interviews
Teacher (Philadelphia, PA)
Age: 35 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I think this policy is a good step forward, although it might not change much initially. It could make services more efficient over time.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Small business owner (Houston, TX)
Age: 52 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I hope it helps improve the speed and clarity of IRS communications.
- Skeptical of how feedback will be actioned.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Software Developer (San Francisco, CA)
Age: 28 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 18/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I don't see much impact since I don’t use these services often, but it could benefit others who do.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
Retired (Chicago, IL)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Getting feedback from users is a good move, hopefully, it makes the services easier to navigate.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 8 |
Veteran (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 67 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Hoping that it results in better service at the VA hospitals, though not sure how soon.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 8 |
Freelancer (Miami, FL)
Age: 29 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I think it might make the postal service more reliable and faster, which would be helpful for my business.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Federal employee (Seattle, WA)
Age: 40 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 7.0 years
Commonness: 13/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Glad customer feedback won’t impact my job evaluations.
- Could improve service quality over time.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 8 |
Social Security recipient (Atlanta, GA)
Age: 60 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- If feedback leads to improved service access, it could really help.
- Not expecting immediate changes.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 8 |
Recent college graduate (New York, NY)
Age: 25 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 17/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It might make applying for federal jobs a more streamlined process.
- Not sure if it will help right away.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Police officer (Denver, CO)
Age: 38 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 20/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I think it’s a decent policy, but I probably won’t be affected by it directly.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $25000000 (Low: $20000000, High: $30000000)
Year 2: $25000000 (Low: $20000000, High: $30000000)
Year 3: $25000000 (Low: $20000000, High: $30000000)
Year 5: $25000000 (Low: $20000000, High: $30000000)
Year 10: $25000000 (Low: $20000000, High: $30000000)
Year 100: $25000000 (Low: $20000000, High: $30000000)
Key Considerations
- Implementation will require coordination across multiple agencies, which may pose logistical challenges.
- Ensuring data privacy and security will be crucial in collecting and managing customer feedback.
- Feedback systems need to be user-friendly to encourage participation from all demographics.