Release Date: September 2003

FirstGov.gov Rivals Private Sector University of Michigan ACSI Customer Satisfaction Report

Washington, DC—The University of Michigan's recently released E-Government Index study of 24 federal government Web sites named www.FirstGov.gov as one of a handful of federal government Web sites that provides a great experience for visitors. FirstGov.gov, the U.S. Government's Official Web Portal, serves as the nation's front door to official government information and the Bush Administration's E-Government initiatives.

FirstGov.gov helps citizens find and do business with government online, on the phone, by mail, or in person. The site connects about five million visitors a month to a wealth of information, services and transactions from millions of on-line government resources from federal, state, and local governments. It also provides citizens with an easy way to contact their government and ask questions.

Using the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), the University of Michigan assessed Web sites as to their overall effectiveness and level of worthwhile experience for the visitor. A major finding of the report was that several federal government Web sites are not only catching up with the private sector, but also surpassing them as to overall customer satisfaction. In particular, FirstGov was cited for "a great surge in its satisfaction levels" based on the fact that it has "continuously sought citizen inputs…to drive the evolution of its site."

The GSA Office of Citizen Services manages FirstGov.gov, the U.S. Government's official web portal, and serves as the nation's front door to information and services American citizens require from their government. In addition to FirstGov.gov, Citizen Services provides citizens access to information in whatever medium they prefer—the web, e-mail, telephone, or in print.

GSA is a centralized federal procurement and property management agency created by Congress to improve government efficiency and help federal agencies better serve the public. It acquires, on behalf of federal agencies, office space, equipment, telecommunications, information technology, supplies, and services. GSA, comprised of 13,000 associates, provides services and solutions for the office operations of over 1 million federal workers located in 8,000 government-owned and leased buildings in 2000 U.S. communities.

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Contact:
GSA Public Affairs
(202) 501-1231
U. S General Services Administration, 1800 F Street, NW, Washington DC 20405
www.gsa.gov

GSA #10043

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