ANNAPOLIS (Nov. 17, 2016)—Governor Larry Hogan today announced the next phase of the administration's statewide Customer Service Initiative, an ongoing program launched in June 2016 to foster improvements in customer service across Maryland state agencies. The initiative focuses on three core deliverables: a renewed focus on a strong service culture in state agencies, improved customer service training for Maryland's 50,000 state employees, and the establishment of new service performance metrics.
This new phase of the initiative includes the completion of individual agency customer service plans, as well as a public online survey that all Maryland citizens can use to provide feedback about their experience with state government.
"Marylanders deserve the best possible customer service from their state government, and our goal is to provide exactly that," said Governor Hogan. "This initiative will ensure that Maryland citizens always come first in this administration. These new accountability tools will help our agencies and state employees improve the services they provide and continue to change Maryland for the better."
All agencies are now implementing new customer service plans, which include assessments of current practices, standards for employees' performance evaluation, and an outline of incentive and recognition programs for employees who provide excellent customer service. An overview of the plans are posted on each agency's website, alongside the Maryland Customer Service Promise. Each agency will also provide employees with ongoing customer service training, and will coordinate with the Governor's Customer Service Workgroup to annually review their practices and employee performance.
To solicit direct feedback from the public, the Governor's Customer Service Workgroup has launched an online survey where citizens can rate an agency's service. The data collected by the survey will allow the state to track customer service performance among agencies and make targeted improvements as needed. Links to the survey can be found on state agency websites and at www.maryland.gov/customerservice.
The Governor's Customer Service Workgroup consists of representatives from the Governor's staff, the Governor's Office of Performance Improvement, and customer service liaisons from all Coordinating Offices and Cabinet agencies, and is chaired by Greg Derwart, Managing Director of Administration & Customer Experience at the Maryland Department of Commerce.