HowTo.gov is a website to help government workers deliver a better customer experience to citizens. It’s about sharing new ideas, common challenges, lessons learned, and successes across government. HowTo.gov can help you work smarter, whether you’re on the “front lines” of government customer service; you manage a customer service channel; or you support customers through new media, open government, cloud computing, communications, innovation, or in some other way.

HowTo.gov provides the tools and ideas you need to effectively serve, engage, and support your customers, no matter how they choose to interact with you. We offer best practices, training, and guidance on:

• Strategic planning and coordinating customer service channels;
• Federal web requirements and policies;
• Cloud computing, apps, data and web infrastructure tools;
• Online citizen engagement through social media and open government;
• Web content management, usability, and design; and
• Contact center services.

Please contact us if you have an idea or suggestion to improve this site!

Who this Website is For

HowTo.gov is for anyone who manages or supports (directly or indirectly) a government customer service channel. This includes anyone who manages a government website or call center; communicates with the public via social media; manages or supports their agency’s IT operations; writes or edits content for web or print publication; or manages customer service operations in any program area.

While U.S. federal government employees are the primary audience, we welcome state, local, and international government employees to use the site and share your feedback, ideas, and suggestions.  HowTo.gov is meant to be a resource for government communities of practice, helping agencies everywhere improve how they communicate and interact with their customers and use innovative tools and technologies to improve service.

Who Manages the Site

HowTo.gov is managed by GSA’s Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologiesand the Federal Web Managers Council, and is supported by other communities of practice. HowTo.gov Website Governance (PDF, 2.1 MB, 65 pages, March 2012) documents our policies and procedures for producing this site.

What We Do

The Office of Citizen Services and Innovative Technologies is the nation’s focal point for data, information, and services offered by the federal government to citizens. We play a leadership role in identifying and applying new technologies to effective government operations and excellence in customer service in the government, including the Federal Cloud Computing Initiative.

The Federal Web Managers Council aims to make U.S. government websites the most citizen-focused and visitor-friendly in the world. In addition to managing HowTo.gov, we oversee a large training program, and develop practical tools and guidance to help agencies manage their web efforts. We also serve as the steering committee for the Web Content Managers Forum, a group of nearly 3,000 government web managers from across the country who collaborate to improve the quality and usability of U.S. government websites.

See our key metrics for customer satisfaction scores, website analytics, and program highlights.

What You Can Do

This site is for you!

• Find guidance, training, and best practices to help you work smarter.
• Get involved with communities of practice—people doing similar work at other agencies.
• Learn strategies to improve management and coordination of your agency’s customer service efforts. For example, create content once and re-use it in many ways to ensure your customers always receive the same answer, no matter which channel they use to ask their question.
• Collaborate with others in your field to improve government-wide customer service efforts by submitting case studies, contributing content, sharing resources, or providing feedback to help us improve this website.

Contact Us

If you have questions, comments, or suggestions to improve this website, please contact us.