Executive Summary
The United States has a long history of extending a helping hand to those people overseas struggling to make a better life, recover from a disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic country. It is this caring that stands as a hallmark of the United States around the world -- and shows the world our true character as a nation. This customer service plan, issued in accordance with Executive Order 13571 Streamlining Service Delivery and Improving Customer Service, addresses issues intended to help ensure that the Agency’s programs and priorities are as responsive as possible to customer needs. USAID seeks to identify who its customers are and to secure their participation in order to better target its project approaches and to focus its efforts and resources on the most productive tasks.
As a development agency with a diverse staff and customer base, USAID must consider the principles that determine how it performs its work around the world. The following guiding principles are best practices, learned over time, that have proved instrumental to achieving development results. These principles are:
- Managing for Results
- Maintaining a Customer Focus
- Building Teamwork and Participation
- Encouraging Empowerment and Accountability
- Valuing Diversity