Yelp Users to Review U.S. Government
August 19 2015 - 1:00AM
Dow Jones News
SAN DIEGO—Federal agencies will be joining the ranks of beauty
salons, taco stands and other services reviewed on Yelp, and the
U.S. government says it will take the online ratings into account
to improve what the government calls "customer satisfaction."
Under a deal with Yelp, the government will officially recognize
the public's star ratings on its federal agencies, from the
Transportation Security Administration to national parks.
Frustrated travelers have already been turning to the popular
website to vent about long, slow-moving airport security lines and
what some have said are intrusive body scans. Now the public will
be able to do it in real time, and the government says it will
respond to the comments and use the feedback to improve. People
can, among other things, rate bathrooms at national parks, review
their experiences with the Internal Revenue Service, or assess the
efficiency of the local post office.
"In some ways, it augments our democracy," said Luther Lowe,
Yelp's vice president of public policy. He said the platform could
shine the light on what does and doesn't work in the federal
government, just as it directs people to the yummiest Indian
restaurant in town or the best nail salon.
The General Services Administration made the announcement on
digitalgov.gov in a page that resembled a typical Yelp page with
the title "Best Public Services and Government in Washington, D.C."
It said: "Adding customer satisfaction ratings and reviews to
public services just got easier now that Yelp offers a terms of
service for official government use."
Mr. Lowe said there is no need for TSA agents or other federal
officials to worry: Positive reviews already outweigh negative
comments on Yelp for businesses, and he doesn't expect that will
change with people reviewing federal agencies. It will still take
weeks before that area of Yelp's site is up and running.
Andy Stoltzfus, vice president of Voce Connect, a
digital-consulting firm, said the deal isn't what is expected of a
massive federal government. "It's very inspiring to see them
adapting to the digital age," he said.
Its success in revamping the image of the stodgy, unresponsive
federal bureaucrat will hinge on pointing out how the feedback has
specifically changed public services for the better, Mr. Stoltzfus
said.
Per the government's terms, advertisements will be removed from
official government pages to prevent perceived endorsements.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 19, 2015 00:45 ET (04:45 GMT)
Yelp (NYSE:YELP)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024
Yelp (NYSE:YELP)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024