Contingency Planning, for Technology and Terrorism

Customs and Border Protection, of course, is not the only agency grappling with customer-service issues.

The Social Security Administration and the Veterans Affairs Department struggle to keep pace with benefit claims. In June, the State Department was overwhelmed with passport applications because of a new rule requiring passports for U.S. citizens flying within the Western Hemisphere.

Agencies responsible for national security, in particular, are motivated "not to let something bad happen," which does not always mesh with other goals, such as customer service, said Frank J. Cilluffo of the Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University.

Government has a responsibility to provide security, and "we don't want to undermine that important mission," he said.

Still, many federal agencies need to look harder at their performance and plan more rigorously for such issues as surges in passport applications and chaos caused by technology breakdowns, said John Stewart, an operating partner at Monomoy Capital Partners, a private-equity fund that helps troubled companies turn around.

"The government is operating more in a responsive mode," he said. "That's not a good situation to be in when trying to meet the needs of customers."

Agencies also become vulnerable when they lapse into tunnel vision or rely too much on technology, said Donald F. Kettl, a University of Pennsylvania political science professor. "We are going to have things that outflank us," he said. "They might be hurricanes, or terrorists, or a bad chip inside a computer."

Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.