Railroad Retirement Board
Railroad Retirement Board Customer
Service Update
November
2012
RRB Earns High Marks in Customer Satisfaction Survey
The U.S. Railroad
Retirement Board (RRB) earned a score of 90 in a recent American Customer
Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey of individuals receiving survivor benefits
from the agency. This is 23 points higher than the latest overall Federal
government customer satisfaction score.
The
ACSI survey focused on the RRB’s survivor benefit
process. The survey included initial widow(er)s and spouse-to-widow(er)
conversions. Initial widow(er) cases are those
where a widow(er) was not receiving a spouse benefit
at the time he or she became eligible for a widow(er)’s
benefit. Spouse-to-widow(er) conversion cases
are those where a retired employee and his or her spouse were both receiving
retirement benefits prior to the employee’s death.
The
survey found the RRB scoring highest (93) in the area of customer service, with
respondents reserving their best marks for the courtesy, professionalism, and
responsiveness of agency employees, along with the accuracy and clarity of
information provided. The survivor benefit application process received a
score of 87, with most respondents pleased with the ease of the process and
with the amount of supporting documentation required.
Results
changed little since the same beneficiary segment was last surveyed in
2005. Respondents did give higher marks for the quality of the survivor
benefit award letter they received from the agency, with a score of 90 compared
to 87 in 2005. Beneficiaries were particularly satisfied with the ease in
understanding the information provided in the letter.
Customers
also had a high level of confidence in the RRB doing a good job, with a score
of 94, an increase from 92 in 2005. This score indicates that those
surveyed are satisfied with the service provided by the agency and are
confident they will continue to be well-served in the future.
Produced
through a partnership of the University of Michigan Business School, the CFI
Group, and the American Society for Quality, the ACSI regularly measures
national customer satisfaction with corporate and government goods and
services. Working with the Department of the Interior’s National Business
Center Federal Consulting Group, government agencies participating in the
survey use the ACSI to gauge their level of service and benchmark their
performance for comparison with similar organizations in the private
sector. The ACSI also helps agencies focus on those processes, based on
customer feedback, which will have the biggest impact on an agency’s ability to
deliver the highest quality products and services.
This marks the seventh time the RRB has participated in the survey. In March 2012, the RRB earned a score of 81 in a survey of individuals who applied for and received unemployment or sickness benefits from the agency. Other recent surveys included a score of 88 in a 2009 ACSI survey of recently retired railroad workers who were receiving a monthly annuity, and a score of 85 in a 2006 survey of individuals who were recently awarded disability benefits. The RRB has consistently received higher scores than the composite Federal number.
The addresses and phone numbers of all the RRB’s field offices are available on the agency’s Web site at www.rrb.gov or by calling the toll-free RRB Help Line at 1-800-808-0772. The RRB Help Line is an automated telephone service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Applications
for railroad retirement or survivor benefits are generally filed at one of the RRB's field offices, or with an RRB representative at one
of the office's Customer OutReach Program (CORP)
service locations, or by telephone and mail. Persons can find the
address and phone number of the RRB office serving their area by calling the
automated toll-free RRB Help Line at 1-800-808-0772, or from the RRB's Web site at www.rrb.gov. Most RRB offices are open to the
public from
Public Affairs 312-751-4777
Posted: 12/01/12