Customer Service Statistics


Passport Services Score Drops Due to New Security Question

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is an internationally accepted measure of customer satisfaction used in over 20 countries.  Employing a common methodology and a database of more than 700,000 customer interviews, the index is the “gold standard” measure for U.S. Federal Government Agencies.

Passport Services' ACSI score for 2006 was 75, a four-point drop from 2005’s score of 79.  The main reasons for the drop were the responses to the new Security questions that reflected the U.S. population’s discomfort with security issues within the U.S.  The Private Sector Services score was 72.7 and the Federal Government score was 72.3.  The National ACSI score, which includes both the private and Federal sectors, was 74.4. 

The new Security questions added to the Passport Services survey were: How effectively does the U.S. passport contribute to the security of the United States? and How effectively do you feel security features of the U.S. passport protect it from alteration for fraudulent purposes?  These total score for these two questions was 62.

In other aspects of the survey, usefulness and accessibility of information both scored 83, while the scores for the application process were 87 for professionalism, and 78 for both convenience and timeliness. 

Both convenience and timeliness have scores down from last year’s 82 and 84, respectively, but professionalism has risen a non-significant single point.  The questions on Information and the Application Process were all asked prior to the new questions on Security, so security issues were not in the customers’ minds when responding.  The drop from 84 to 81 for the Application Process is significant and is based on convenience and timeliness, not professionalism. 

Results for the questions that did not influence the survey were:

Applying for a Passport for a Child

Fifteen percent (15%) of those who received or renewed a passport in the past two years also applied for a passport for a child under age 14.  They rate the effectiveness of the application process maintaining the welfare of a child intending to travel abroad as 62 on a 0-100 scale. 

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative

Three-fourths (77%) of applicants are aware that there are proposed new travel requirements that will make it necessary to have a passport to enter or re-enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.  Of these, 39% were strongly influenced by this to apply or renew a passport.

Even though the total score for Passport Services went down this year, Passport Services stayed above average when compared with the Private Sector Services, the Federal Government in general, and the overall National ACSI scores.  The addition of the Security, while the main factor in lowering the score, may assist Passport Services in developing strategies for improving customer service and marketing intended to assuage customer fears about the security and safety of the U.S. passport.

For more information about the ACSI and government scores, please visit the ACSI results page or www.fcg.gov .