State Auditor Says Public Service Still Falls Short, Especially by Phone

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman released a special follow-up report on Wednesday on public service in government bodies, saying service in some agencies is still far from satisfactory, especially in call centers. He said public servants must provide “excellent, efficient and friendly service to every person,” and added that his office will keep monitoring service quality because about one-third of the complaints handled by the ombudsman each year concern this issue.

The review examined seven public bodies, following a November 2024 report on the same agencies: the National Insurance Institute, Israel Tax Authority, Population and Immigration Authority, Transportation Ministry, Amidar, the Israel Electric Corporation, and the Israel Lands Authority. They were chosen because they each receive hundreds of complaints a year, serve the public nationwide, and operate physical service centers, phone lines and websites.

Overall scores improved in the current review compared with 2024, except at the Transportation Ministry, but four bodies still scored below average: the Population and Immigration Authority, the Transportation Ministry, the Tax Authority and the Israel Lands Authority. Above average were Amidar, the National Insurance Institute and the Israel Electric Corporation, which scored the highest overall at 87.7 points. The report said the survey showed improvement in service-center and website scores, but a decline in the average score of telephone hotlines.

In service-center rankings, Amidar came last, while the Israel Lands Authority and Population and Immigration Authority were also below average. The Israel Electric Corporation led that category, which measured queue management, service coverage, accessibility and opening hours. It also ranked first for website information and online services, where the Tax Authority came last and the Transportation Ministry, Population and Immigration Authority and Israel Lands Authority were below average. In telephone service, Amidar ranked first, while the Population and Immigration Authority, Transportation Ministry and Tax Authority were below average, with waiting time, voicemail options and hotline hours among the criteria.