Citizen Satisfaction with Federal Websites Loses Steam, According to ACSI E-Gov Index.

Private Sector Sets the Pace for Web Experience, But Government Sites Can't Keep Up, Says Report by ForeSee Results

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Citizen satisfaction with federal government websites slipped from last quarter's all-time high and remained in a relatively flat pattern over the last seven quarters. The first quarter 2007 special report on E-Government Satisfaction from the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) shows that customer satisfaction with federal websites declined 0.7% from last quarter to an aggregate score of 73.4. Since September 2005, the ACSI E-Government Satisfaction Index has not varied more than 0.6 point.

Despite the drop, e-government continues to provide a more satisfying citizen experience than the federal government overall, which scored 72.3 on the annual federal government satisfaction ACSI report released in December.

Citizen perceptions of the websites they visit are shaped by the aggregate of all their experiences at other private and public sector websites. In this regard, the online public sector has not evolved as much as its private sector counterparts. This disparity in satisfaction is evident when comparing ACSI scores for e-government with private sector e-commerce and e-business, which scored 80.0 and 76.5, respectively, on the ACSI's 100-point scale.

"We have seen sustained satisfaction increases in the private sector e-commerce and e-business segments for the past several years which raises consumer standards for their website experiences," said Dr. Claes Fornell, Director of the National Quality Research Center and founder of the ACSI. "Clearly, e-government sites are struggling to keep up."

"Many private sector websites have transformed into a Web 2.0 experience, where Rich Internet Applications and user-generated content have made the Internet a more functionally rich, responsive and user-controlled environment, resulting in citizens' higher standards for the user experience," said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results. "Because of the unique nature of government sites, some of these Web 2.0 innovations don't apply to the government while others have not been adopted as quickly because of budgetary and resource constraints."

In December 2006, the Office of Management and Budget announced that it would add customer satisfaction measurement to the President's Management Scorecard for e-government, adding an element of citizen-centricity to the existing metrics, which are more technical and internally-focused.

"Meeting the President's goal of expanding e-government requires that the technology improves the way it serves its users - citizens, business and agencies alike," said Freed. "Adding customer satisfaction to the OMB scorecard as one of its performance measures demonstrates a commitment towards fulfilling the citizen-centered mandate of federal websites."

High scorers have remained largely unchanged, with two Social Security Administrative sites leading the Index with a score of 86: SSA Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs and Internet Social Security Benefits Application.

Forty-six percent of federal websites that were measured a year ago saw an increase in satisfaction scores. But this quarter, 49% scored lower than last quarter, and 31% improved. This is the opposite trend from last quarter, when 44% of sites improved and only 24% declined, moving the Index aggregate to close to its all-time high.

Among the quarter's highlights, 10% of the 80 sites measured improved by three points or more, including the Bureau of Economic Analysis (+6% to 72) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (+5% to 80). CDC's score of 80 puts it among the top performers, those sites which score 80 or higher. In addition, GobiernoUSA (formerly FirstGov EspaSol) jumped into the top performers category with an 82.

ABOUT THE ACSI

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is the only uniform, national, cross-industry measure of satisfaction with the quality of goods and services available in the United States. In 1999, the Federal government selected ACSI to be a standard metric for measuring citizen satisfaction. Over 100 Federal government agencies have used ACSI to measure citizen satisfaction of more than 200 services and programs. The Index is produced by the University of Michigan, in partnership with the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and CFI Group, an international consulting firm. ForeSee Results sponsors the e-commerce, e-business, and e-government indexes.

ABOUT FORESEE RESULTS, INC.

ForeSee Results is the market leader in online customer satisfaction measurement and management and specializes in converting satisfaction data into user-driven web development strategies. Using the methodology of the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), ForeSee Results has created a model that scientifically quantifies the elements that drive online customer satisfaction and predicts future behaviors, including the likelihood to return to the site or recommend the site to others. A sponsor of the ACSI e-government, e-business, and e-retail reports, ForeSee Results, a privately held company located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, can be found online at www.ForeSeeResults.com.