State CC Training Slides for FSA

Communicating via the Web

FSA Office of External Affairs Training 2010


Many devoted FSA employees put in long days, often toiling far past their scheduled work hours. But there’s one FSA entity that remains on duty even after the last office door is locked for the evening. And it doesn’t even need a pot of coffee to stay awake! That entity is our 24-hour Agency Web site (www.fsa.usda.gov).


Since its inception in 1996 from a small Web page collection that provided basic Agency information and news releases, our electronic coworker has mushroomed into a vast “web” of information and services.

December 1996 Today


This is crucial, as more and more farmers are discovering the necessity of computers and the Internet. In fact, from 1997 to 2007, the percentage of farmers nationwide with access to the Internet more than quadrupled from just 13 percent to 55 percent, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.


FSA is listening and responding to the demand. Our Web site expands and improves daily to satisfy our growing number of online customers. In 1999, an average of 144,000 users visited our Web site each month; in 2009 we have seen these numbers triple to an average of 424,000 visits monthly.

1999

144,000

2007

354,203

2009

424,000


From Washington, D.C. and across the nation, FSA’s 200 Web content providers keep our site up to date with national and local FSA news, program information, and loan and market rates, in both English and Spanish.

DC

States

APFO /

KCCO


All of this information would not reach past the content provider’s computers without FSA’s Web Services Team. This dedicated team provides the lifeline for our site. FSA’s Web Services Team, along with the FSA content providers, make it possible for the information to reach our FSA public and employees.

Information

APFO/KCCO

States

DC


October 29, 2009 – February 28, 2010

Each State Office should already have a State Web Manager in place. This is a key communications role within your state and works in unison as a member of the communications team.

Keep in mind this person does not need to know HTML or how to design a website. Focus on content and your message.

The common look and feel of your site has been designed based on USDA mandated design guidelines.

The Web Services Team will provide the necessary tools and assistance to ensure your message gets in front of your customer.


VIRTUAL FSA OFFICE

Anywhere, anytime our FSA Public Web site provides farmers with access to information and the ability to conduct essential online business using our eGovernment applications.


Let’s take a look at some usage information

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

427,031397,414

454,397 458,178

384,388414,157

431,566453,362

480,354462,719

360,857 363,370

2009 Monthly Visits



Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec.0.00

2,000.00

4,000.00

6,000.00

8,000.00

10,000.00

12,000.00

14,000.00

16,000.00

18,000.00

2009 Visits/Day

Visits/Day



Our site visitors are international Our neighbors from the north use our site daily.


Listening to the voice of our customers


“Give more information in the state website about the county offices....which ones are in disaster areas, what program appts they're taking. Our county committee members etc....” (Sat: 48)

“There's too much old information on there making it difficult to find exactly what you're looking for” (Sat: 30)

“Add Hours of Operation to each county website” (Sat: 63)



Producer/Rancher/Farmer

Government Employee/ Contractor

Academic/Researcher

Lender/Bank

Conservationist/Other

Nongovernmental Organization

Others (including

Cooperative/ Trade Association)

Proportion of Users:

51%(n = 1,258)

18%(n = 453)

6%(n = 141)

3%(n = 81)

3%(n = 69)

19%(n = 482)

Satisfaction:

66 72 70 73 68 70

Primary Reasons for Visiting the Site:

1. Information about farm programs

2. Information about a farm loan

3. Find out about the Farm Service Agency

1. Check notices


3. Check LDP rates

1. Find out about the Farm Service Agency (2)

2. Information about farm programs (1)

3. Check notices

1. Information about a farm loan


3. Find out about the Farm Service Agency


2. Check notices (3)




3. Information about a farm loan (2)

Compared to the prior reporting period, producers remain the most frequently reported role on the site and the proportion has increased slightly (+4%); Satisfaction for this segment has also increased a point. There was a change among the most frequently reported visit reasons for producers, the third most frequently reported purpose is now “find out about the Farm Service Agency” (it had previously been check LDP rates).

The proportion of Government Employees/Contractors respondents decreased (-9%); Satisfaction and their primary reasons to be on the site, however, remain the same.

As you can see our customers are visiting your State Web site and are providing valuable feedback. The content you publish on your site represents the public face of your State office, FSA and USDA as a whole.

The customers visiting your site expect to find:

• Well organized up to date content• Links to content which are relevant to their visit and actually function• Office information, key dates and program sign-up information



K



#1 Rule: Keep key messages above the page fold. You only have a few seconds to catch their attention.

Electronic MessagingDelivering Your Message





You may have noticed the option to sign-up and receive notifications via email on your state news room page.



We will soon be implementing a new service which will allow producers to receive county office newsletters via email versus USPS mail.

This will be an opt in subscription service, which utilizes our existing service provider and the SCIMS name and address record.

We are working with our application developers and service provider to develop a system which will be easy to use, and require low staff time to maintain.

We hope to begin training by mid-summer.



Once the newsletter service is in place, each state office and county office can use this powerful tool to alert customers of:

Critical deadlines which require their attention

Emergency Office Closures

Key program changes, etc

And they can receive these alerts on their cell phones if they desire!



Stay tuned for more information about this exciting new service…….



Resources, Resources, Resources……

Don’t forget that we have a huge Online Knowledge Base called AskFSA – your customers can use this tool to gain useful information at night when your office is closed.

If you see something online which is out of date within AskFSA let us know.

If you have something you think should be added to AskFSA we would love to hear about it.

Send your message to [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]




For our employees we have AskFSAInternal.

Here you will find all of the helpful resources for maintaining your state web site.

This is also the method you can use to reach out and ask for help from the Web Services Team.

Send your message to [email protected]





AskFSA (Public) http://askfsa.custhelp.com

AskFSAInternal https://askfsainternal.custhelp.com

Jeff Kerby – National Web Program [email protected] or [email protected]

http://askfsa.custhelp.com/

https://askfsainternal.custhelp.com/


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State CC Training Slides for FSA