2009 irish civil service customer satisfaction...

2009 Irish Civil ServiceCustomer Satisfaction Survey

Prepared by Ipsos MORI on behalf of the

Transforming Public Services Programme OfficeDepartment of the Taoiseach

Irish Civil Service - Customer Satisfaction Survey

Contents

1. Introduction..................................................................................41.1 Measuring Public Sector Customer Satisfaction....................................4

1.2 Structure of Report.................................................................................5

2. Research Methodology...............................................................62.1 Overview of Research Methodology......................................................6

2.2 Questionnaire Development...................................................................6

2.3 Survey Administration............................................................................7

2.3.1 Stand-Alone Survey............................................................................7

2.4 Sampling Method/Size...........................................................................8

2.5 Project Management Standards............................................................9

3. Civil Service Contact ................................................................103.1 Civil Service Department or Office Contact.........................................10

3.2 Most Recent Contact............................................................................11

3.3 Nature of Most Recent Contact............................................................12

3.4 Method of Contact – Any Contact........................................................13

3.4.1 Method of Contact – Most Recent....................................................14

4. Satisfaction with Customer Service........................................164.1 Overall Satisfaction with Service..........................................................16

4.2 Satisfaction with Service Delivery Methods.........................................18

4.2.1 Satisfaction with Service by Phone...................................................18

4.2.2 Satisfaction with Service in Person...................................................20

4.2.3 Satisfaction with Service in Writing...................................................22

4.2.4 Satisfaction with Service by E-mail...................................................23

4.2.5 Satisfaction with Service via Internet................................................24

4.3 Dissatisfaction with Service or Contact ...............................................25

4.3.1 Reasons for Dissatisfaction with Service or Contact .......................26

5. Perceptions of the Civil Service...............................................285.1 Civil Service Advocacy.........................................................................28

5.2 Perceptions of Civil Service Efficiency.................................................30

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5.3 Familiarity with the Civil Service..........................................................31

5.4 Favourability with the Civil Service......................................................32

5.4.1 Trends in Favourability & Familiarity.................................................33

5.5 Perceptions of the Civil Service as an Organisation............................34

5.5.1 Positive Perceptions of the Civil Service as an Organisation...........34

5.5.2 Negative Perceptions of the Civil Service as an Organisation.........35

5.5.3 Changes in Public Perceptions of the Civil Service as an

Organisation – Declining Trust?.................................................................36

5.5.4 Declining Levels of Trust – External Data.........................................38

6. Access to Services....................................................................406.1 Convenience of Contact Methods........................................................40

6.2 Language Services..............................................................................41

6.2.1 Irish Language Services....................................................................41

6.2.2 Satisfaction with Access to Services (other languages)...................42

7. Understanding Customer Contact...........................................437.1 The Nature of Customer Contact.........................................................43

7.2 Measuring Performance.......................................................................47

Report prepared by:

Tarik Laher

Director, Ipsos MORI

Emmet Ó Briain

Research Development Director, Ipsos MORI

Sarah Nitting-Fulin

Research Executive, Ipsos MORI

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1. IntroductionIpsos MORI was commissioned in August 2009 by the Transforming Public Services

(TPS) Programme Office, based in the Department of the Taoiseach, to conduct a

survey of members of the general public to determine levels of customer satisfaction

with services provided by Civil Service Departments and Offices, and attitudes to the

Civil Service among the general public.

The survey provides a comparison with previous surveys conducted in 2008, 2005 and

2002 and demonstrates the Civil Service’s commitment to improving the quality of

service delivery to its customers.

Once again, the survey considers the views of all citizens, rather than simply

customers of individual Departments or users of specific services. While the analysis of

customer experience is restricted to those who had contact with the Civil Service in the

last 12 months, the measurements of attitudes to the Civil Service is not. All members

of the general public, including those who have not had direct contact in the last 12

months, are stakeholders of the Civil Service. Even those without contact may have

perceptions of its performance in terms of customer service and this provides valuable

context to the interpretation of customer attitudes to service delivery.

1.1 Measuring Public Sector Customer Satisfaction

There are a number of features of customer satisfaction in a public sector context that

distinguish it from private sector customer satisfaction research. The challenge for the

Civil Service is to balance distinct, and often competing, factors relating to value for

money for citizens with high quality, accessible services for customers.

Firstly, customer surveys are exclusively concerned with clients’ satisfaction with the

delivery of services at an operational level. However, citizen surveys could consider

issues such as whether certain services should be provided by the public sector at all.

Secondly, for customers and users, their priorities are for a better service, even though,

as citizens, they may also recognise that resources may be better used elsewhere.

There are also a number of features of public services that make them different from

private sector services, and which reduce the usefulness of direct comparison between

the public and private sectors.

Many commercial models of service quality focus on the aim of increasing consumption

4


of services and increasing customer loyalty whereas, for certain public services, these

considerations are in theory less relevant, as customers may be obliged to consume

the services (such as regulatory services) or where a reduction in consumption would

be preferred (e.g. health and social welfare).

An important consideration in evaluating customer satisfaction in the Civil Service is

that the range of impacts on the image of public services is likely to be wider than for

private services. In particular, expectations of public services are not only influenced by

direct communications from the service, or even what the media says about the

service, but also the reputation of the Government and politicians generally. While it is

generally agreed that the impact of these factors will be relatively minor when asking

about very specific service elements, it can have an impact on aggregate ratings and

on public perceptions of the Civil Service as a whole.

1.2 Structure of Report

The report begins with a discussion of the methodology employed for the survey before

turning to a description of the results. The report concludes with a review of the main

findings of the research and recommendations arising from the research.

Throughout the report, results are presented firstly at an overall aggregate level before

highlighting significant differences between particular subgroups. Generally, results of

individual subgroups are not reported where no significant differences exist between

the attitudes, opinions or other results of groups. Results of individual subgroups are

also not reported where subgroup sample sizes are insufficiently large to permit reliable

inferences to be drawn.

Results of other studies are also included in Section 5.4.4 to provide context for

declining levels of trust that are evident in Ireland at present.

5


2. Research Methodology

2.1 Overview of Research Methodology

This section sets out details of the methodology employed and interviewing approach

used by Ipsos MORI during the Irish Civil Service Customer Satisfaction Survey. The

research reported in this document was undertaken by Ipsos MORI, an independent

research company based in Dublin. The nature and importance of the research project

demanded robust statistical information as an output, so that the attitudes and

perceptions of customers and their experiences of interaction with Government

Departments and Offices could be measured reliably. Thus, the agreed methodology

was a quantitative survey conducted face-to-face with a nationally representative

sample of the general public.

2.2 Questionnaire Development

At the outset of the project, Ipsos MORI and the project steering team met to agree the

principal objectives of the research and to prioritise question areas for inclusion in the

research. It was agreed that question areas from previous surveys remained relevant

and should be retained so that progress could be reliably measured. These included:

contact with Civil Service Departments and Offices, frequency and nature of contact,

satisfaction with customer experience, satisfaction with specific contact methods,

convenience of contact methods, general perceptions of the Civil Service as an

organisation, customer advocacy of the Civil Service, as well as reasons for customer

dissatisfaction and recommendations for future improvements in service delivery.

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2.3 Survey Administration

The survey was conducted by Ipsos MORI using face-to-face interviewing. All

interviews were conducted by trained Ipsos MORI field interviewers, who are all

accredited by the Interviewer Quality Control Scheme (IQCS), an independent

organisation which works with researchers and research clients to ensure the highest

standards of data collection in professional research.

The method of administration employed - face-to-face personal interviewing - has

obvious advantages over alternative approaches, such as telephone and self-

completion, as it allows for greater probing of the respondents’ responses to get more

detailed and accurate answers.

2.3.1 Stand-Alone Survey

When conducted in 2002 and 1997, the Civil Service customer survey was conducted

as part of a syndicated omnibus survey, whereby a representative sample of the

general population are surveyed on a variety of topics for a variety of clients to provide

cost-efficiencies to those placing questions on the survey. However, in 2005,

recognising the importance of the study, a stand-alone survey was preferred as a more

reliable and appropriate approach. On an omnibus survey, questions could be included

(i) at any position in the survey, whereby the quality of responses to questions towards

the end of a longer survey can suffer due to respondent fatigue, and (ii) alongside other

unrelated areas such as product purchase behaviour that may distract the respondent.

This stand-alone approach has subsequently been retained for the 2008 and 2009

surveys.

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2.4 Sampling Method/Size

Interviews were conducted during September and October 2009, at 100 different

sampling points in the Republic of Ireland.

A total of 2,007 interviews were completed with adults aged 18 and older. A sample of

this size provides robust data at an aggregate level and for certain sub-group analyses

(e.g. most recent contact, age, socio-economic group, etc). The table below illustrates

the representative nature of a sample of different sizes. For example, if the results of a

survey of 2,000 people show that 70% of the public have a favourable opinion of the

Civil Service, the range which the true figure would lie, if all the population had been

interviewed would be +/- 2 points (i.e. somewhere between 68% and 72%), 95 times

out of 100. In fact, the “true” figure is more likely to lie at the mid-point of the range,

rather than at either extreme.

Sampling tolerances applicable to results ator near these percentages (based on 95% confidence level)

Sample Size 10/90% 30/70% 50%+% +% +%

1,000 2 3 31,200 2 3 32,000 1 2 2

The same quotas as last year were applied to ensure that the sample was

representative of the population and that data was comparable. The applied quotas

were as follow:

• 2 gender quotas (male, female),

• 4 age bands (18-24, 25-39, 40-55, 55+),

• 4 region quotas (Dublin, Rest of Leinster, Munster and Connaught / Ulster),

• 2 Socio-Economic Group quotas (ABC1, C2DE).

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2.5 Project Management Standards

ISO 20252:2006

All aspects of this survey were conducted in accordance with the ISO 20252:2006

quality standard, the first quality management systems standard laid down by the

internationally recognised International Standards Organisation to be dedicated solely

to market, opinion and social research. It supersedes the ISO 9001:2000 standard that

we previously held, and provides absolute assurance of quality throughout the

business. Ipsos MORI is the first market research company in Ireland to hold this

standard.

MRS Code of Conduct

As members of the Market Research Society, we adhere to a strict code of conduct

that encompasses not only quality standards, but also ethical and legislative principles.

This helps to provide confidence in our findings for our clients, our respondents, and

our own industry.

9


3. Civil Service Contact This first chapter of results examines the level and nature of contact members of the

public had with the Civil Service in the 12 months preceding the survey. These results

detail which Departments or Offices were contacted by customers, how frequently

these Departments/Offices were contacted and the means used to make contact.

3.1 Civil Service Department or Office Contact

6

Any Contact with Govt. Departments in past 12 months

4%

4%

3%

3%

2%

49%

26%

11%

5%

5%

5%

Any Contact

Dept of Social & Family Affairs

Revenue Commissioners

Dept of Foreign Affairs

Dept of Health & Children

Dept of Environment Heritage & Local Govt

Dept of Education & Science

Dept of Agriculture & Food

Dept of Transport

Dept Ent Trade & Employment

Land Registry/Property RegistrationAuthority

Q. For each of the Civil Service Departments and Offices I read out, can you tell me whether or not you have had any contact with them over the past 12 months:

Base: All Respondents (2,007) All other contacts at 1% or less

Contact with any Civil Service Department/Office has shown little change in the last

year, with 49% of the general public interviewed stating that they have had any contact

with any Government Department or Office in the last 12 months compared to 48% in

2008 and 46% in 2005. The most frequently contacted Department is the Department

of Social & Family Affairs, contacted by 26% of all respondents (22% in 2008). The

next most frequently contacted Departments/Offices are the Office of the Revenue

Commissioners (11%), the Department of Foreign Affairs (including the Passport

Office) (5%), the Department of Health and Children (5%) and the Department of

Environment, Heritage and Local Government (5%). No other Civil Service Department

or Office was contacted by more than 4% of respondents.

In terms of frequency of contact, the average number of contacts with a Department or

Office is between 2 and 4 times by each customer.

10


3.2 Most Recent Contact

9

Most Recent Contact with a Govt. Department

15%

6%

6%

6%

5%

4%

44%

Q. Which Government Dept or Office did you contact most recently?

All other contacts at 3% or less


Office of Revenue Commissioners

Dept of Foreign Affairs

Dept of Env. Heritage & Local Govt

Dept of Agriculture & Food

Dept of Education & Science

Dept of Health & Children

Base: All who had any contact with a Govt Dept/Office in the last 12 months (n=992)

Respondents were asked with which Department they had their most recent contact.

The purpose of this question is to ensure that respondents’ perceptions of Civil Service

customer delivery is captured through reference to a specific service contact (i.e. their

most recent contact), rather than an accumulation of experiences. This provides for a

more focussed and accurate evaluation of the user’s experience.

In terms of most recent contact, a similar pattern to that of overall contact can be seen.

Of all who had contact with the Civil Service in the past 12 months, the Department

most contacted recently is the Department of Social and Family Affairs which was

contacted by almost half (44%) of all Civil Service customers. The Office of the

Revenue Commissioners was contacted most recently by 15% of all Civil Service

customers. These two Departments alone account for almost 60% of all recent

contacts.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of the Environment, Heritage &

Local Government and the Department of Agriculture & Food were each contacted

most recently by 6% of Civil Service customers.

11


3.3 Nature of Most Recent Contact

12

Nature Most Recent Contact

2%

32%

22%

17%

14%

10%

3%

Enquiring about a particularservice/entitlement/application

Seeking general information

Carrying out a transaction

Seeking payment/collectingallowance

Providing Information

Querying themeaning/accuracy in

documentation received

Other

Q. Thinking about your most recent contact with a Civil Service Dept or Office, which of the following best describes the nature of this contact?

Base: All who had any contact with a Govt Dept/Office in the last 12 months (n=992 in 2009)

Those who had contact with a Civil Service Department/Office were also asked for the

reason for their most recent contact. The most popular reason for contact is to enquire

about a particular service/entitlement/application (32%). A further 22% contacted a

Department or Office to seek general information. 17% of customers made contact to

carry out a transaction and 14% of customers were seeking a payment or collecting an

allowance, an increase from 10% in 2009.

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3.4 Method of Contact – Any Contact

16

Methods Ever Used For Contact (05-09)

Q. Which other methods have you ever used?

68%

55%

34%

12%

12%

1%

71%

53%

37%

15%

16%

3%

41%

40%

12%

4%

18%

81%

200920082005

By phone

In person

In writing

Via Internet

Through e-mail

By Fax

Base: All who had any contact with a Govt Dept/Office in the last 12 months (n=992 in 2009, n=973 in 2008, n=564 in 2005)

In terms of ‘any’ methods used to contact Government Departments and Offices, 68%

of those who had contacted the Civil Service had contact by phone, compared to 71%

of respondents in 2008 and 81% of respondents in 2005. Thus, while telephone

remains the most used method of contact in the past 12 months, the proportion of

customers using the telephone is falling.

In contrast, the proportion of respondents contacting Government Departments/Offices

in person since 2005 is rising. In 2009, 55% of those who had contacted Government

Departments/Offices in the past 12 months had done so in person, compared to 53% in

2008 and 41% in 2005.

The explanation for this shift in patterns of contact is likely to be caused by a

combination of the increase in the proportion of customers contacting the Department

of Social & Family Affairs, whose customers predominantly rely on personal contact,

and the decrease in those contacting the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, whose

customers are more likely to contact the Office by phone.

The proportion of customers contacting Government Departments/Offices in writing is

also falling. In 2009, 34% of customers had contact with Departments/Offices in writing,

compared to 37% in 2008 and 40% in 2005.

In 2005, the level of contacts by e-mail and via the Internet was much higher than in

13


2002 and 1997. However, this level of electronic contact plateaued in 2008, as

displayed in the graph above. In 2009, we see a return to the 2005 levels of contact via

the Internet, with 12% claiming to have contacted the Civil Service via the Internet in

2009. As in 2008, there is a small decrease in 2009 in the proportion of respondents

who are using e-mail to contact Departments and Offices. This might be explained, in

some way, by the proportionate increase in contacts ‘in person’ as a result of the

greater levels of contact generally with the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

3.4.1 Method of Contact – Most Recent

15

Method of Most Recent Contact (05-09)

41%

41%

12%

4%

2%

43%

36%

13%

5%

2%

25%

11%

4%

2%

57%

200920082005

Q. Thinking about this most recent contact, did you mainly deal with the relevant Department or Office by telephone, in writing, by e-mail, via a website or in person?

By phone

In person

In writing

Via Internet

Through e-mail


The 2009 survey results show that contact in person is now as popular as contact by

phone as a method of most recent contact. This year, 41% of respondents had their

most recent contact by phone, the same proportion that had contact in person. This

represents a significant shift from 2005 when more than twice as many respondents

had contact by phone (57%) as had contact in person (25%).

However, this is not especially surprising, given the consistent increase in the

proportion of customers whose most recent contact was with the Department of Social

and Family Affairs and, as discussed above, the decrease in recent contact with

Revenue.

Other forms of contact remain low for customers’ most recent contact. Most recent

contact in writing (12%) is comparable to the 2008 (13%) and 2005 (11%) figures.

14


Electronic forms of contact also remain low for most recent contact, with only 4% of

respondents’ most recent contact coming via Internet and 2% through e-mail.

15


4. Satisfaction with Customer ServiceThis second chapter of results examines customers’ satisfaction with the level of

service received from a Civil Service Department or Office in the 12 months preceding

the survey. These results detail the levels of satisfaction with the overall service

received and customers’ satisfaction with individual aspects of particular methods of

service delivery (i.e. by phone, in person, etc.). Customer suggestions for

improvements to individual service delivery methods are also identified.

All questions on satisfaction are based on the responses of the 992 respondents who

had contact with a Civil Service Department or Office in the preceding twelve months.

4.1 Overall Satisfaction with Service

11Overall Satisfaction with Service (05-09)

37%

44%

41%

36%

1%42% 36%

5%

5%

6% 6%

6%

8%

8%

7%

9%

1%

1%

2009

2008

2005

Very Satisfied Fairly SatisfiedNeither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied Fairly DissatisfiedVery Dissatisfied Don't know

Q. Thinking of the most recent contact you had with a Civil Service Department or Office – overall how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the service you received?

78%

80%

78%

% Allsatisfied


Overall satisfaction (very/fairly satisfied) with service received by respondents is 78%,

which is consistent with the 2008 (80%) and 2005 (78%) survey results. However,

there is a significant decrease in the proportion of respondents who are very satisfied

with the service they received (37% of respondents claimed to be very satisfied

against 44% in 2008). The proportion of those who are very or fairly dissatisfied (15%)

with the level of service received has remained consistent compared to both the 2008

(14%) and 2005 (15%) surveys.

Respondents were also asked about their service expectations, prior to the most recent

16


contact they had with a Civil Service Department or Office.

22

Meeting Service Expectations (08-09)

Q. Thinking of the most recent contact you had with a Civil Service Department or Office – was the service you received , better than expected, the same as expected or worse than expected?

26%

21% 61%

56% 15%

15% 3%

3%

2009

2008

Better than expected Same as expected Worse than expected Don't know

Base: All who had any contact with a Govt Dept/Office in the last 12 months (n=992 in 2009, n=973 in 2008)

The proportion of respondents whose experience was better than expected (21%) in

2009 is lower than in 2008 (26%). However, as in 2008, the proportion of respondents

whose experience was better than expected (21%) remains significantly greater than

the proportion of respondents whose experience was worse than expected (15%).

This decrease in the proportion of respondents whose expectations were exceeded

may be a function of either perceived diminished standards of delivery in 2009 or

increased customer expectations.

17


4.2 Satisfaction with Service Delivery Methods

As well as measuring overall levels of satisfaction with the service received,

respondents were also asked about how satisfied they were with particular service

attributes specific to the method that was used in their most recent contact. Satisfaction

with service by each method is now discussed in turn.

4.2.1 Satisfaction with Service by Phone

31%

30%

28%

27%

29%

18%

5%

8%

14%

41%

40%

41%

41%

39%

38%

33%

17%

21%

24%

7%

7%

11%

11%

9%

6%

8%

9%

19%

6%

8%

22%

3%

4%

4%

4%

4%

6%

10%

6%

10%

14%

14%

14%

15%

14%

15%

55%

42%

17%

25%

5%

8%

6%

7%

5%

5%

4%

6%

15%

15%

Helpfulness of staff

Manner in which staff explained issues/providedinformation

Knowledge of staff

Quality of advice / information received

Ease of finding telephone number

Speed /efficiency with which query dealt with

Speed with which phone answered

Voicemail service

Telephone menu / automated telephone services

Amount of time left holding

Very Satisfied Fairly Satisfied Neither Satisfied nor DissatisfiedFairly Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied Don’t know/No answer

25

Satisfaction with Service by Phone

Q. Thinking of the most recent contact you had by phone, please tell me how satisfied or dissatisfied you were with the following? (ranked by mean score)

Base: All Respondents who had any contact with a Govt Dept by phone in the past 12 months (n=675)

% All Satisfied

70%

72%

69%

69%

68%

63%

51%

22%

29%

38%

As in 2008, satisfaction levels with various aspects of service by phone are generally

high. The aspects of service by phone which have the highest levels of satisfaction

relate to staff service, such as the helpfulness of staff (72% satisfied), the manner in

which staff explained issues/provided information (70%), knowledge of staff (69%), and

the quality of advice/information received (69%). However, compared to 2008, there

are significant decreases in the proportion of respondents who are very satisfied with

each of these aspects of service by phone.

Dissatisfaction with certain aspects of phone contact has also risen considerably since

2008. The highest level of overall dissatisfaction expressed is for the amount of time

left holding, with which 36% of phone customers were very/fairly dissatisfied in 2009

compared to 26% in 2008. 29% of phone customers were dissatisfied with the speed

with which the phone was answered, compared to 22% in 2008. As in 2008, a large

18


cohort of respondents gave no answer or did not know how to respond with regard to

voicemail services and automated telephone services. This is most likely because they

had no experience of these features.

Finally, in relation to phone service, phone customers were asked to identify one

aspect that most needs improving, based on their most recent contact by phone. The

results are displayed in the chart below.

26

Service by Phone - Improvements Required

20%

12%

7%

7%

6%

4%

3%

2%

2%

17%

17%

4%

Amount of time left holding

Speed with which phone answeredTelephone menu / automated telephone

servicesSpeed /efficiency with which query dealt with

Ease of finding telephone number


Knowledge of staffManner in which staff explained

issues/provided informationQuality of advice / information received

Voicemail service

Nothing needs improving

Don't Know

Q. Thinking about the most recent contact you had by phone, what ONE thing from this list do you think most needs improving?

Base: All Respondents who had any contact by phone with a Govt Dept in the past 12 months (n=675)

The aspects of phone service most frequently identified as requiring improvement echo

those aspects that recorded the highest levels of dissatisfaction, that is, the amount of

time left holding (20%) and the speed with which the phone was answered (12%). As in

previous surveys, timeliness of services represents a recurring concern for phone

customers.

17% of respondents said that nothing needs improving and a further 17% were unable

to identify any required improvements.

19


4.2.2 Satisfaction with Service in Person

31

Satisfaction with Service in Person

38%

33%

36%

34%

32%

21%

16%

26%

26%

22%

19%

36%

41%

36%

38%

37%

39%

38%

25%

37%

34%

41%

34%

6%

7%

7%

5%

7%

7%

9%

12%

7%

7%

7%

8%

5%

6%

8%

11%

14%

13%

14%

14%

5%

2%

5%

5%

6%

5%

4%

7%

8%

6%

13%

10%

10%

10%

11%

16%

38%

9%

11%

11%

12%

30%

4%

7%

5%

7%

5%

10%

10%

Very Satisfied Fairly SatisfiedNeither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied Fairly DissatisfiedVery Dissatisfied Don’t know/No answer

Q. Thinking of the most recent contact you had in person, please tell me how satisfied or dissatisfied you were with the following? (ranked by mean score)

AllSatisfied%

74%

75%

73%

72%70%70%

Base: All Respondents who had any contact in person with a Govt Dept in the past 12 months (n=548)

59%

41%

63%61%

62%

53%

Design and layout of forms

Help received in filling out forms

Privacy of Conversation/transactionSpeed/efficiency with which query

was addressedHours of Business

Queuing System


Location of Department/Office

Knowledge of staff

Quality of advice / information received

Manner in which staff explained issuesPublic service area facilities

With regard to satisfaction with service received in person, there are again relatively

high levels of satisfaction with service attributes relating to staff, such as the

helpfulness (74%) and knowledge (73%) of staff. As with services received by phone,

there is less overall satisfaction with the timeliness of delivery. For example, more than

one in every five (21%) customers were dissatisfied with the speed/efficiency with

which queries were addressed. However, some of this dissatisfaction may relate to the

physical environment associated with services delivered in person, as represented by

the 27% of customers who were dissatisfied overall with the queuing system.

While phone customers are significantly less likely to be very satisfied with aspects of

the service than they were in 2008, as discussed in the previous section, this is not the

case for ‘in person’ customers. Thus, the proportion of customers very satisfied with the

helpfulness of staff and the knowledge of staff received in person has not decreased to

the same extent as it has for phone customers.

There is also evidence that there is lower dissatisfaction with certain aspects of service

received in person in 2009. In 2008, there was a substantial minority (21%) of these

customers who were dissatisfied with the quality of advice/information received.

However, in 2009, only 12% were dissatisfied with the quality of advice and information

received.

20


‘In person’ customers were also asked to identify one aspect of service that most

needs improving, based on their most recent contact in person. The results are

displayed in the chart below.

31

Service in Person – Improvements Required

14%

10%

7%

7%

6%

5%

5%

4%

3%

3%

2%

2%

1%

11%

19%

Q. Thinking of the most recent contact you had in person, what ONE thing from this list do you think most needs improving?

Base: All Respondents who had any contact in person with a Govt Dept in the past 12 months (n=548)

Queuing System

Speed/efficiency with which query was addressed

Hours of Business

Quality of advice/information receivedDesign and layout of forms

Public Service Area Facilities

Knowledge of staff

Manner in which staff explained issues/provided informationHelpfulness of staff

Privacy of conversation/transaction

Location of Department/Office

Help received in filling out forms

OtherNothing needs improving

Don’t Know

Again, timeliness features strongly in the improvements required. 14% of ‘in person’

customers identify the queuing system and 10% of customers identify the

spend/efficiency with which queries were addressed as the aspects most requiring

improvements.

Just under one-fifth (19%) of respondents said that nothing needs improving and a

further 11% were unable to identify an aspect that needs improvement.

21


4.2.3 Satisfaction with Service in Writing

29%

21%

20%

20%

19%

43%

46%

40%

40%

22%

6%

8% 25%

6%

25%

22%

24%

4%

4%

5%

4%

2%

8%

6%

1%

1%

3%

3%

22%

24%

Ease of finding correctaddress/contact

person

Clarity of languageused in writtencommunication

Quality ofadvice/information

received

Speed and efficiencyof response to query

Design and layout offorms


27

Satisfaction with Service in Writing

Q. Thinking of the most recent contact you had in writing, please tell me how satisfied or dissatisfied you were with the following? (ranked by mean score)

% AllSatisfied

72%

67%

60%

60%

41%

Base: All Respondents who had any contact in writing with a Govt Dept in the past 12 months (n=340)

Turning to customer satisfaction with service in writing, the chart above suggests lower

levels of user engagement overall with service in writing compared with customer

experiences of service by phone or in person, as evidenced by the high level of non-

response (don’t know or no answer) on service attributes. While service by phone or in

person revealed relatively high levels of satisfaction with staff attributes, customer-staff

interaction does not apply to the same degree with service in writing.

In 2008, the aspect of service in writing that attracts the highest level of dissatisfaction

(15%) was the speed and efficiency of response to their query. However, in 2009, 28%

of customers were dissatisfied with the design and layout of forms.

This is reflected in the improvements required as identified by customers who had

contact in writing, 27% of whom identified the design and layout of forms as the

improvement most required. At best, poor design and layout of forms poses a

psychological burden to users. At worst, it can render services inaccessible to users

with poor numeracy or literacy skills.

22


4.2.4 Satisfaction with Service by E-mail

32

Satisfaction with Service by E-Mail

29%

35%

20%

21%

27%

19%

26%

27%

2%

1%

3%

3%

7%

8%

39%

37%

4%

5%

2%

6% 3%

3%

36%

37%Clarity of language

used in e-mail

Ease of findingcorrect e-mail

address/contact

Quality ofadvice/information

received

Speed/efficiency ofresponse to query


Q. Thinking of the most recent contact you had through e-mail, please tell me how satisfied or dissatisfied you were with the following? (ranked by mean score)

Base: All Respondents who had any contact through email with a Govt Dept in the past 12 months (n=115)

% AllSatisfied

56%

45%

46%

48%

As discussed above, the level of customer contact by e-mail remains low compared to

service by phone or in person. While satisfaction with aspects of service by e-mail is

also lower than most aspects of service by phone or person, there is relatively little

dissatisfaction expressed for the different factors of service related to e-mail. The large

proportions of “don’t know” responses may be a function of the lower level of

engagement associated with this contact method, which may encourage less

consideration by users.

However, as this method becomes more popular, it may be useful to prioritise

improvements to those aspects of e-mail service with which customers are particularly

dissatisfied. 9% of e-mail customers were very dissatisfied or fairly dissatisfied with the

quality of advice/information received. 13% of e-mail customers were very dissatisfied

or fairly dissatisfied with the speed and efficiency of response to their query, compared

to 8% in the 2008 survey.

Nonetheless, despite the fact that relatively low numbers of customers have made

contact with a Government Department or Office by e-mail, these users appear broadly

satisfied overall, indicating that the use of such services can yield positive results in

terms of an efficient user experience.

23


4.2.5 Satisfaction with Service via Internet

37

Satisfaction with Service via Internet

43%

35%

34%

37%

33%

33%

29%

31%

30%

29%

32%

14%

16%

16%

20%

18%

17%

21%

15%

3%

3%

5%

4%

7%

5%

3%

5%

1%

3%

3%

3%

2%

3%

5%

3%

5%

6%

3%

3%

2%

3%

3%

3%

43%

35%

41%

39%

35%

50%

38%

44%

46%

36%

34%

23%

12%

15%

20% 3%

2%

3%

2%

3%

1%

1%

2%

1%

1%

1%

37%

43%


Q. Thinking of the most recent contact you had via Internet, please tell me how satisfied or dissatisfied you were with the following? (ranked by mean score)

Base: All Respondents who had any contact via Internet with a Govt Dept in the past 12 months (n=119)

% All Satisfied

57%51%

50%57%51%

50%

Ease of finding website

Ease of using serviceEfficiency of service

Information/documents available on website

Ease of downloading materialClarity of on-line forms

Presentation of websiteSpeed of response of service or follow up

Quality of advice/information receivedComprehensiveness of service

Speed/efficiency of response to query

Ease of navigating website

55%41%52%

45%45%

52%

As with service by e-mail, a much smaller number of respondents had experience of

service via Internet compared to traditional methods of customer service. Given the

relatively small number of Civil Service customers who had contact via Internet, it

would be unreliable to derive strong conclusions from their experience.

Compared to 2008 results, there are significantly higher levels of satisfaction with

almost every aspect of service via Internet. There are also extremely low levels of

dissatisfaction associated with individual aspects of service. 9% of respondents were

dissatisfied with the ease of navigating websites and 8% were dissatisfied with the

speed/efficiency of responses to queries. However, there is very little dissatisfaction

with website design or the efficiency of service delivery.

Typical forms of customer contact via Internet, such as the submission of an online

form or a request for information through a Departmental website, do not necessarily

require response from, or involve contact with, Civil Service officials and, as such, are

significantly less interactive than other forms of contact. This lack of interactivity may

encourage less consideration by users of the quality of specific aspects of the service

delivery, hence the high levels of non-response depicted above.

Once again, despite the low numbers of customers that have made contact via the

internet, their positive experiences augur well for the potential of this channel, where

appropriate.

24


4.3 Dissatisfaction with Service or Contact

42

Dissatisfaction with Any Aspect of Service or Contact (08-09) - All respondents

Q. Have you been very or fairly dissatisfied with any aspect of service/contact you received from a Civil Service Department or office in the past 12 months?

15%

17% 83%

85%2009

2008

Yes No

Base: All respondents (n=2,007 in 2009, n=2,002 in 2008)

Following exploration of their most recent contact with Civil Service Departments or

Offices, all respondents were then asked if they had been very or fairly dissatisfied with

any aspect of service received from a Civil Service Department or Office in the past 12

months. 15% of all respondents said that had been dissatisfied with some aspect of

service received from a Civil Service Department or Office in the past 12 months,

compared to 17% in 2008. However, this change is not statistically significant.

Customers’ reasons for dissatisfaction and other potential motivations for unfavourable

perceptions of customer service from Civil Service Departments or Offices were then

explored in greater detail. This was an open ended-question. As such, respondents

were not presented with or prompted for specific response items and were encouraged

to provide further details regarding the specific reasons for their dissatisfaction.

These open-ended answers were coded thematically. The first step was to create a

code frame of verbatim comments, from which recurring themes could be identified

through systematic coding. Having coded the verbatim comments of respondents, it is

also possible to examine the quantitative distribution of themes across the sample of

dissatisfied respondents. By collating reasons for dissatisfaction across contact

methods and service encounters, it is possible to identify the common drivers of

dissatisfaction for Civil Service customers. This quantitative distribution is presented,

along with exemplary verbatim comments.

25


4.3.1 Reasons for Dissatisfaction with Service or Contact

41

Reasons for Dissatisfaction with Service or Contact

Base: All respondents dissatisfied with any aspect of service/contact in the past 12 months (n=311)

Q. Can you tell me more about the reasons why you were dissatisfied?

30%

19%

19%

15%

10%

7%

7%

6%

5%

4%

4%

2%

7%

(All > 2%)

Process too slow

Attitude of staff/rushed

Waiting time on phone/holding time/automated service

Lack of knowledge of staff

Provided wrong information

Not entitled to benefit/pension/disappointing outcome

Poor customer care/staff not trained to deal with customers

Lack of privacy

Office not clearly laid out /poor queuing system

Not enough staff on duty

No response to written query/email/phone message

Lack of communication between staff/Depts

One person dealing with enquiry/not passed around

(26%)

(20%)

(21%)

(18%)

(9%)

(13%)

(11%)

(7%)

(3%)

(%) = 2008 data

As illustrated above, and reflecting the survey results on satisfaction discussed

previously, the main reasons for dissatisfaction identified by respondents relate to the

timeliness of service delivery, as well as the speed and quality of response by staff.

The comparative results from the 2008 are also displayed above and demonstrate the

consistency of the main drivers of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

30% of customers identify the speed of the process as a reason for dissatisfaction with

a specific contact. A further 19% of customers identify being rushed by staff as a

reason for dissatisfaction and the same proportion (19%) of customers identify waiting

time and holding time on the phone. Thus, customers tend to identify aspects relating

to the timeliness of service delivery as one of the main reasons for dissatisfaction. Of

course, there is often more than one reason for a dissatisfactory service encounter, as

the quotation below demonstrates:

“My wife asked for XXXX Allowance and her file got lost. It took six months to find and

when I rang, most of the staff were quite rude over the phone until I got talking to the

right person. Phone calls were not returned and I had to keep ringing back until I was

able to deal with a supervisor.”

In 2008, qualitative analysis of these verbatim responses showed that there were two

fundamental explanations for customer dissatisfaction. Firstly, dissatisfaction occurred

when a satisfactory explanation for a particular decision was not forthcoming or when

26


there was no guidance on next steps for the customer. This can be characterised as an

unresolved contact and was seen by customers as failure at an interpersonal level by

the official dealing with them. This is captured in the thematic analysis by

dissatisfaction caused by the lack of knowledge of staff or the attitude of staff:

Secondly, and more fundamentally, dissatisfaction occurred as the result of a systemic

failure to prioritise the requirements of the customer:

“You call at normal working hours and half the time you don't get a response,

particularly early morning and lunch hours. There should be a service all throughout

the day and key departments should be open Saturdays with minimum service

available”.

The conundrum is that officials adhering to existing quality customer service

procedures and processes may nonetheless produce a dissatisfactory service for

customers, as illustrated by the following customer quotation:

“Their reply just seemed very short and negative and with no come back possible from

my end.”

While officials may consider the delivery of quality customer service in terms of their

specific roles and responsibilities for each customer contact, individual customer

requirements can cut across Departmental functions, requiring multiple contacts with

different Departments and Offices for the resolution of a single query. This suggests

that appreciating the customer journey as a whole, rather than as a collection of

discrete contacts with individual Departments and Offices, is fundamental to a user-

centred evaluation of quality customer service.

In 2009, 15% of the entire sample was dissatisfied with some aspect of service

received from the Civil Service in the last 12 months, a total of 311 respondents.

Further analysis indicates that this group only differs from the main sample in terms of

their age (significantly more likely to be aged 25-39) and gender (significantly more

likely to be female).

27


5. Perceptions of the Civil ServiceThis chapter examines advocacy of the Civil Service, perceptions of Civil Service

efficiency and general attitudes towards the Irish Civil Service as an organisation

among customers and non-customers.

Results from a number of studies indicate that trust levels in Ireland are declining

generally. It is worth noting that a useful context for this trend is provided later in this

chapter in Section 5.4.4 - Declining Levels of Trust – External Data.

5.1 Civil Service Advocacy

All respondents interviewed were asked whether they would speak highly or be critical

of the Civil Service to other people, based on their own experiences or impressions.

The question was therefore asked of customers and non-customers, those with

experience of service delivery and those without.

45

Advocacy Towards Civil Service (05-09)- All Respondents

6% 22%

24%

46% 5%

5%

2%

4%

3% 29%

50%

50% 12%

15%

16%

4%

5%

4%

2009

2008

2005

Would speak highly without being asked Would speak highly if I am askedWould be neutral Would be critical if I am askedWould be critical without being asked Don't Know

Q. Taking into account your own experiences or impressions, which of these phrases best describes the way you would speak of the Civil Service to other people?

Base: All respondents (n=2,007 in 2009, n=2,002 in 2008, n=1,226 in 2005)

28%

28%

32%

21%

20%

16%

% Critics% Advocates

28% of respondents reported that they would speak highly of the Civil Service based

on their own experience or impressions, which is the same level of advocacy recorded

in 2008. 21% of respondents reported that they would be critical of the Civil Service,

compared to 20% of respondents in 2008 and 16% of respondents in 2005.

Approximately half of all respondents interviewed would be neutral towards the Civil

Service, which is consistent with the 2008 and 2005 results.

28


The 2009 results also demonstrate the influence of contact with a Government

Department or Office on customer advocacy. The table below shows that there is a

significant difference in levels of customer advocacy between respondents who had

contact and those who did not have contact.

50

Advocacy Towards Civil Service The influence of contact

7% 24%

20%

45%

4%6% 47% 15%

18% 6%1%

8%

Would speak highly without being asked Would speak highly if I am askedWould be neutral Would be critical if I am askedWould be critical without being asked Don't Know

Q. Taking into account your own experiences or impressions, which of these phrases best describes the way you would speak of the Civil Service to other people?

Base: All respondents

All who had contactwith any Govt Dept/Office

in the last 12 months (n=992)

All who had no contactwith any Govt Dept/Office

in the last 12 months (n=1015)

Those with contact were both more likely to speak highly and more likely to be critical

of the Civil Service than those without contact. 31% of those with contact would speak

highly of the Civil Service, based on their experiences and impressions, whereas only

26% of those without contact would do likewise. Similarly, 24% of those with contact

would be critical of the Civil Service, based on their experiences and impressions,

compared to 19% of those without contact.

29


5.2 Perceptions of Civil Service Efficiency

All respondents were asked about their impression of how efficient they feel the Civil

Service is.

48

Impression of Civil Service Efficiency (05-09)

16%

15%

16%

40%

45%

46%

17%

15%

24% 10%

7%

5%

3%1%

12%

15% 5%

8%

2009

2008

2005

Very Efficient Fairly Efficient No Opinion Either WayFairly Inefficient Very Inefficient Don't know

Q. Thinking of the Civil Service in overall terms, I would like you to give me your impression of how efficient you feel it is?

% All Efficient

57%

62%

60%


The Civil Service is perceived as very efficient or fairly efficient by 57% of respondents

(after statistical rounding) in 2009, compared to 60% in 2008 and 62% of respondents

in 2005. 22% of respondents believed the Civil Service to be very or fairly inefficient,

compared to 17% in 2008 and 13% of respondents in 2005.

As with levels of advocacy, there are differences in the perceptions of efficiency

between those who had contact with the Civil Service and those who did not have

contact. 65% of respondents with contact perceived the Civil Service to be very or fairly

efficient, compared to 49% of respondents without contact. Equally, 24% of

respondents with contact perceived the Civil Service to be very or fairly inefficient,

compared to 19% of respondents without contact.

Thus, while almost two-thirds (65%) of its customers perceive the Civil Service as a

whole to be efficient, less than one in every two (49%) non-customers do not.

30


5.3 Familiarity with the Civil Service

54

Familiarity with the Civil Service (05-09)

Q. Taking into account your own experiences as well as any impressions you may have formed from any source, how familiar or unfamiliar do you feel you are with the workings of the Civil Service as they affect you?

11%

8%

9%

41%

37%

31%

12%

13%

19% 29%

11%

13%

12%

27%

22% 3%

2%

2009

2008

2005

Very Familiar Fairly Familiar No Opinion Either WayFairly Unfamiliar Very Unfamiliar Don't know

% All Familiar

52%

45%

40%


52% of respondents felt they were familiar with the workings of the Civil Service, a

significant increase in familiarity, compared to levels recorded in 2008 (45%) and 2005

(40%). The proportion of respondents claiming to be fairly or very unfamiliar with the

Civil Service (33%) has also decreased significantly from 2008 (40%) and 2005 (41%)

levels.

Once again, those with contact are much more likely to consider themselves familiar

with the Irish Civil Service than those without contact. 60% of those with contact

consider themselves familiar with the working of the Irish Civil Service, compared to

43% of those without contact. In 2008, 33% of those without contact considered

themselves familiar with the working of the Civil Service.

Taken together, the comparison of results relating to familiarity from this year’s survey

and previous surveys demonstrates significant rises in the level of stated awareness of

the workings of the Civil Service by both customers and non-customers. This rise in

awareness may be a function of the emphasis of recent public service modernisation

initiatives on openness and transparency, as well as increases in media reporting of

the workings of the Civil Service.

31


5.4 Favourability with the Civil Service

55

Favourability with Civil Service (05-09)

Q. Taking into account your own experiences or impressions, how favourable is your opinion of the way in which Civil Servants meet the needs of the public?

11%

9%

9%

41%

46%

48%

22%

23%

24% 10%

6%

5%

3%

14%

16% 5%

4%

2009

2008

2005

Very Favourable Fairly Favourable No Opinion Either WayFairly Unfavourable Very Unfavourable Don't know

% All Favourable

52%

55%

57%


The 2009 survey shows a decrease in the proportion of respondents with very

favourable or fairly favourable opinions of the way in which the Civil Service meets the

needs of the public, compared to the 2008 and 2005 surveys. In 2008, 55% of

respondents had a favourable opinion, compared to 57% in 2005. In 2009, the

proportion of respondents with favourable opinions is 52%.

There is also an equivalent increase in the proportion of respondents with very

unfavourable or fairly unfavourable opinions of the Civil Service, compared to 2008 and

2005. In 2009, the proportion of respondents with unfavourable opinions is 22%,

compared to 19% in 2008 and 13% in 2005.

Once again, those with contact are much more likely to have a favourable opinion of

the Irish Civil Service compared to those without contact. 60% of those with contact

have a favourable opinion of the Irish Civil Service, compared to 44% of those without

contact.

32


5.4.1 Trends in Favourability & Familiarity

Typically, customer satisfaction research suggests that as familiarity with a particular

organisation rises, so too does favourability. However, trends over recent surveys run

contrary to this expected relationship between favourability and familiarity with the Civil

Service. While familiarity among the general public has increased steadily from 40% to

52% between 2005 and 2009, favourability has declined from 57% to 52% within the

same timeframe. Thus, the level of familiarity has increased at more than twice the rate

the level of favourability has been declining between 2005 and 2009, as depicted in the

graph below.

53

52%40% 45%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%% Very/Fairly Familiar % Very/Fairly Favourable

Familiarity/Favourability with the Civil Service (05-09)

2005 2008 2009

%

Q. Taking into account your own experiences as well as any impressions you may have formed from any source, how familiar or unfamiliar do you feel you are with the workings of the Civil Service as they affect you? How favourable is your opinion of the way in which Civil Servants meet the needs of the public?

52%55%57%


As discussed in the introduction to the report, the nature of service delivery in the

public sector differs from that of private sector organisations in that all members of the

general public are stakeholders, though not always service users. For the Civil Service,

stakeholders may have perceptions of its performance, without direct experience of the

services it provides. It is important to note that, despite the small decline in favourability

among the general public, satisfaction among customers remains relatively static.

Furthermore, as in 2008, customers are consistently more positive in their perceptions

of the Civil Service than those who have not had contact in the past 12 months.

33


5.5 Perceptions of the Civil Service as an Organisation

Respondents were also asked a series of statements about the Irish Civil Service and

asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed with the statements. Respondents were

presented with both ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ statements about the Civil Service. We

begin by reporting respondents’ opinions on a selection of these ‘positive’ and

‘negative’ statements before examining separately a selection of statements for which

the level of agreement has significantly decreased compared to 2008.

5.5.1 Positive Perceptions of the Civil Service as an Organisation

51Civil Service Perceptions: Positive Statements

28%

11%

10%

6%

40%

39%

39%

23%

10%

17%

14%

18%

16%

5%

5%

10%

16%

28%

13%

5%

15%

1%17%

15%

The Civil Service offers good career prospectsfor its employees

I feel that the service provided by the CivilService has improved in the last 5 years

The Civil Service has become more customerfocussed over the past 5 years

The Civil Service has good procedures formaking complaints about levels of service

received

Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor DisagreeDisagree Strongly Disagree Don't know

Q. Now thinking about the Irish Civil Service in general, please tell me to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements? (ranked by mean scores)

Base: All Respondents (2,007)

% All Agree

50%

49%

29%

67%

Over two-thirds (67%) of respondents agreed that the Irish Civil Service offers good

career prospects for its employees. Half (50%) of all respondents agreed that I feel that

the service provided by the Civil Service has improved in the last 5 years and a similar

proportion (49%) agreed that The Civil Service has become more customer focussed

over the past 5 years. Approximately a fifth of all respondents disagree with the same

two statements.

Less than one-third (31%) of respondents agreed that the Civil Service has good

procedures for making complaints about levels of service received, with one-quarter

(25%) of respondents disagreeing with this statement.

34


5.5.2 Negative Perceptions of the Civil Service as an Organisation

52Civil Service Perceptions: Negative Statements

Base: All Respondents (2,007)

70%

68%

38%

44%

41%


31%

16%

12%

12%

13%

39%

52%

26%

32%

28%

9%

10%

24%

15%

12%

18%

30%

3%

4%

8%

8%

16%

6%

9%

15%

9%

27%

3%9%

4%

The Civil Service has too much red tape

I get most of my information about the CivilService from coverage in the newspaper, TV or

radio

Private sector organisations give a better servicethan the Civil Service

The Civil Service is an old-fashionedorganisation

It is difficult to get information you need fromthe Civil Service/Deps/ Offices

Strongly Agree Agree Neither Agree nor DisagreeDisagree Strongly Disagree Don't know

% All Agree

70% of respondents agreed that the Civil Service has too much red tape. While the

level of agreement with the statement Private sector organisations give a better service

than the Civil Service is consistent with the 2008 results, there is a significant decrease

in the proportion of respondents who disagreed with this statement (22%) in 2009,

compared to 2008 (34%).

In 2008, more respondents disagreed (42%) than agreed (38%) that it is difficult to get

information you need from Civil Service Departments or Offices. However, in 2009, this

has reversed. The proportion agreeing (41%) with this statement is higher than the

proportion disagreeing (38%).

Finally, 68% of respondents agreed with the statement I get most of my information

about the Civil Service from coverage in the newspapers, television or radio. 74% of

those without contact agreed with this statement, compared to 62% of those with

contact. As previously reported, those with contact had significantly more positive

perceptions than those without contact.

35


5.5.3 Changes in Public Perceptions of the Civil Service as an Organisation – Declining Trust?

Overall, the level of agreement with both positive and negative statements is largely

unchanged from 2008. However, there have been significant differences between the

levels of agreement with three attitudinal statements between 2008 and 2009.

50Changes in Public Perceptions (05-09)

61%

50%

61%

60%

54%

47%

55%

62%

67%

Agree Strongly/Fairly

2009

2009

2009

2008

2005

2008

2005

2008

2005

The Civil Service deals with people in a

fair and equal way

The Civil Service serves all segments of society

in Ireland equally

The Civil Service is independent and

trustworthy



As illustrated in the graph above, there have been significant decreases since 2008 in

the proportion of the general public that agrees that the Civil Service is independent

and trustworthy, that it serves all segments of society equally and that it deals with

people in a fair and equal way. It is noteworthy that the proportions agreeing with these

statements have decreased by roughly the same amount - between 11% and 13% -

since 2005.

The negative changes in these three statements since 2005 are particularly interesting

because all three statements relate to the objectivity of the Civil Service, in terms of its

independence and fairness, in dealing with customers. Despite these changes in public

opinion, levels of customer satisfaction recorded over the three surveys conducted

between 2005 and 2009 have remained consistent. Therefore, we may need to look

beyond direct experiences of service delivery for explanations for the decline in the

perceived independence and fairness of the Civil Service.

The first explanation may relate more directly to effective communications rather than

36


performance. Research conducted by Ipsos MORI in the UK consistently demonstrates

a positive relationship between levels of awareness of communications by public

service providers and customer satisfaction. This decline in positive perceptions of the

Civil Service’s independence and fairness may be considered a communications rather

than a performance challenge.

A second possible explanation for this increase in negative attitudes may lie in the

declining levels of trust generally, among the wider public. Most public service

modernisation initiatives are often underpinned by the assumption that increasing

quality will lead to increasing trust in public administration and government, generally.

However, not all of these respondents have experience of Civil Service delivery. The

chart below illustrates how the attitudes of those with experience of satisfactory service

delivery in the last 12 months compare to those who had dissatisfactory service

experiences and to those who had no experience of Civil Service delivery.

Public Perceptions by Quality of Contact

26%

59%

46%

51%

32%

66%

54%

27%

46%

Satisfactory experience

Dissatisfactory experience

No contact / neither satisfied nor dissatisfied







The Civil Service deals with people in a fair and equal way

The Civil Service serves all segments of society in Ireland equally

The Civil Service is independent and trustworthy

Q. Now thinking about the Irish Civil Service in general, please tell me to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Base: Satisfactory experience (n=775), Dissatisfactory experience (n=152), No contact / no opinion (n=1,080)

It is evident that those respondents who were satisfied with the service received were

more likely to say that they agreed with the positive statements set out above. Those

who had a negative experience were considerably more likely to have negative

attitudes. Respondents with no contact at all, or who had no opinion (neither satisfied

nor dissatisfied), generally fell between the satisfied and dissatisfied cohorts in their

attitudes.

37


5.5.4 Declining Levels of Trust – External Data

The apparent fall in trust for the Civil Service mirrors that of other sectors, as evidenced

by other data from recent studies.

Ipsos MORI’s Trust in People and Professions study1 recently examined trust in people

and professions among a sample of the general public, benchmarking data from

January 2010 against results first gathered in 2005. Similar declines in trust were

uncovered in this survey.

Trust in People and Professions: 2010 - 2005

32%

59%

92%

77%

21%

40%

62%

20%

83%

86%

83%

40%

29%

63%

92%

66%

23%

45%

66%

21%

80%

89%

82%

47%

Business Leaders

Civil Servants

Doctors

Gardaí

Government Ministers

Journalists

Ordinary man/woman in the street

Politicians generally

Scientists

Teachers

Television news readers

Trade Union officials

20102005

Base: (1,000) Adults aged 16+ - Ipsos MRBI Omnibus Survey, Jan 2010

The results show that just one in three of those surveyed trust business leaders (32%),

albeit showing a slight increase since 2005. One in five of those surveyed trust

politicians generally, with a similar proportion trusting Government Ministers – both of

these results show little change since 2005. In the same time period, trust in civil

servants has declined (down from 63% to 59%), journalists (from 45% to 40%) and

trade union officials (down from 47% to 40%).

Trust in doctors, scientists and teachers remains high, with the latter falling slightly.

Trust in the Gardaí, meanwhile, has increased from 66% to 77%.

1 Source : Ipsos MORI – Trust in People and Professions 2010.

38


Consideration of a second external report provides further evidence of this decline in

trust. Edelman’s Trust Barometer (2010)2, a survey of opinion leaders recently

published, highlights that in contrast to other European countries, Ireland is

experiencing “a profound and continuing trust crisis”. The findings show that Irish

respondents have the lowest level of trust in politics of the 22 countries surveyed.

The data shows that trust in a number of important institutions, across all areas of

public life, is the lowest in Europe. Indeed, Ireland was the only country surveyed by

Edelman that experienced declines in trust across four areas; business, government,

media and NGOs.

The results from both of these studies help to put the results of the Irish Civil Service

Customer Satisfaction Survey 2009 in context, by demonstrating that declining levels of

trust are being experienced across a variety of Irish institutions and professions.

2 Source: http://www.edelman.ie/index.php/insights/trust-barometer/ The Edelman trust survey 2010 was undertaken via telephone with a sample of 4,875 college educated 25-64 year old members of the public (“opinion leaders”) across 25 countries.

39

http://www.edelman.ie/index.php/insights/trust-barometer/


6. Access to ServicesThis chapter examines the experiences and perceptions of customers and non-

customers with regard to access to services provided by the Irish Civil Service. This

included the perceived convenience of current service delivery methods as well as

access to necessary services by Irish language speakers and those respondents

whose first language was other than Irish or English.

6.1 Convenience of Contact Methods

42

78%84%80% 86%

63%66%67%72%

27%

47%48%

51%

48%

50%

25%

46%50%

45%44%37%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

By Telephone In Writing By E-mail Via Internet Visiting Dept/Office in person

Perceived Convenience of Contact Methods (02-09)

Base: All respondents (n=2,007 in 2009, n=2,002 in 2008, n=1,226 in 2005, n=1,001 in 2002)

Q. Thinking of future dealing you may have with Civil Service Departments or Offices, please tell me how convenient or inconvenient each of the following methods of communication would be for you if you were contacting a Govt Dept?

2002 2005 2008 2009

% very/fairly convenient

In terms of future contact, all respondents were asked to rate how convenient or

inconvenient various methods of communication would be for contacting a Government

Department or Office. As one might expect, the most used method is also perceived

as the most convenient. Overall, 78% of respondents would find telephone a

convenient method of communication, compared to 84% of respondents in 2008.

Visiting a Department or Office in person is now considered convenient by 50% of

respondents, compared to 45% in 2008, 44% in 2005 and 37% in 2002.

Despite the currently low levels of service uptake via electronic methods, the chart

above suggests that such methods may be increasingly seen as more convenient,

particularly when compared to the results for 2005 and 2002. E-mail and Internet are

now considered convenient (very/fairly convenient) for around 50% of respondents.

40


While this underlines the importance of monitoring the potential for the development of

electronic service delivery where appropriate, it is important to remember that the chart

above represents the perceived convenience of such forms of contact for all members

of the general public. It remains the case that electronic service methods have seen

low levels of uptake by existing customers for existing services. For example, 34% of

respondents from lower socio-economic occupational groupings consider e-mail

contact to be personally convenient, compared to 63% of respondents from higher

socio-economic occupational groupings.

6.2 Language Services

Those respondents who required Irish language services and those whose first

language was neither Irish nor English were also asked about their experience of

accessing necessary services from Irish Civil Service Departments or Offices.

6.2.1 Irish Language Services

The purpose of the 2003 Official Languages Act is to ensure that those who require the

availability of Irish language services for dealing with the Civil Service, or any other

official purpose in the State, can access necessary services in Irish. Of the total

sample, only 2% had ever used a service from the Irish Civil Service in the Irish

language. A similar proportion, 2%, also expressed a preference for receiving services

in Irish, if the levels and quality of the services offered were the same in both Irish and

English. Of those who had accessed Irish language services, 67% were very satisfied

or fairly satisfied with the level of service received in the Irish language. 13% were very

dissatisfied or fairly dissatisfied with the level of service received.

However, it is worth bearing in mind that, while the overall survey sample is

representative of the population as a whole, this small sample of Irish language service

users is unlikely to be wholly representative of the Irish-speaking population and does

not represent a reliable basis for service-critical policy decisions in this area.

41


6.2.2 Satisfaction with Access to Services (other languages)

60Satisfaction with Access to Services (05-09)Q. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with access to necessary services from the Civil Service?

Base: All Respondents whose 1st language is something other than Irish or English (n=70 in 2005, n=127 in 2008 and n=107 in 2009)

21%

23%

9%

32%

37%

55%

18%

14%

19% 14%

3%

3%

21%

5%

3% 23%

18%

2009

2008

2005

Very Satisfied Fairly SatisfiedNeither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied Fairly DissatisfiedVery Dissatisfied Don't know

% All Satisfied

53%

60%

64%

5% of the sample claimed to have a first language that is something other than Irish or

English. This sub-group were then asked how satisfied they were with access to

necessary services from the Civil Service. 53% of those with a first language other than

Irish or English were satisfied with the access to necessary services from the Civil

Service. Only 6% were dissatisfied, compared to 8% in 2008 and 14% in 2005. This

might be illustrative of ongoing work being done by the Civil Service to meet the needs

of this customer base. However, because of the small sample who answered this

question, this result should only be considered indicative.

42


7. Understanding Customer ContactThe Irish Civil Service customer survey provides an objective evaluation of customer

satisfaction with overall levels of service provided by Civil Service Departments and

Offices, as well as public attitudes to and perceptions of the Civil Service as a whole.

While the 2009 survey results are largely positive, showing that overall levels of

customer satisfaction are consistent with previous surveys, the findings relating to

customer dissatisfaction discussed in the 2008 customer survey report also remain

relevant3.

The purpose of this section is to extend our understanding of satisfaction by analysing

different aspects of customer contact and their relevance to customers’ evaluations of

service delivery. This is discussed with specific reference to the Department for Social

& Family Affairs (DSFA) and the Office of the Revenue Commissioners (Revenue), as

exemplars of two contrasting Civil Service customer experiences.

7.1 The Nature of Customer Contact

There have been significant changes in the nature of customer contact in the period

between 2005 and 2009. Specifically, the proportion of DSFA customers as a

proportion of all Civil Service customers has been rising since 2005, while the

proportion of Revenue customers has been steadily falling. In 2009, approximately one

in every four (26%) members of the public had contact with DSFA, compared to

roughly one in every ten (11%) who had contact with Revenue.

As these two Departments account for the majority of public contact with the Civil

Service, customer experiences with both Departments have a significant influence on

the overall level of customer satisfaction with the Irish Civil Service. The chart overleaf

shows the significant difference between the overall satisfaction with service of DSFA

customers and that of Revenue customers.

3 The five most common explanations for dissatisfaction provided by respondents in 2008 were:

process too slow or complex; attitude of staff; perceived lack of knowledge or information not

provided; lack of privacy and waiting time for phone or left holding.

43


19

41%

34%

8%1%

10%

6% 40%

5%3%1%

4%

47%

Dept of Social & Family Affairs Office of Revenue Commissioners

Q. Thinking of the most recent contact you had with a Civil Service Department or Office – overall how satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the service you received?

Overall Satisfaction with Service - DSFA & Revenue

Very Satisfied

Base: All who had any contact with the DSFA in the last 12 months (n=438)

Base: All who had any contact with the Revenue in the last 12 months (n=146)

Fairly SatisfiedNeither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied Fairly DissatisfiedDon’t know Very Dissatisfied

86%satisfied

75%satisfied

18%dissatisfied

9%dissatisfied

While 75% of DSFA customers are satisfied with the level of service they received on

their most recent contact with the Department, 86% of Revenue customers are

satisfied. Similarly, dissatisfaction is significantly higher among DSFA customers

(18%), compared to Revenue customers (9%). Thus, the average experience of DSFA

customers is significantly less satisfactory than that of Revenue customers.

There are a number of possible explanations for the different levels of satisfaction

recorded by DSFA and Revenue customers which relate to the nature of contacts they

are likely to have with the Civil Service. The first possible explanation is the level of

contact customers have with individual Departments.

44


8

Top 3 Depts - Frequency of Contact (05-09)

Q. How frequently have you contacted those Departments in the last year? (ranked by highest respondent base)

35%

28%

27%

23%

41%

30%

32%

56%

69%

64% 19%

23%

29%

47%

37%

39%

45%

48%

45%

53%

13%

4%

6%

19%

14%

13%

19%

22%

21%

26%

Once 2-4 times 5+ times

2009

2009

2009

2008

2005

2008

2005

2008

Base: All Respondents who have been in contact with each Dept


Office of the Revenue

Commissioners

Dept of Foreign Affairs (incl. Passport office)

As displayed above, Revenue customers are significantly more likely to have had a

single contact with the Office, compared to DSFA customers who are significantly more

likely to have multiple contacts with the Department. In 2009, there are almost as many

DSFA customers who contacted the Department five or more times (26%) in the last 12

months as there are customers who contacted the Department once (27%). Only 13%

of Revenue customers had contact five or more times with the Office. This would

suggest that the processes involved in resolving contacts with the DSFA is

considerably longer, on average, than when dealing with Revenue. By way of

comparison, we can also see that 69% of respondents who had contact with the

Department of Foreign Affairs (including the Passport Office) in 2009 contacted the

Department only once. This might be a result of process improvements in passport

application and other systems in recent years.

In 2008 and 2009, the single most frequently identified reason for dissatisfaction with

service delivery was that the process was too slow or complex. As we have seen,

timeliness and speed of delivery is a consistent feature of the improvements required

by Civil Service customers across contact methods. However, the process involved for

certain services, such as renewing a passport, can be considerably more

straightforward than others, such as registering for social welfare services, and the

length of the process necessarily gives rise to greater potential for dissatisfaction.

The nature of many DSFA services is that customers typically make contact in person

by visiting local social welfare offices. As personal visits require travel to and from

45


Departments, as well as waiting time at the office, they will, all things being equal,

involve a greater investment of time than alternative contact methods for each single

contact a customer makes. The contrast in the distribution of contact methods used to

contact the DSFA and Revenue is displayed below.

15

Method of Most Recent Contact – DSFA & Revenue

41%

41%

12%

4%

2%

30%

61%

8%

21%

19%

3%

7%

50%

2009DSFARevenue

Q. Thinking about this most recent contact, did you mainly deal with the relevant Department or Office by telephone, in writing, by e-mail, via a website or in person?

By phone

In person

In writing

Via Internet

Through e-mail

Base: All who had any contact with a Govt Dept/Office in the last 12 months (n=992 in 2009, DSFA n=438, Revenue n=146 )

Overall, the proportion of Civil Service customers who made their most recent contact

by phone is the same as the proportion whose most recent contact was in person.

However, 61% of DSFA customers’ most recent contact was in person, compared to

21% of Revenue customers. 30% of DSFA customers’ most recent contact was by

phone, compared to 50% of Revenue customers. Because of the number of variables

involved in visiting Government offices, such as the physical environment, queuing

system, opening hours, and office location, contact in person is often a more complex

process than contact by phone or electronic means. Again, this may give rise to greater

potential for a dissatisfactory customer experience.

The DSFA customer experience is therefore more likely to involve multiple, ‘in person’

contacts with the Department whereas Revenue customers are more likely to have a

single contact by phone or electronic means. Across all services, regardless of contact

method, the challenge for the Civil Service is to reduce the complexity of service

delivery for users. For example, Revenue now delivers a number of its services to

personal and business customers through online interactive services.

However, this is only possible where such forms of service delivery are appropriate to

46


customers’ needs and requirements and, while the general public now view internet or

e-mail contact to be as convenient as personal contact, less than 1% of DSFA

customers made contact by e-mail or via Internet. DSFA customers are also more than

twice as likely as Revenue customers to consider either internet or e-mail contact to be

inconvenient. Thus, while electronic service delivery is an attractive model when

considering the relative efficiency of different service delivery methods, e-services are

not equally accessible to all customer cohorts.

7.2 Measuring Performance

Given the incredibly diverse nature of services provided by the Civil Service as a

whole, there is no equivalent organisation against which a direct and meaningful

comparison can be made, in terms of performance. Nonetheless, these customer

surveys provide a temporal point of comparison and the 2009 customer survey results

demonstrate consistency in the perceived quality of service delivery by the Civil Service

at an overall level, when compared with previous surveys. They also illustrate how

customer experiences (and requirements) differ in specific contexts and across contact

methods, depending on the nature of the services involved. This undermines

somewhat the usefulness of a single benchmark of performance for the Civil Service.

Just as the complexity of the customer experience differs from service to service, so

should the level of customer satisfaction, the “Frontier of Performance”, that any

individual service is expected to achieve. Some services, such as renewing a passport

or obtaining a tax clearance certificate, are simply more easily administered than others

and, from a user’s point of view, easier to consume. A deeper understanding of Civil

Service customer journeys will ensure that services provided by individual Departments

and Offices reflect the requirements and expectation of their customers, but could also

be used to develop appropriate targets for individual services.

Ultimately, the challenge for the Civil Service is to continue to deliver high-quality

services which are appropriate to the needs of each specific user.

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2009 irish civil service customer satisfaction...

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