Customer Service Standards Act:   Related References

Senate Bill 1563 Text
[Return to Top of Page]

Senate Bill 1563

Customer Service Standards

                                       AN ACT
1-1     relating to establishing customer service standards and performance
1-2     measures for state agencies.
1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4           SECTION 1.  Subtitle C, Title 10, Government Code, is amended
1-5     by adding Chapter 2113 to read as follows:
1-6                        CHAPTER 2113.  CUSTOMER SERVICE
1-7           Sec. 2113.001.   DEFINITION.  In this chapter, "state agency"
1-8     means a department, commission, board, office, or other agency in
1-9     the executive or judicial branch of state government that is
1-10     created under the constitution or a statute of this state.   The
1-11     term includes an institution of higher education as defined by
1-12     Section 61.003, Education Code.
1-13           Sec. 2113.002.   CUSTOMER SERVICE INPUT.  (a)  A state agency
1-14     shall create an inventory of external customers for each budget
1-15     strategy listed in  the General Appropriations Act for that agency.
1-16           (b)  Each agency shall gather information from customers
1-17     using survey or focus groups or other appropriate methods approved
1-18     by the Governor's Office of Budget and Planning and the Legislative
1-19     Budget Board regarding the quality of service delivered by that
1-20     agency.  The information requested shall be as specified by the
1-21     Governor's Office of Budget and Planning and the Legislative Budget
1-22     Board and may include evaluations of an agency's:
1-23                  (1)   facilities, including the customer's ability to
1-24     access that agency, the office location, signs, and cleanliness;
2-1                  (2)   staff, including employee courtesy, friendliness,
2-2     and knowledgeability, and whether staff members adequately identify
2-3     themselves to customers by name, including the use of name plates
2-4     or tags for accountability;
2-5                  (3)   communications, including toll-free telephone
2-6     access, the average time a customer spends on hold, call transfers,
2-7     access to a live person, letters, and electronic mail;
2-8                  (4)   Internet site, including the ease of use of the
2-9     site, information on the location of the site and the agency, and
2-10     information accessible through the site such as a listing of
2-11     services and programs and whom to contact for further information
2-12     or to complain;
2-13                  (5)   complaint handling process, including whether it
2-14     is easy to file a complaint and whether responses are timely;
2-15                  (6)   ability to timely serve its customers, including
2-16     the amount of time a customer waits for service in person, by
2-17     phone, by letter, or at a website; and
2-18                  (7)   brochures or other printed information, including
2-19     the accuracy of that information.
2-20           (c)  Not later than June 1 of each even-numbered year, an
2-21     agency shall report on the information gathered under Subsection
2-22     (b) to the Legislative Budget Board and the Governor's Office of
2-23     Budget and Planning.
2-24           Sec. 2113.003.   PERFORMANCE MEASURES.  The Legislative Budget
2-25     Board shall develop means to measure customer service satisfaction
2-26     and create performance measures for state agencies in this area.
3-1           Sec. 2113.004.   INSPECTIONS.  The Legislative Budget Board
3-2     and the Governor's Office of Budget and Planning may inspect a
3-3     state agency and analyze its customer service performance by
3-4     sending a customer service evaluator to confidentially pretend to
3-5     be a customer of that agency.
3-6           Sec. 2113.005.   TEXAS STAR AWARD.  (a)  The Legislative
3-7     Budget Board and the Governor's Office of Budget and Planning may
3-8     award the "Texas Star" to a state agency that provides exemplary
3-9     customer service based on the performance measures and standards
3-10     adopted under this chapter.
3-11           (b)  The board and the office of budget and planning shall
3-12     conduct an evaluation to determine agencies that may qualify for
3-13     the Texas Star award.  The evaluation shall be conducted under the
3-14     procedures outlined in Sections 66-68, Article IX, Chapter 1452,
3-15     Acts of the 75th Legislature, Regular Session, 1997 (the General
3-16     Appropriations Act).
3-17           Sec. 2113.006.   CUSTOMER RELATIONS REPRESENTATIVE; COMPACT
3-18     WITH TEXANS.  (a)  A state agency shall appoint a customer
3-19     relations representative.
3-20           (b)  The representative shall:
3-21                  (1)   coordinate the state agency's customer service
3-22     performance measurement under this chapter;
3-23                  (2)   gather information and evaluations from the public
3-24     about an agency's customer service;
3-25                  (3)   respond to customer concerns; and
3-26                  (4)   establish the agency's compact with Texans under
4-1     Subsection (c).
4-2           (c)  Each state agency shall create a "Compact With Texans."
4-3     The compact must be approved by the Governor's Office of Budget and
4-4     Planning and the Legislative Budget Board.  Each Compact With
4-5     Texans shall set customer service standards and describe customer
4-6     service principles for that agency and address:
4-7                  (1)   the agency's procedures for responding to public
4-8     contacts and complaints;
4-9                  (2)   applicable licensing and certification procedures;
4-10     and
4-11                  (3)   customer waiting time for access and service
4-12     delivery and responses to complaints.
4-13           (d)  Each agency that maintains a website shall publish its
4-14     Compact With Texans on that website.
4-15           Sec. 2113.007.   RULEMAKING AUTHORITY.  (a)  The Governor's
4-16     Office of Budget and Planning may adopt rules to implement this
4-17     chapter.
4-18           (b)  In developing the rules, the office of budget and
4-19     planning shall consult with and consider the comments of the
4-20     Legislative Budget Board.
4-21           SECTION 2.  (a)   For purposes of this section, "state agency"
4-22     means a department, commission, board, office, or other agency in
4-23     the executive or judicial branch of government that is created
4-24     under the constitution or a statute of this state.  The term
4-25     includes an institution of higher education as defined by Section
4-26     61.003, Education Code.
5-1           (b)  The Legislative Budget Board and the Governor's Office
5-2     of Budget and Planning shall prepare a two-volume report and file
5-3     it with the lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of
5-4     representatives not later than December 31, 2000.
5-5           (c)  The report must include:
5-6                  (1)   a compilation of each state agency's customer
5-7     service performance standards; and
5-8                  (2)   an analysis of state agencies' customer service
5-9     performance standards and recommendations for improving customer
5-10     service and customer service standards by state agencies.
5-11           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1999, except
5-12     that Section 2113.004, Government Code, as added by this Act, takes
5-13     effect September 1, 2001.
5-14           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
5-15     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
5-16     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
5-17     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
5-18     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.
         _______________________________      _______________________________
             President of the Senate               Speaker of the House
               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1563 passed the Senate on
         May 3, 1999, by the following vote:   Yeas 30, Nays 0; and that the
         Senate concurred in House amendment on May 29, 1999, by a viva-voce
         vote.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Secretary of the Senate
               I hereby certify that S.B. No. 1563 passed the House, with
         amendment, on May 25, 1999, by a non-record vote.
                                             _______________________________
                                                 Chief Clerk of the House
         Approved:
         _______________________________
                     Date
         _______________________________
                   Governor

[Return to Top of Page]

SRC-ARR S.B. 1563 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS
[Return to Top of Page]

Senate Research Center S.B. 1563
By: Armbrister
State Affairs
7/26/1999
Enrolled

DIGEST

Currently, Texas law does provide for customer service standards and
performance measures for state agencies. Governments around the would are
focusing on improving customer service by setting standards for
performance, redressing procedures, and gathering input from the public.
Sixty-four percent of Texans surveyed rated government customer services
either as excellent or good and 36 percent rated its service fair or bad.
S.B. 1563 will establish customer service standards and performance
measures for state agencies.

PURPOSE

As enrolled, S.B. 1563 establishes customer services standards and
performance measures for state agencies.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is granted to the Governor's Office of Budget and
Planning in SECTION 1 (Section 2113.007(a), Government Code) of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Title 10C, Government Code, by adding Chapter 2113, as
follows:

CHAPTER 2113. CUSTOMER SERVICE

Sec. 2113.001. DEFINITION. Defines "state agency."

Sec. 2113.002. CUSTOMER SERVICE INPUT. Requires a state agency (agency) to
create an inventory of external customers for each budget strategy listed
in the General Appropriations Act for that agency. Requires each agency to
gather information from customers using survey or focus groups or other
appropriate methods approved by the Governor's Office of Budget and
Planning and the Legislative Budget Board regarding the quality of services
delivered by that agency. Requires information requested to be as specified
by the Governor's Office of Budget and Planning and the Legislative Budget
Board and may include evaluations of certain facilities of an agency.
Requires an agency, not later than a certain date, to report on the
information gathered under Subsection (b) to the Legislative Budget Board
(LBB) and the governor's office of budget and planning.

Sec. 2113.003. PERFORMANCE MEASURES. Requires the LBB to develop means to
measure customer service satisfaction and create performance  measures for
state agencies in this area. 

Sec. 2113.004. INSPECTIONS. Authorizes the LBB and the governor's office of
budget and planning to inspect a state agency and analyze its customer
service performance by sending a customer service evaluator to
confidentially pretend to be a customer of that agency. 

Sec. 2113.005. TEXAS STAR AWARD. Authorizes the LBB and the governor's
office of budget and planning to award the "Texas Star" to a state agency
that provides exemplary customer service based on the performance measures
and standards adopted under this  chapter. Requires the LBB and the
governor's office of budget and planning to conduct an evaluation to
determine agencies that may qualify for the Texas Star Award. Requires the
evaluation to be conducted under the procedures outlined in the General
Appropriations Act. 

Sec. 2113.006. CUSTOMER RELATIONS REPRESENTATIVE; COMPACT WITH TEXANS.
Requires  a state agency to appoint a customer relations representative.
Requires the representative to take certain actions. Requires each state
agency to create a "Compact With Texans" (compact). Requires the compact to
be approved by the Governor's Office of Budget and Planning and the
Legislative Budget Board. Requires each compact to set customer service
standards and describe customer service principles for that agency and
address certain issues. Requires each agency that maintains a website to
publish its Compact With Texans on that website.

Sec. 2113.007. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY. Authorizes the Governor's Office of
Budget and Planning to adopt rules to implement this chapter. Requires the
office of budget and planning to consult with and consider the comments of
the Legislative Budget Board, in developing the rules.

SECTION 2. Defines "state agency." Requires the LBB and the governor's
office of budget and planning to prepare a report and file it with the
lieutenant governor and speaker of the house of representatives not later
than December 31, 2000. Requires the report to include certain information.

SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 1999, except that Section 2113.004,
Government Code, as added by this Act, takes effect September 1, 2001.

SECTION 4. Emergency clause.

[Return to Top of Page]

Return to the
Customer Service Homepage

This Web Site is maintained by
The Survey of Organizational Excellence

Last Update:  March 12, 2002
Please direct questions and comments regarding this web site to: soe@uts.cc.utexas.edu
School of Social Work at UT Austin
Copyright © Survey of Organizational Excellence. All rights reserved.