USDA

The ‘future is at risk’ for government’s biggest civilian payroll provider, study finds

The National Finance Center — a part of the Agriculture Department — provides payroll services for over 170 agencies, but a lot of them aren’t happy with the services they’re getting.

How the Agriculture Department is ‘hardwiring’ customer experience into its work

The department’s chief customer experience officer, Simchah Suveyke-Bogin, told Nextgov/FCW that her primary goal is building capacity for customer experience.

USDA CIO talks modernization, CX priorities

The Agriculture Department has made strides to modernize tech systems and improve service delivery, but there’s more work to do, according to Chief Information Officer Gary Washington.

3 Customer Experience Tips for Feds from Feds

Two professional customer experience experts offered advice for other practitioners across the federal ranks this month.

USDA ‘Did Not Establish Performance Goals’ For its Broadband Program, Watchdog Says

A report from the Government Accountability Office found that the Agriculture Department’s ReConnect program lacks set performance objectives and a detailed fraud mitigation framework.

TMF Announces $95 Million in New Funding Focused on Security and Networks

The Technology Modernization Fund is announcing a new set of investments to help three agencies meet White House cybersecurity objectives.

USDA, Justice Launch Website To Report Anticompetitive Behavior in Agriculture

The new portal will allow farmers and ranchers to report unfair behavior from other producers in the industry. 

USDA’s Bot Program Saves More Than 150,000 Hours Per Year

The agency reached $5.3 million in cost avoidance while 27 cohorts of employees graduated from its reskilling program, Agriculture officials say.

Government Considers VR for Training and Therapy

A slate of contracting calls demonstrate ways agencies are putting the emerging technology to use.

GSA’s First Centers of Excellence Customer Touts $50M in Cost Avoidance

After three years, the Agriculture Department launched a cloud office, consolidated contact centers and stood up more than a hundred dashboards.

Agriculture Launching New IT System to Manage Discrimination Complaints

The new Civil Rights Management System will live in a USDA-owned and operated cloud environment.

Lawmakers Ask USDA, HUD and FCC to Cooperatively Help Expand Internet Access

Together, the agencies could make better use of data to close connectivity gaps, they argue.

House Bill Would Direct Feds to Use Drones, Remote Sensors in U.S. Reforestation Efforts

The legislation calls for a five-year pilot program aimed at removing carbon from the atmosphere.

Government Seeks ‘Dog-Like,’ Throwable and Other Robots

Several recent notices and announcements point to agencies’ ongoing and planned use of the futuristic machines.

3 Ways Agencies Can Improve Customer Experience

One of the most important things agencies can do is build trust.