Summary of Research How do Canadians Feel About the Telephone Channel? Prepared by: Cathy Ladds,...
-
Upload
iliana-nickel -
Category
Documents
-
view
213 -
download
0
Transcript of Summary of Research How do Canadians Feel About the Telephone Channel? Prepared by: Cathy Ladds,...
Summary of Research
How do Canadians Feel About the Telephone Channel?
Prepared by:
Cathy Ladds, Chief Information Officer Branch, and Charles Vincent, ICCS
June 2005
2 Slide/
2
2
Agenda
• Recent research studies• Use of the telephone to access services• Satisfaction with telephone service delivery• Ease of Access to services via the telephone• Strengths and Weaknesses of the telephone
as a delivery channel• Channel Decision Framework: Who should
use the telephone when?
3 Slide/
3
3
What do we know?
• Recent Canadian studies looking at telephone service delivery in the public sector:
– Compas - Multi-Channel Service Delivery (2003)
– Ipsos-Reid – Govt. Service & Satisfaction (2005)
– Ekos – Rethinking the Information Highway (2005)
– Citizens First 3 (2002) and Citizens First 4 (2005)
– Taking Care of Business (2004)
4 Slide/
4
4
Overall Use of Different Channels
Taking Care of Business, 2004
Citizens First 3, 2003
Channel Per Cent Per Cent Phone Regular mail Visit a website Fax Visit a government office Email Receive visit from government representative Kiosk Other
65
58
45
35
25
20
13 6 *
55
25
30 5
48 8 * 5 9
How Businesses and Citizens Access Service
The telephone is the most popular channel for accessing government services: The People’s Channel
5 Slide/
5
5
Channel Choice
40%
Research from Ekos (below) and Ipsos-Reid supports the popularity of the telephone for accessing government services
6 Slide/
6
6
Satisfaction by Channel
68
62
62
56
55
54
0 25 50 75 100
Internet/email
Office visit
Kiosk
Phone
Other
SERVICE QUALITYVery poor Very good
Despite being the most popular channel, it consistently delivers some of the lowest satisfaction scores
Source: Citizens First 3
7 Slide/
7
7
Ease of Access by Channel
Moreover, “Ease of Access” scores are also lowest for the telephone
Source: Ekos -Rethinking the Information Highway
8 Slide/
8
8
Single Channel
Office Visit 75Kiosk 74Internet/email 69Mail 65Telephone 63
Ease of Access – Multi-Channel
When citizens use the phone with other channels, “ease of access” scores are lowest
Two Channels
Internet + Mail 77Office + Mail 76Office +Internet 68Phone + Office 64Phone + Mail 63Phone + Internet 59
Source: Citizens First 3
9 Slide/
9
9
Barriers to Access
1. Telephone lines were busy
2. Bounced around from one person to another
3. Trouble with Interactive Voice Response or
Voice Mail
4. Did not know where to start
5. Could not find the service in the Blue Pages
When asking about “ease of access” in general, issues related to the telephone rise to the top.
Source: Citizens First 3
10 Slide/
10
10
Drivers of Satisfaction
Understanding the drivers of satisfaction can help us focus our service improvements efforts
Drivers of Satisfaction: Timeliness
Knowledge
Fairness
Extra Mile / Courtesy
Outcome
Citizens who get good service on all 5 drivers rate SQ at 89 out of 100
89
76
6353
34
22
0
25
50
75
100
5 4 3 2 1 0
Service quality
Number of drivers on w hich the citizen receives good service
11 Slide/
11
11
Timeliness
7968
59 52 57 5545
38
24
0
20
40
60
80
5 min 30 min 1 hr 1 day 1 wk 1 mo 3 mo 6 mo 1 yr
Mean satisfaction
Time to get the service
Timeliness has received a fair amount of attention since it is the most significant driver of satisfaction, as well as the
one rated lowest
Q. How long did the entire experience take - from the time you first contacted the government until you got what you needed?
Source: Citizens First 3
12 Slide/
12
12
Channel perceived to be fastest(n=3,526)
Citizens First 4
1
1
3
6
13
31
47
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Fax
Kiosk
Internet
Telephone
In Person
Percent of Respondents
The telephone is perceived to be a relatively “fast” channel
Citizen Perceptions
13 Slide/
13
13
The telephone is also used in many “quick” service situations.
Citizen Experiences
Source: Ekos -Rethinking the Information Highway
14 Slide/
14
14
Service Standards
6
10
20
32
17
73 5
0
10
20
30
40
50
10 sec 20 sec 30 sec 1 min 2 min 3 min 4 min 5 min
Percent of respondents
With these facts in mind, many organizations have turned to setting service standards related to the speed with which
the phone will be answered.
When you telephone a government office with a routine request, what is an acceptable length of time to wait before you speak to a person?
15 Slide/
15
15
Importance of First Contact?
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
1st Contact 2nd Contact 3rd Contact 4th Contact
Business
Citizen
Average
However, more than speed, first contact appears to have a significant impact on satisfaction...
16 Slide/
16
16
How Canadians decided to call…
– Phonebook/Blue Pages 32%
– Number listed on letter/form/
advertising/brochure 23%
– Number listed on Website
(Government or Other) 16%
– Word of Mouth/Personal Knowledge 10%
– Other/Don’t Know 19%
Source: Ipsos-Reid Government Service & Satisfaction
17 Slide/
17
17
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Telephone
What Canadians consider to be STRENGTHS of the telephone channel:
• Accessibility – can call from home or work
• Cost – inexpensive (local or 1-800)
• Speed – can be fast, efficient, instantaneous
• Information – detailed answers to specific questions, referrals
• Convenience – no office visit, no office line-ups
• Personalized service – human touch, advice, one-on-one, accountability (can get service rep’s name)
• Other – privacy, anonymity, less intimidating than office visitSource: Compas
18 Slide/
18
18
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Telephone
What Canadians consider to be WEAKNESSES of the telephone channel:
• Accessibility – IVR/voice mail, calls not returned, no extended hours, run-around, busy periods
• Cost – expensive if no toll-free or local number
• Speed – long waits or put on hold
• Staff – not always helpful/knowledgeable, inconsistencies, rudeness, accents
• Information – can be conflicting, wrong or incomplete, not a good medium for large volume of information
• Other – confidentiality problem in smaller communities
Source: Compas
19 Slide/
19
19
Channel Decision Framework
The channel decision framework is a function of both client characteristics and service characteristics
Channel
ServiceClient
20 Slide/
20
20
Service Characteristics
CHANNEL SUITABILITY - TELEPHONE:
• To start or prepare for an office visit
• To obtain general information/request information
• To get answers to specific or personal questions
• To get answers to program-related questions
• To obtain advice/guidance
• To conduct simple transactions
Source: Compas
21 Slide/
21
21
Channel use in specific situations
Q. I would now like you to tell me which way of contacting the Government of Canada—Internet, telephone, in-person, mail or at a kiosk—you would most likely choose when looking for the following kinds of service or information?
Internet Telephone In-person Mail Getting help with homework or academic research 63% 20% 9% 4% Finding information about charitable organizations 59% 27% 5% 6% Learning more about starting a business 53% 19% 17% 5% Obtaining information about public health issues 50% 33% 8% 6% Filing your taxes 42% 14% 14% 27% Making a payment to the Government of Canada 25% 12% 13% 46% Finding out how to receive old age benefits 36% 38% 15% 9% Obtaining tax credits (such as GST or HST credits) 30% 34% 10% 20% Obtaining Child and Family Benefits (such as Canada Child Tax Benefit, or the National Child Benefit)
30% 38% 13% 13%
Helping a friend or relative immigrate to Canada 28% 32% 25% 6% Applying for a program like employment insurance 27% 22% 39% 6% Getting a passport 19% 17% 48% 11%
Source: Ipsos-Reid
22 Slide/
22
22
Client Characteristics
• Demographic profile of those who use the telephone to contact government:
• More likely to live in rural areas, be middle-aged and older and have lower levels of education and income
• Regionally, telephone is used more often than average by those in Quebec, the Atlantic Provinces, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
• Note: Ekos-RIH study also suggested that women tended to use the telephone more than men
Source: Ipsos-Reid
23 Slide/
23
23
Discussion/Questions
Utility is when you have one telephone, luxury is when you have two, opulence is when you have three - and paradise is when you have none. Doug Larson