2006 Corporate and Client Services, Industry Canada – Prairie & Northern Region Client Satisfaction Survey

Branch and directorate:

Corporate and Client Services (C&CS) provides administrative, financial and human resources services and support to all directorates in the Prairie & Northern Region (P&NR) of Industry Canada as well as other Departments that are co-located, specifically the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). Continuous improvement continues to be a regional priority and service agreements are either in place or underway to provide services to a broad range of clients as noted above.

Rationale:

A benchmark survey was performed in May of 2005. Actions based on survey findings resulted in improvement in a number of internal processes, development of policies and procedures and communications regularly to clients. The November 2006 survey gives C&CS an opportunity to measure progress in the priority areas defined and to identify new opportunities for improvement over the next 18 months. Another survey is planned to take place in 18 months to continue improvement areas and display commitment to the improvement process.

Anticipated outcomes/benefits:

The information gathered is used by C&CS to develop improvement plans, overall as well as within each of the individual units. In the short term (6 months), processes and opportunities will be identified for improvement, and over the medium to long term (12-18 months), the process improvements will be undertaken and communicated to clients.

Research Information:

This on-line survey was conducted using a census approach. Therefore, all 296 Industry Canada and DFAIT staff in the P&NR were invited to complete the questionnaire. The survey was conducted November 9-22, 2006. For the majority of questions respondents were given the opportunity to provide written comments and were allowed the opportunity to provide feedback on any issue not covered in the survey.

Participating Industry Canada P&NR directorates included: Aboriginal Business Canada; Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy; Competition Bureau; Chief Information Office; Corporate and Client Services; Industry Sector/Planning, Analysis and Communications/Regional Executive Director's Office; Measurement Canada; and Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications.

Contracting:

The survey was fully undertaken in-house with internal resources. C&CS in partnership with the Planning, Analysis and Communications Directorate managed and delivered the entire survey.

2006 Corporate & Client Services, Industry Canada — Prairie & Northern Region Client Satisfaction Survey — Final Results, December 2006

2006 Corporate and Client Services, Industry Canada — Prairie and Northern Region Client Satisfaction Survey — Final Results — December 2006

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Corporate and Client Services (C&CS)

  • C&CS provides administrative, financial and human resources services and support to all directorates in the Prairie and Northern Region (P&NR) of Industry Canada as well as other Departments that are co-located, specifically the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT)
  • Continuous improvement continues to be a regional priority and service agreements are in place or underway to provide services to a broad range of clients
  • Benchmark survey was performed in May of 2005
  • The November 2006 survey gives C&CS an opportunity to measure progress in the priority areas defined and to identify new opportunities for improvement over the next 18 months

Methodology

  • On-line survey conducted internally using Apian SurveyPro software that allows responses to remain completely anonymous
  • To further ensure confidentiality, no reports are produced for groups with less than five responses
  • The survey was conducted using a census approach, therefore, all 296 Industry Canada and DFAIT staff in the P&NR were invited to complete the questionnaire
    • Participating Industry Canada P&NR directorates: Aboriginal Business Canada; Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy; Competition Bureau; Chief Information Office; Corporate and Client Services; Industry Sector/Planning, Analysis and Communications/Regional Executive Director's Office; Measurement Canada; and Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications
  • Survey conducted between November 9-22, 2006

Interpreting the Results

  • "Satisfaction Rating" and "Importance Rating" scores used in this report are based on mean weighted average calculations. Each response is assigned a value and then the corresponding values are averaged to find one weighted score for each question.
  • Satisfaction Rating:
    Satisfaction Rating
    Very Satisfied 100
    Satisfied 75
    Neither Satisfied or Dissatisfied 50
    Dissatisfied 25
    Very Dissatisfied 0
  • Importance Rating:
    Importance Rating
    Very Important 100
    Important 75
    Neither Important or Unimportant 50
    Unimportant 25
    Very Unimportant 0
  • These scores facilitate comparisons over time and with related questions
  • The closer the satisfaction rating score is to 100, the higher the level of satisfaction respondents have with that service/service characteristic
  • The closer the importance rating score is to 100 the higher the level of importance respondents place on that service characteristic
  • In addition, some results are calculated to exclude responses from C&CS staff participating in the survey. This is to determine the impact—if any—of having C&CS staff ranking their own service performance as compared with the rankings received from clients external to the directorate.

Highlights

  • Participation rate of 48% this year compared to 53% in 2005
  • High overall levels of satisfaction for Human Resources (HR), Finance and Service Centres with strong gains since 2005
    • Highest importance placed on knowledge and competence
    • Highest satisfaction scores:
      • HR and Finance: knowledge and competence
      • Service Centres: timeliness
    • In the end, clients strongly felt they got what they needed
  • Improvements in all three service areas (Service Centres, Finance and HR) were noted by respondents
    • This is true to a lesser degree if responses from C&CS are excluded
  • Communications Results:
    • 90% of respondents believe information provided by C&CS in emails is clear and concise "Always" or "Often"
    • For all questions in this area, service improvements were acknowledged
    • Clients are seeking further improvements particularly related to knowing who to contact and understanding processes and services provided

Overall Satisfaction Ratings
(Overall, how satisfied were you with the service you received from C&CS?)

Bar Chart of Overall Satisfaction Ratings (Overall, how satisfied were you with the service you received from C&CS?)

% of Respondents who were "Very Satisfied" or "Satisfied" (of those who used the service):

  • Human Resources: 94%
  • Finance: 94%
  • Service Centres: 90%

Service Centres—Drivers of Client Satisfaction
(How satisfied were you with the following service aspects?/How important are these service aspects to you?)

Bar Chart of Service Centres—Drivers of Client Satisfaction (How satisfied were you with the following service aspects?/How important are these service aspects to you?)

Service Centres—Results for Key Service Areas
(Please rate your satisfaction with the quality of service received from the Service Centres:)

Bar Chart of Service Centres—Results for Key Service Areas (Please rate your satisfaction with the quality of service received from the Service Centres:)

  • Changes in the satisfaction rating from 2005 to 2006 (note: the list of key service areas has been modified somewhat since 2005 as have the descriptions of some service areas):
    • "Contracting Advice and Services" satisfaction rating increased by 14 points
    • "Purchasing" satisfaction rating increased by 7 points (from 2005's key service area "Purchasing and Stocking of Supplies—Supply Room")
    • "In-Person Reception" satisfaction rating increased by 4 points
    • "Phone Reception" satisfaction rating increased by 2 points

Service Centres—Highlights

  • High and growing overall levels of satisfaction—90% of users are satisfied and 94% are getting what they need
    • Competence, sound advice and fair and equitable service seen as most important
    • Satisfaction is highest with timeliness
    • Satisfaction scores for all comparable service areas are up from 2005—satisfaction highest for purchasing and reception services and lowest for contracting
    • Satisfaction typically highest in Calgary and Regina and lowest in Edmonton and Winnipeg
  • 41% of respondents using Service Centres services believe service has improved over the past year (33% excluding C&CS respondents)
  • Comments point to:
    • High staff turnover—and the lack of a permanent receptionist in Edmonton
    • Training (core services, client service skills, directorate programs)
    • Opportunities to improve contracting and mail services
    • Numerous kudos for excellent service!

Human Resources—Drivers of Client Satisfaction
(How satisfied were you with the following service aspects?/How important are these service aspects to you?)

Bar Chart of Human Resources—Drivers of Client Satisfaction (How satisfied were you with the following service aspects?/How important are these service aspects to you?)

Human Resources—Results for Key Service Areas
(Please rate your satisfaction with the quality of service received from Human Resources:)

Bar Chart of Human Resources—Results for Key Service Areas (Please rate your satisfaction with the quality of service received from Human Resources:)

  • Changes in the satisfaction rating from 2005 to 2006 (note: the list of key service areas has been modified somewhat since 2005 as have the descriptions of some service areas):
    • "Pay and Benefits Advice and Support" satisfaction rating increased by 5 points
    • "Staffing Process Advice and Support" satisfaction rating increased by 10 points (from 2005's key service area "Strategic Staffing Advice and Options") and 15 points (from 2005's key service area "Advice Related to the Staffing and Competitive Process")

Human Resources—Highlights

  • High and growing overall levels of satisfaction—94% of users are satisfied and feel they are getting what they need
    • Competence and sound advice seen as most important
    • Highest satisfaction with competence
    • Satisfaction scores for all comparable service areas are up since 2005—satisfaction highest for pay and benefits and lowest for labour management relations
    • Satisfaction typically highest in Regina and Saskatoon and lowest in Edmonton
  • 32% of respondents using Human Resources services believe service has improved over the past year (22% excluding C&CS respondents)
  • Comments point to:
    • Belief Human Resources has always provided high levels of service
    • Appreciation from DFAIT for informal, ad-hoc service
    • Clients continue to seek pro-active advice/options
    • Some mixed perceptions regarding timeliness of service delivery

Finance—Drivers of Client Satisfaction
(How satisfied were you with the following service aspects?/How important are these service aspects to you?)

Bar Chart of Finance—Drivers of Client Satisfaction (How satisfied were you with the following service aspects?/How important are these service aspects to you?)

Finance—Results for Key Service Areas
(Please rate your satisfaction with the quality of service received from Finance:)

Bar Chart of Finance—Results for Key Service Areas (Please rate your satisfaction with the quality of service received from Finance:)

  • Changes in the satisfaction rating from 2005 to 2006 (note: the list of key service areas has been modified somewhat since 2005 as have the descriptions of some service areas):
    • Satisfaction ratings for "Budgeting, Analysis, Forecasting Advice and Support" and "Policies and Regulations Advice and Support" have increased 13 and 12 points respectively (from 2005's key service area "Financial Advice")
    • "Invoice Payment Processing" satisfaction rating increased by 13 points (from 2005's key service area "Supplier Payment Processing")
    • "Travel Processing" satisfaction rating increased by 3 points

Finance—Highlights

  • High and growing overall levels of satisfaction—94% of users are satisfied and 93% believe they are getting what they need
    • Competence and sound advice seen as most important
    • Highest satisfaction with competence
    • Satisfaction scores for all comparable service areas are up since 2005—satisfaction highest for travel processing and lowest for policies and regulations advice/support
    • Satisfaction typically highest in Calgary and Regina and lowest in Edmonton
  • 37% of respondents using Finance services believe service has improved over the past year (23% excluding C&CS respondents)
  • Comments point to:
    • Service improvements acknowledged and appreciated
    • Clients continue to seek proactive advice/options
    • Opportunity to clarify and communicate procedures (ie: manual)

Communications Tools

Bar Chart of Communications Tools

  • Processes related to C&CS initiatives/functions are clearly outlined and well explained:
    • Belief improvements being made and that there's still room to clarify processes as well as services being offered
  • I know who to contact within C&CS for my Finance, HR or Service Centre questions:
    • Belief improvements being made (reference to Program Awareness Initiative, Finance Open House)
    • Turnover can make this difficult
    • Great referrals
  • Is the information provided by C&CS in emails clear and concise:
    • Belief improvements being made (ie: more consistency, on message, less jargon)
    • Reminder to use other mediums too
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