 The persistent vacancies are a result of the Senate confirmation process becoming increasingly difficult, the partnership says. Drew Friedman, Federal News Network. Find these stories and more at federalnewsnetwork.com. I'm Eric White. Customer experience and better online services, those are a major focus of federal agencies these days. Agencies have spent hundreds of millions of dollars on improving online service, and on telephone service for that matter. But what about in person at all those field offices?