Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 1, 1994 TAG: 9409010104
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Allen, whose administration has eliminated more than 400 state jobs, said the bureaucracy must be streamlined and made more manageable for taxpayers. Many people are dissatisfied with state government, he said.
``Good customer skills are lacking in some of Virginia's state agencies,'' Allen told several hundred agency heads, deputies and staffers attending the Governor's Forum on Customer Service.
Although the state does not have the competition private corporations do, Allen said Virginia needs to treat taxpayers as good companies treat their customers.
``It costs nothing to be polite,'' he said. ``It costs nothing to be courteous, so why not do it?''
The forum, attended by more than 400 state officials, was held in response to concerns expressed to the governor's office and during public hearings on state government reform.
State agencies have been directed to develop customer service reports outlining initiatives to improve customer service. The reports must be submitted to each cabinet secretary by Sept. 15.
A general publication developed for the forum includes samples of customer-oriented programs in place at state agencies. The ideas were selected from 81 respondents to a survey sent to 112 agencies in July.
Thirty-seven percent of the respondents reported their agencies had a strategy specifically devoted to customer service. Several agencies cited regular use of surveys, polls and customer comment cards to determine taxpayers' perceptions.
At the state Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, a private research company went undercover, posing as consumers to evaluate the department with regard to courtesy, timeliness of service and knowledge.
At the state Department of Motor Vehicles, Commissioner Rick Holcomb said decentralizing operations should improve services in coming years.
by CNB