Establishes program to foster improvements in customer service in State government agencies.

S3664

SENATE, No. 3664

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 24, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� ANTHONY M. BUCCO

District 25 (Morris and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes program to foster improvements in
customer service in State government agencies.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning a program to foster improvements in
customer service in State government agencies and supplementing Title 52 of the
Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� a.� As used in this
section:

���� �State agency� means any of
the principal departments of the Executive Branch of State government, and any
division, office, board, bureau, commission, authority, or agency therein or
allocated thereto that are routinely approached by customers for requests or
information.

���� �Customer� means any member of
the public who uses or requests services or information provided by a State
agency or who is required by statute to interact with the agency.

���� b.� There is hereby
established a Customer Service Initiative for State agencies to foster
improvements in customer service.� The initiative shall focus on three core
areas:

���� (1) a renewed focus on a
strong service culture in State agencies;

���� (2) improved customer service
training for State employees; and

���� (3) the establishment of new
service performance metrics to allow State agencies and members of the public
to track improvements in customer service over time.

���� Each State agency shall
develop and maintain a written plan for the initiative to continually improve
service delivery, including minimum response times for telephone, written, and
in-person inquiries and services.� Each plan shall set forth the customer
service standards for that State agency and shall incorporate recognized best
practices for providing excellent customer service under those standards.� Each
State agency shall complete a plan by the first day of the sixth month
following the effective date of this act, P.L.���� , c.��� (C.�� �����)
(pending before the Legislature as this bill), and shall review annually, and
modify if necessary, its plan.

���� Each agency shall:

���� (1) establish appropriate
customer service training for its employees and managers;

���� (2) review, and adjust when
necessary, agency business hours to better align them with customer demand; and

���� (3) incorporate customer
service goals into employee performance evaluations.

���� c.���� Each State agency plan
and any modifications to the plan shall be reviewed annually by a panel
comprised of State government officials appointed by the Governor.� The panel
shall report to the Governor with any recommendations for State agencies and
shall measure improvements in service delivery using key performance metrics.�
These metrics shall be made available to the public on the website of the
Department of State.

���� d.��� Each State agency shall
display the Customer Service Promise prominently in State agency offices and on
agency websites.� The Customer Service Promise shall be a series of key
principles that will serve as the basis of all interactions between State
employees and their customers.� The promise shall state that the agency is
committed to providing the best possible customer service to the public.� The
promise shall state that the State agency pledges to provide constituents,
businesses, customers, and stakeholders with services in the following:

���� (1) friendly and courteous
manner that is helpful and supportive and with a positive attitude and passion
for what the agency does;

���� (2) timely and responsive
manner that is proactive, takes initiative, and anticipates customer needs;

���� (3) accurate and consistent
manner that will always aim for 100 percent accuracy and be consistent in how
the agency interprets and implements State policies and procedures;

���� (4) accessible and convenient
manner that will continue to simplify and improve access to information and
resources; and

���� (5) truthful and transparent
manner that will advance a culture of honesty, clarity, and trust.

���� The display of the promise on
each agency website shall be followed with a section to permit customers or
members of the public to submit a comment on their experience with the agency
and a section to permit customers or members of the public to complete a three
question customer experience survey.

���� Immediately below the display
of the promise, comment, and survey, the State shall provide the annual reports
on the customer service initiative.

���� e.���� Each State agency shall
implement appropriate employee recognition and award programs to highlight
exceptional customer service to help further encourage a philosophy of
outstanding service delivery.� The Governor, or the Governor�s designee, shall
meet with employees who are agency award recipients at the State House to offer
congratulations and appreciation to the employees who have consistently
provided exceptional customer service.

���� Each initial plan and modified
plan shall be submitted to the New Jersey Innovation Authority.� The authority
shall make each plan available to the public on its website within 10 days of
receipt.

���� Each State agency shall make
its initial plan and each modified plan available to the public on its website
within 10 days of completion or modification.

���� The initial plan and each
modified plan shall be submitted to the Governor, and to the Legislature
pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), within 30 days of
completion or modification.

���� f.���� The Department of State
shall prepare an annual report on the Customer Service Initiative, which shall
include a summary of the comments submitted by customers and members of the
public, the customer survey responses, and the measured improvements in service
delivery through the use of key performance metrics required under subsection
c. of this section.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect on the first day of the third month following the date of enactment, but
each State agency may take such anticipatory action as it shall deem necessary
to implement this act.

STATEMENT

���� The residents of the State of
New Jersey expect the best possible customer service from their State
government.� The Statewide customer service initiative established by this bill
will ensure continued improvements across all State agencies by giving our
State employees the leadership, guidance, training, and the tools they need to
provide excellent customer service.

���� This bill is based on a
program established in the state of Maryland.

���� This bill requires each State
agency to develop a written customer service improvement plan as well as
customer service standards.� The plan is required to be developed by the first
day of the sixth month following the effective date of this bill.� The plan is
required to be reviewed annually, and modified if necessary. The bill requires
that the initial plan, and any subsequently modified plans, be submitted to the
New Jersey Innovation Authority, the Governor, and the Legislature.

���� Additionally, this bill
requires each agency to create appropriate customer service training, review,
and adjust when necessary, business hours, and include customer service goals
when conducting employee performance evaluations.

���� This bill also requires that
each State agency plan be reviewed annually by a panel comprised of State
government officials appointed by the Governor.� The bill requires the panel to
report to the Governor any recommendations and customer service improvement
data.� The metrics used to track improvement are required to be publicly
available on the website of the Department of State.

���� In addition, this bill
requires each State agency to display the Customer Service Promise prominently
in State agency offices and on agency websites.� Following the Customer Service
Promise, the bill requires the website of each agency to provide a comment
section, a customer experience survey, and the annual reports on the customer
service initiative.

���� This bill also requires each
State agency to implement appropriate employee recognition and award programs.�
The bill requires the Governor, or the Governor�s designee, to meet with
employees who are agency award recipients at the State House to offer congratulations
and appreciation to the employees.

���� Finally, this bill requires
the Department of State to prepare an annual report on the Customer Service
Initiative, which will include a summary of customer comments, customer survey
responses, and measured improvements in service delivery.