US Government Joins Yelp for Citizen Feedback

Want to give US government agencies an earful for poor service?

It turns out they really want feedback, and have crafted an agreement with popular review site Yelp to engage with citizens about quality of services.

Under the agreement unveiled this week, US government entities, such as the White House and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), joined the review website as part of an effort to improve service.

While Yelp users have long been able to post reviews of government services, the new agreement allows federal agencies and offices to establish their own Yelp pages, read and respond to reviews and incorporate feedback into service improvements.

"We encourage Yelpers to review any of the thousands of agency field offices, TSA checkpoints, national parks, Social Security Administration offices, landmarks and other places already listed on Yelp if you have good or bad feedback to share about your experiences," Yelp said on its blog Tuesday.

"Not only is it helpful to others who are looking for information on these services, but you can actually make an impact by sharing your feedback directly with the source. It's clear Washington is eager to engage with people directly through social media."

US officials say they are eager to join the ranks of restaurants, bars, hotels and hair salons that are open to user reviews on Yelp.

"With the addition of public services and government under the Yelp umbrella, agencies can continue to find new ways to use customer insights to improve citizen services," said Justin Herman, a social media specialist with US General Services Administration.