Ranking Tops Federal Agencies, Private Firms
WASHINGTON – Again this year, the national cemetery system of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has received the highest rating in customer satisfaction for any federal agency or private corporation surveyed, according to a prestigious, independent survey of customer satisfaction.
“This survey highlights the outstanding service employees at VA’s 125 national cemeteries provide to our nation’s veterans and their families,” said Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon H. Mansfield. “It is our honor to care the for the nation’s heroes in perpetuity, meeting the highest standards for professionalism and compassion.”
More than 200 companies and most of the federal sector take part in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey, conducted by the University of Michigan Business School every three years.
“VA should be commended for continuing to provide such a high level of service to America’s veterans’ families,” said John Cioffi, senior consultant with CFI Group USA, one of the survey’s sponsors. “VA serves as an excellent example of how government should provide services to its citizens.”
This year’s survey is the third consecutive one in which VA’s cemetery system received the top rating in the nation. For 2007, VA’s cemetery system earned a customer satisfaction rating of 95 out of a possible 100 points. The national cemeteries also ranked number one in customer satisfaction in 2001 and 2004.
The ACSI survey polled next of kin or other people who had arranged for the interment of a loved one in a VA national cemetery within the past six months to one year. Three thousand people received the survey and nearly 600 responded, which is a high response rate for a mail survey.
ACSI’s index for “user trust” produced a rating of 96 out of a possible 100 points for the VA-run cemetery system, which indicates that respondents are exceptionally willing to say positive things about VA’s national cemeteries.
Since 1994, ACSI has been a national indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of goods and services available to U.S. residents. It is the only uniform measure of customer satisfaction for government and industry. ACSI allows benchmarking between the public and private sectors and between one year’s results and the next.
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Reporters and media outlets with questions or comments should contact the Office of Media Relations at vapublicaffairs@va.gov
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