News
Press Releases: Government to Citizen
July 30, 2003
Administration Launches USA Services
Initiative Upgrades and Accelerates Communications with Citizens
Washington D.C. - Today the Bush Administration launched USA Services, the federal government’s one-stop shop for citizen inquiries on information and government services via telephone, e-mail, print publications, fax, and the FirstGov.gov web site.
"By making it easy for citizens to contact the federal government and quickly get an answer, USA Services is making government more responsive to its customers. With today’s launch, tens of millions of Americans will be able to get service by placing a single call to 1-800-FED-INFO or writing an e-mail at FirstGov.gov. They won't have to thumb through a phone book figuring out what agency they should call, nor click through hundreds of web sites produced by an on-line search. Making government responsive and easy, that is what the President’s E-Government initiative is all about," said Clay Johnson III, OMB’s Deputy Director of Management.
The General Services Administration (GSA) is the managing partner for the federal government’s first-ever cross-agency initiative to fulfill citizen service needs by phone, e-mail, or internet. USA Services is a partnership with 12 departments and agencies that will respond to citizens in a timely, high quality manner through collaborative efforts, while also driving government-wide standards in customer service, performance metrics, and best practices for customer service. An initial assessment shows government service quality will improve from 35 percent to 95 percent across those agencies using USA Services.
"It’s too hard for citizens to know who to contact to get service or information from their federal government. USA Services will change the way the federal government responds to citizens by providing services they want, on their terms. Whether citizens contact the federal government by phone or on-line, USA Services will provide them consistent, high quality and timely responses to their requests,“ said Mark Forman, Administrator for E-Government and Information Technology at OMB.
As an integral part of the President’s Management Agenda, the E-Gov initiatives make it easier for citizens and businesses to interact with the government, save taxpayer dollars, and streamline citizen-to-government transactions. For more information on each of the President’s E-Government initiatives, please visit www.egov.gov or contact OMB Communications at 202-395-7254.
