[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book II)]
[September 20, 1994]
[Pages 1581-1583]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks Announcing the Report on Customer Service Standards
September 20, 1994

    Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank all of you for being here. 
Under Secretary Frank Newman and all those who were on the subcommittee 
on customer service to the Presi-


[[Page 1582]]

dent's Management Council, in particular, I thank you for your work.
    Today we are releasing a report that I think is literally unique in 
the annals of the Federal Government. It is called ``Putting Customers 
First: Standards for Serving the American People.'' It contains specific 
new commitments for more than 100 agencies to improve the way Government 
serves the American people.
    The Vice President released a report of the National Performance 
Review a year ago this month. It included dozens of extremely important 
reforms that have already had a profound impact on our Federal deficit, 
on funding the crime bill, and on making Washington work better for 
ordinary citizens. Of all the recommendations it contained, however, one 
I chose to enact immediately by Executive order was designed to force 
the Government to respect the needs of ordinary citizens again by 
treating them as valued customers. This report describes what has taken 
place as a result of that order.
    The order called for a fundamental change in Government. It set 
forth a requirement that Government services shall be equal to the best 
in business. And it commanded the agencies, for the first time, to set 
and publish specific standards for the services they provide to the 
public. Over the past two decades, there has been a renaissance in 
quality and customer service in corporate America. There's no reason 
these same principles cannot apply with equal force in our Government. 
There's no reason for an application to Government agencies to take 
months or for a phone call to go unanswered.
    We face many great challenges as a nation, and we can and will meet 
them. But in order for Government to do the big things well and in 
partnership with the American people, it must do the small things better 
as well, in ways that increase the confidence of the American people. It 
must earn that confidence in many ways, one customer at a time. This 
report will help us to do that.
    Better customer service will also save us money. For example, 
Veterans Affairs is already redesigning the way it handles benefit 
applications so that veterans get faster and more personalized service. 
The new system takes 8 steps instead of 25, requires fewer people, costs 
20 percent less. When the IRS stopped generating puzzling form letters 
in response to taxpayers' questions and--[laughter]--I used to be one of 
those taxpayers that got those published--and let their employees write 
and sign sensible answers instead, believe it or not, the cost decreased 
by $600,000. That's the equivalent of what 100 average families pay in 
Federal taxes each year.
    These examples demonstrate a larger truth. That is, employees of the 
Federal Government have become partners in the search for better 
service. They also are fed up with the redtape. They, too, want to serve 
customers better, and the National Performance Review has empowered them 
to do so.
    Let me give you another example closer to home. This report recounts 
the story of Jackie Collins-Miller, the branch manager of Baltimore's 
Social Security office. Not long ago, she got a call from a woman who 
had received someone else's check by mistake. Jackie Collins-Miller 
jumped in her car, picked up the check, mailed it to the rightful owner, 
and called a few days later to make sure it had arrived. That's service 
that rivals anything you'll see in the private sector.
    This story reflects the work that has been done throughout the 
Government, simply to listen to the people who pay the bills and are 
supposed to receive the service. When taxpayers said they wanted forms 
and instructions that were easier to understand, the IRS listened. When 
businesses going through customs in Miami said they wanted to get in and 
out quicker, the U.S. Customs listened. When veterans said they wanted 
more personal attention, Veterans Affairs listened.
    This report contains more than 1,500 new standards for customer 
service that reflect the direct input of the American people. The 
standards are promises and commitments. In the days ahead, we'll measure 
our performance against these standards and report back to our 
customers.
    The principles represent a major step toward the goal that Congress 
set in the Government Performance and Results Act to promote a new focus 
on results, service quality, and customer satisfaction in Government. 
And these standards help to fulfill the promise that the Vice President 
and I made a long time ago, to put the American people first again.
    Again, this report was not written to sit on a shelf; it's meant to 
be read, used, and followed. Its written and organized to be customer-
friendly, with chapters labeled Business, Veterans, and so on. Its 
contents are arranged not

[[Page 1583]]

by agency or department but by customer group. It's organized for those 
who use Government, not for those in Government.
    Finally, if you're wondering where the Cabinet Secretaries are and 
the agency heads are while I am bragging about what they're doing, 
they're not hiding in a bunker and hoping this will go away. [Laughter] 
Instead, they're busy. We have declared this day Customer Service Day 
all over the United States. And our Cabinet Secretaries are out there 
serving their customers. In Chicago, the Veterans Affairs Secretary, 
Jesse Brown, will help veterans file benefit claims in the regional 
office. In New Britain, Connecticut, HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros will 
help renovate the home of Steven and Rachel Rival, recent recipients of 
a loan which allows people with low or moderate incomes to renovate 
distressed property. Altogether, there are 24 Customer Service Day 
activities taking place across our Nation today.
    Let me close by thanking the Vice President for the extraordinary 
work that he and the National Performance Review folks have done since 
we embarked upon this task. Most people gave our efforts to reduce and 
improve Government service little chance to succeed. But he has proven 
them wrong; all of you have proven them wrong; events have proven them 
wrong. We just have to keep doing what we've been doing.
    I want to thank him for the job he's done in general, and 
specifically for this report, which he will discuss in a moment.
    I said when we introduced the NPR on March 3d, 1933--1993, I'm not 
that old--[laughter]--although I feel that old today--[laughter]--and I 
quote, ``We must change the way Government does business and make the 
taxpayer the valued customer and the boss again.'' We have made a very 
strong beginning. And with the energy and dedication of the people in 
this room and the leadership of the Vice President, we intend to keep on 
doing that as long as we are here.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 11:50 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House.