Quantitative and Qualitative Client Satisfaction Research with Intermediaries Using Corporations Canada Services (2006-2007)

Branch and directorate:

Corporations Canada (CC) is the branch of Industry Canada responsible for administering the Canada Business Corporations Act and the Canada Corporations Act (Part II), the statutes under which businesses and not-for-profit corporations are incorporated at the federal level. There are currently over 140,000 federal business corporations and over 19,000 not-for-profit corporations included in the records of Corporations Canada. Each month approximately 1,700 new business corporations are incorporated at the federal level, along with some 200 not-for-profit entities. Clients of Corporations Canada include existing corporations or their professional representatives; entrepreneurs seeking incorporation or their professional representatives; representatives of not-for-profit organizations; and researchers and other general information seekers.

Rationale:

As part of Corporations Canada's strategic objective to offer clients quality products and services that are responsive and innovative, CC conducted a quantitative and qualitative client satisfaction survey.

The main purpose of this research was to measure the level of client satisfaction with Corporations Canada's services amongst its intermediary clients—i.e. those firms and individuals (primarily lawyers, paralegals and accountants) that contact Corporations Canada seeking federal incorporation and related services on behalf of their clients. Intermediary clients range from high to low volume service users, and they are further differentiated by the method they use for submissions made to Corporations Canada (i.e. electronic versus paper filings).

The research was designed to:

  • Identify the various services and service channels that have been used by clients.
  • Assess levels of satisfaction with each of the services used by clients.
  • Assess levels of satisfaction with each of the service channels used by clients.
  • Assess clients' overall level of satisfaction with Corporations Canada's service.
  • Identify perceived strengths and weaknesses with service delivery.
  • Identify areas in need of improvement, both with respect to selected services and service channels.

Outcome:

Overall, satisfaction levels were high and widespread, with relatively few surveyed clients reporting dissatisfaction in any area of service delivery. Although certain areas stand out as being more or less positively rated than others, the results suggest that Corporations Canada is meeting the expectations of the large majority of its intermediary clients.

Various suggestions were offered by clients to improve the quality of service provided by Corporations Canada. That said, no single suggestion was cited with much frequency. The largest single proportion (14%) said that Corporations Canada should address some format issues frequently encountered when filing documents online.

In a continuous move to improve quality of service, CC is currently engaged in renewing its IT system, and henceforth the processes surrounding online services.

Research Information:

The research included quantitative and qualitative elements:

  • An online survey completed by 743 respondents (response rate of 23%). Based on a sample of this size, the overall results can be considered to be accurate to within +/- 3.2%, 19 times out of 20 (finite population factor applied).
  • A set of 15 in-depth interviews conducted with high-volume intermediaries who are known to deal with Corporations Canada on behalf of their business clients on a regular basis. This included both clients who used online and paper-based filing services. These interviews were included to supplement the online survey.

Contracting:

Supplier Name: Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc.
PWGSC contract number: U6265-061422/0010CY
Award date: 2006-07-26


Quantitative and Qualitative Client Satisfaction Research with Intermediaries Using Corporations Canada Services (2006)—Final Report

Corporations Canada—Survey of Client Intermediaries—Email Invitation

Corporations Canada—Survey of Client Intermediaries—1st Email Reminder

Corporations Canada—Survey of Client Intermediaries—Email Reminder

Corporations Canada Survey of Client Intermediaries—Final Reminder

Corporations Canada—Survey of Client Intermediaries

Corporations Canada Service Improvement Initiative

Corporations Canada In-Depth Interviews: Higher-Volume Intermediary Clients

Corporations Canada—Survey of Client Intermediaries—January 2007


Final Report: Quantitative and Qualitative Client Satisfaction Research with Intermediaries Using Corporations Canada Services (2006)

POR Number: 120-06
Contract Number: U6265-061422/001/CY
Contract Award Date: 2006-07-26

Submitted to Industry Canada

January 2007

Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc.
1678 Bank Street, Ste. 2, Ottawa, Ontario K1V 7Y6
Telephone: 613-260-1700
Fax: 613-260-1300
Email: info@phoenixspi.ca
www.phoenixspi.ca


Table of Contents


Executive Summary

Phoenix SPI was commissioned by Industry Canada to conduct a survey with client intermediaries of Corporations Canada to evaluate the services, resources, and tools provided by the branch in relation to incorporation. The research included quantitative and qualitative elements:

  • An online survey completed by 743 respondents (response rate of 23%). Based on a sample of this size, the overall results can be considered to be accurate to within +/- 3.2%, 19 times out of 20 (finite population factor applied)
  • A set of 15 in-depth interviews conducted with high-volume intermediaries who are known to deal with Corporations Canada on behalf of their business clients on a regular basis. This included both clients who used online and paper-based filing services. These interviews were included to supplement the online survey.

Overview

Overall, satisfaction levels were high and widespread, with relatively few surveyed clients reporting dissatisfaction in any area of service delivery. Although certain areas stand out as being more or less positively rated than others, the results suggest that Corporations Canada is meeting the expectations of the large majority of its intermediary clients.

Service Use and Method of Contact

Most intermediary clients (91%) had filed documents (e.gannual returns, changes to corporate information) with Corporations Canada on behalf of their clients. The other services offered by the branch were used less often: incorporation, information services, name pre-approval, and certification and copies (43-65%). In terms of service channels, respondents were more likely to have dealt with Corporations Canada via the Online Filing service (86%) than through any of the other methods, such as phone (69%), email (49%), mail/courier (32%) or in person (5%). Additionally, 70% of respondents said they visited the Corporations Canada website to obtain information. Looking more generally at the methods used to contact Corporations Canada, clients were more likely to point to electronic communications of one form or another—either through email, visits to the website or by using the Online Filing service — compared to telephone or in-person contact.

Widespread Satisfaction, Low Dissatisfaction

Strong majorities of surveyed clients reported satisfaction both overall and with respect to specific services and service channels used. Virtually everyone (95%) was satisfied with the overall quality of service received from Corporations Canada, while satisfaction with specific services — such as name pre-approval, the incorporation process and information services-ranged from 85% to 98%. Moreover, the levels of dissatisfaction were routinely low, both for overall service quality and with respect to summary assessments of specific services: usually only 1-5% expressed dissatisfaction, and it never exceeded 8% (for the name pre-approval process). Turning to the service channels used to contact Corporations Canada, levels of overall satisfaction were similarly high: Online Filing service (95%), email (94%), and the website (90%).

Almost all surveyed clients felt that service met (81%) or exceeded (16%) their expectations, and the incidence of problems with each service was relatively low: 27% or fewer reported problems for any of the five services assessed. That said, there are some areas that were rated more or less positively than others. Specifically, the speed and timeliness of service are shown throughout the survey to be among the strongest aspects of service delivery. Nearly everyone (97%) expressed satisfaction with the amount of time it took to complete the Online Filing process, with half (51%) saying they were very satisfied. While the name pre-approval process and staff-related issues received lower satisfaction scores relative to other areas or aspects of service, feedback in these areas was still largely positive. A more detailed discussion of these differences proceeds below.

Speed, Timeliness Rated Positively Throughout

Satisfaction with the speed of Corporations Canada's service delivery emerged as an overarching theme in the survey results. Overall, and with regard to specific services, clients were consistently satisfied with the time taken to complete processes, tasks and procedures (85-98%). In terms of overall service delivery, timeliness is rated fourth out of the 12 aspects assessed (85%); as for specific services, speed is the first or second most highly-rated aspect of service delivery in four of the five services assessed. With regard to Online Filing, the faster turnaround time associated with its use was viewed as a distinct advantage by nearly all respondents compared to other filing channels (98%).

Strong Satisfaction With Online Filing

The Online Filing process stands out as being rated highly positively. By a wide margin, it was the most frequently used service channel, with 86% having used this channel between August 1st, 2005 and July 31st, 2006. More importantly, 95% of these clients were satisfied with the quality of service they received via Online Filing. In addition, nearly everyone (97%) who completed electronic filing transactions was satisfied with the amount of time it took, with over half (51%) expressing strong rather than moderate satisfaction. Turning to the specific documents or requests submitted using Online Filing, the majority of clients who completed each type of submission were satisfied with the overall process. In fact, 93% or more expressed satisfaction with all but one (filing name pre-approvals, 78%). Moreover, respondents were more likely to be very (49-54%) not moderately (43-48%) satisfied with three of the seven aspects explored.

Not only were satisfaction ratings high, respondents also offered favourable assessments of all aspects of Online Filing: 98% agreed that the faster turnaround time is a distinct advantage of electronic filings, and that the acknowledgement of receipt is an important feature. Almost as many felt that 24/7 access is convenient (97%) and that the process is easy to use (95%). As well, there was widespread agreement that it is safe to send sensitive information to Corporations Canada using the Internet, that the information is treated confidentially, and that the reduced filing fee is important (86-90%).

Name Pre-Approval Process Yielded Lower Satisfaction Relative to Other Services

Compared to other services, the name pre-approval process received lower ratings from those who used it. Only 85% were satisfied with the process overall (compared to 91-98% for the other services), and over one-quarter experienced problems. However, it should be noted that large proportions of those who were asked about name pre-approvals felt that certain questions did not apply to them. As much as 55% did not rate their level of agreement with the statements made about the process (i.e. chose the 'Does Not Apply' option), and as much as 23% did not provide perceptions of the NUANS Real-time system (i.e. chose the 'Does Not Apply' option).

Looking at the specific aspects of the name pre-approval process that were assessed, satisfaction tends to be slightly lower with regard to the NUANS help files, online training modules, and explanations associated with decisions. Approximately one-in-ten did not agree that decisions were clearly explained to them (12%) or that the online training module was useful (9%). The same proportion (9%) did not find the help files for NUANS to be comprehensive. The kinds of problems cited by those who encountered difficulties further emphasize a need for more adequate help, support, and explanation throughout the process: nearly half felt that the requirements for name pre-approval are too stringent, and 24% said their problems were due to a lack of support or assistance.

Staff Issues Often Rated Lower

Although satisfaction was high across all areas, staff-related issues were often among the least positively rated aspects of service. Overall, staff issues accounted for seven of the eight lowest-rated aspects of service delivery—staff professionalism, knowledge, explanations, and the way they treated and informed clients were rated highly by up to 37% fewer respondents than other, more positively-rated aspects. That said, respondents were still more likely to be satisfied with staff-related issues than dissatisfied.

Some dissatisfaction with staff-related issues is evident in the name pre-approval process and information services, with the explanation of decisions and the knowledge/competence of staff rated lower than most other aspects assessed. Although several factors related to the performance and ability of Corporations Canada staff were mentioned as service delivery strengths (40-53%), they placed below processes and procedures (70%).

Despite the tendency for staff-related issues to be rated lower than other aspects, majorities were still satisfied with their dealings with staff, suggesting that concerns about these issues are limited and specific, rather than frequent or widespread.

Corporations Canada Strengths Surpass Weaknesses

Surveyed clients were more likely to identify Corporations Canada's perceived strengths than perceived weaknesses: while various different service strengths were mentioned by 37-70% of respondents, less than one-quarter mentioned any specific weaknesses. Top strengths included processes and procedures (70%) and service quality (65%). Top perceived weaknesses included communications (24%), understanding of client needs (19%) and responsiveness (18%). A significant number (17%) said that Corporations Canada has no service delivery weaknesses at all.

Limited Suggestions Underscore Satisfaction, But Also Focus on Improvements to Forms

At the end of the survey, respondents were offered the opportunity to provide suggestions for how the branch could improve the quality of service it provides. Only 28% offered any suggestions at all, and specific suggestions tended to be made with little frequency (14% or less).

Beyond this, although the majority of surveyed intermediaries indicated earlier in the survey that they were satisfied with the forms provided by Corporations Canada, many used this opportunity to identify specific problems they had encountered while using the forms. One in five thought the format of the forms could be improved in order to be more compatible with attachments, to allow frequent users to save templates or auto-fill certain fields, to allow users to review all documents before submitting them, or to save and return to them later. In addition, despite the high levels of satisfaction with the timeliness of service, many still felt that service could be sped up in certain areas—a number of respondents suggested offering a priority or expedited service option for some or all processes.

Conclusions and Implications

The results of this survey point to a clientele that is highly satisfied with the service it receives from Corporations Canada when dealing with them on behalf of their clients. With the exception of the name pre-approval process, each of the specific services assessed generated satisfaction levels of over 90% of surveyed respondents. If any single issue can be identified as being particularly well-rated, it is the speed and timeliness of service. Responses indicate that Corporations Canada has been successful in implementing service options that speed up incorporation and related processes for client intermediaries and is able to respond to their needs and queries in an appropriate amount of time in most cases.

Turning to areas where clients are less satisfied, staffing issues are rated less positively than most other aspects of service delivery in many areas. From the suggestions provided by respondents at the end of the survey, it appears that some feel their staffing concerns would be addressed if Corporations Canada hired more people and provided more training to existing staff.

In terms of specific services, the name pre-approval process lags behind incorporation, filings of documents (other than incorporation forms), information services, and certification and copies. Dissatisfaction with this service in particular appears to be linked to a perceived lack of support or assistance and a need for more clearly explained decisions. In addition, the forms used by Corporations Canada were the focus of numerous suggestions for improvement, and potential changes would appear to warrant future consideration.

Even considering the areas where service is less positively rated, satisfaction with Corporations Canada is high and fairly consistent through all aspects of service assessed.

More Information:

Supplier Name: Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc.
PWGSC contract number: U6265-061422/001/CY
Award date: 2006-07-26

Introduction

Industry Canada commissioned Phoenix Strategic Perspectives to conduct research with client intermediaries of Corporations Canada to assess satisfaction with the quality of the service, information and tools provided by the branch.

Background and Objectives

Corporations Canada, a branch of Industry Canada, is responsible for the administration of the Canada Business Corporations Act and the Canada Corporations Act (Part II), the statutes under which businesses and not-for-profit corporations are incorporated at the federal level. There are currently over 170,000 active federal business corporations and over 19,000 not-for-profit corporations included in the records of Corporations Canada. Each month approximately 1,600 new business corporations are incorporated at the federal level and approximately 200 not-for-profit entities. Clients of Corporations Canada include existing corporations or their professional representatives, entrepreneurs or their professional representatives seeking incorporation, as well as information seekers.

The main purpose of this research was to measure the level of client satisfaction with Corporations Canada's services amongst its intermediary clients — i.e. those firms and individuals (primarily lawyers, paralegals and accountants) that contact Corporations Canada seeking federal incorporation and related services on behalf of their clients. Intermediary clients range from high to low volume service users, and they are further differentiated by the method they use for submissions made to Corporations Canada (i.e. electronic versus paper filings)For the purposes of this study, the focus was on two population groups:

  1. Intermediaries that had, on average, at least one Corporations Canada transaction (a filing or submission) per month between August 1, 2005 and July 31, 2006; and
  2. Intermediaries that had 3-11 transactions per month between August 1, 2005 and July 31, 2006Footnote 1.

In terms of objectives, the research was designed to:

  • Identify the various services and service channels that have been used by clients.
  • Assess levels of satisfaction with each of the services used by clients.
  • Assess levels of satisfaction with each of the service channels used by clients.
  • Assess clients' overall level of satisfaction with Corporations Canada's service.
  • Identify perceived strengths and weaknesses with service delivery.
  • Identify areas in need of improvement, both with respect to selected services and service channels.

The research findings are intended to establish a baseline measure of client satisfaction for subsequent surveys, as well as to help guide ongoing service improvement.


Research Design

To address the research objectives, a research program was conducted with Corporations Canada's intermediary clients that included both quantitative and qualitative activities. The core component of this research was an online survey of high- and low-volume intermediary clients who had used at least one Corporation Canada service between August 1, 2005 and July 31  2006.

The following specifications applied to the survey component of the study:

  • In total, 3,603 clients were invited to participate in the survey (excluding those email messages returned as undeliverable). This included a census of all intermediary clients that had 12 transactions or more during the previous year (high-volume users) and a random sample of intermediary clients that had 3-11 transactions over the previous year (low-volume users).
  • The survey was completed by 743 respondents. This represents a response rate of 23%. Based on a sample of this size, the overall results can be considered to be accurate to within +/- 3.2%, 19 times out of 20 (finite population factor applied).
  • The sample was drawn by Corporations Canada from its client databases (paper filers and electronic filers) according to a sample frame developed by Phoenix.
  • Considerable work was required to address deficiencies in the sample, in particular the lack of full contact information for client intermediaries that filed submissions only by paper. No email addresses or contact names were available for most firms included in the paper filers database. Therefore, each of these firms was contacted by Corporations Canada in advance of the research and asked to identify appropriate individual(s) to participate in the research on behalf of their firm (and provide their email addresses). In addition, there was some duplication between the paper filers and electronic filers databases. This tended to affect the high-volume sample only; all duplicates were removed in advance of the fieldwork.
  • The survey was password-protected, available in both official languages, and accessible through a URL link contained in an email invitation letter.
  • The survey took an average of 15 minutes for respondents to complete.
  • If surveyed clients used more than two types of Corporations Canada services during the previous 12 months, they were asked to assess two services only (selected at random) in order to limit the response burden.
  • As a reminder regime, three email messages were sent to respondents who had not completed the survey (sent approximately one week apart).
  • The fieldwork was conducted November 6 to December 5, 2006.

The following table presents the response rate information for this study (using the industry standard formula for telephone surveys).

Empirical Calculation for Data CollectionFootnote 2
Total Numbers Attempted 3,861
Invalid - i.e. bounce-backs 258
   
Unresolved (U) 2,744
Abandoned survey at intro page 36
No response 2,708
In-scope — non-responding (IS) 46
Qualified respondent break-off 46
In-scope — Responding units (R) 849
Did not contact CorpCanada in past year 106
Completed interviews 743
Response Rate = R/(U+IS+R) 23.33%

To supplement the online survey, a set of 15 in-depth interviews was conducted with higher-volume client intermediaries. In advance of the interviews, Corporations Canada faxed a background letter to potential participants explaining the purpose of the research, introducing Phoenix as the firm hired to conduct the interviews, offering assurances of confidentiality, and encouraging participation.

In total, three interviews were conducted in French and the rest in English. Efforts were taken to ensure a good mix of participants by region. Most participants worked for law firms across the country, and their positions ranged from corporate paralegals, law clerks, and administrative assistants to CEOs. The interviews were semi-structured in nature, designed to obtain robust, qualitative feedback, and averaged approximately 25-30 minutes in lengthFootnote 3. Interviewing took place December 2006 to February 2007.

Note to Readers

  • For editorial purposes, 'respondents', 'participants', and 'clients' are used interchangeably to refer to client intermediaries who took part in this research.
  • The total number of respondents for each survey question is 743 unless specified differently in the graphs or text. At times, the number of respondents (i.e. not the percentage) who answered certain questions or answered in a certain way is provided. The following method is used to denote this: n = 100, which means the number of respondents, in this instance, is 100.
  • The number of respondents changes regularly throughout the report because survey questions were often asked of sub-samples of the survey population. Accordingly, readers should be aware of this and exercise caution when interpreting results based on a small number of respondents. Sample sizes for sub-populations are identified in all of the graphs.
  • For key questions, demographic and other subgroup differences are identified in the report. The text describing these differences is put in a box for easy identification.
  • Some of the graphs do not sum to 100% due to rounding.
  • The in-depth interviews were qualitative in nature. The findings of this aspect of the research, therefore, cannot be generalized to the full population of client intermediaries.
  • The findings from the in-depth interviews are discussed throughout the report. The text presenting these findings is put in a shaded box for easy identification.

Use of Services and Service Channels

This section describes clients' service dealings with Corporations Canada during the 12 months preceding the research period (i.e. from August 1st, 2005 to July 31st, 2006).

Use of Specific Services Varies Considerably

Use of the different services offered by Corporations Canada varied considerably, ranging from a low of 43% to a high of 91%. By far, the most widely-used service was document filings (e.g. annual returns, changes to corporate information, continuance, etc.). In total, 91% of respondents had filed documents on behalf of their business clients in the past year. Following, at a distance, were incorporations and information services — two-thirds (65%) said they had filed one or more federal incorporations, while somewhat less (56%), but still a majority, had contacted Corporations Canada to obtain information or make enquiries.

Bar chart of Services Used on Behalf of Business Clients

The two services used least often, each by less than half of respondents, were name pre-approval (48%) and certifications and copies (43%).

Frequency of Completing Service Transactions — Document Filings Used Most Often

In addition to being the top service used by intermediary clients, document filings was the most heavily-used service in terms of frequency of use. Nearly half (48%) of respondents who used this service completed more than 10 filings in the past year. An additional 18% used the service between six and 10 times. In total, therefore, exactly two-thirds completed more than five transactions in the previous 12 months.

Turning to the other services, substantially fewer of those who used each service completed the same number of transactions. In fact, the greatest single proportion of these clients (33-40%) completed between two and five transactions. Conducting name searches as part of the name pre-approval process was used least often. Six in ten (61%) said they used the service five times or less.

Bar chart of Number of Transactions Personally Completed

Online, Phone — Top Methods Used to Contact Corporations Canada

Respondents were most likely to have been in contact with Corporations Canada using the Internet or the phone. By a wide margin, Online Filing was the most frequently used service channel, with 86% having used this service in the previous 12 months. Smaller but similar numbers had visited the website (70%) or contacted Corporations Canada by phone (69%). Approximately half (49%) of the clients surveyed used email to deal with Corporations Canada.

Bar chart of Methods Used to Contact Corporations Canada (Past 12 Months)

Substantially less (32%) had been in contact with Corporations Canada using mail or courier services, and few (5%) has visited Corporations Canada in person during the last year.

Several subgroup variations are worth noting with regard to contact methods:
  • E-filers were less likely than others to have contacted Corporations Canada by phone (63% vs. 85-93%), mail (23% vs. 53-66%), in person (4% vs. 5-15%), by email (48% vs. 51-61%), or by visiting the website (68% vs. 75-77%). Thus, e-filers were less likely than those who file by paper or using both formats to use multiple service channels.
  • High-volume clients were 4-23% more likely than low-volume clients to use each of the methods of contact.
  • English clients were up to 15% more likely than French-speaking ones to have contacted Corporations Canada using each of the methods, with the exception of Online Filing. Francophones were slightly more likely to deal with Corporations Canada through this service (88% vs. 86%).

Virtually all the intermediaries who participated in the in-depth interviews said they deal with Corporations Canada via its Online Filing service. In addition, most had used the website as well, primarily to conduct name searches. Only a few participants had contacted Corporations Canada by phone or regular mail. Just as the service channels used varied, so too did the frequency with which these intermediaries interacted with Corporations Canada on behalf of their clients. For some this was very often — once a day or more — while for others, it tended to be around once a month. Generally, the frequency of contact depended on the type of work undertaken by the intermediaries on behalf of their business clients (i.e. routine filings versus incorporation).

Overall Satisfaction with Corporations Canada

This section describes respondents' overall evaluations of Corporations Canada and the service received from the branch during the period from August 1st, 2005 to July 31st, 2006.

Widespread Satisfaction with Overall Quality of Service

Virtually everyone (95%) expressed satisfaction with the overall quality of service they received from Corporations Canada, with 42% saying they were very satisfied. Among the rest, 3% were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, while the same proportion (3%) expressed some degree of dissatisfaction with the service.

Bar chart of Overall Satisfaction with Service Quality

Some respondents were more likely than others to express satisfaction with the overall quality of service they received from Corporations Canada, including:
  • Those who file both electronically and by paper (98% vs. 93-94% of paper and e-filers who use only one method of filing)
  • English respondents (96% vs. 92%).
High and low-volume clients did not differ in their levels of overall satisfaction.

Vast Majority Said Service Met or Exceeded Expectations

Satisfaction with the service received was further reflected by the fact that the vast majority described the quality of service as meeting (81%) or exceeding (16%) their expectations. Only 3% felt that the quality of service they received fell short of their expectations.

Pie chart of Quality of Service vs. Expectations

Responses tended to vary by type of filer. That is, paper filers and e-filers were less likely than those who file in both formats to say service exceeded their expectations (15-18% vs. 23%). There were no meaningful differences based on volume of filings or language.

Most Clients Satisfied with All Aspects of Service

Respondents were asked to assess various aspects of the service received by expressing their level of agreement or disagreement with 12 service-related statements using a 5-point scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). The statements included:

  • Staff were knowledgeable and competent.
  • Staff were courteous and professional.
  • You were treated fairly.
  • You were satisfied with the amount of time it took to get the service.
  • You were satisfied with the accessibility of the service.
  • You were informed of everything you had to do in order to get the service.
  • Staff went the extra mile to make sure you got what you needed.
  • Staff gave you what you needed or guided you to others who could help you.
  • It was clear what you could do if you had a problem or question.
  • Decisions were clearly explained to you.
  • You received service in the official language of your choice (i.e. English or French).
  • You are confident that client information you provided will remain confidential.

Corporations Canada was perceived to be doing well in most areas of service assessed by clients. In fact, majorities of respondents expressed agreement with each of these statements and, for all but two, agreement exceeded 70%. Clients were most likely to agree that they received service in the official language of their choice (92%) and that they were satisfied with the accessibility of service (91%).

Bar chart of Satisfaction With Aspects of Service Delivery

Large majorities (85%) are confident that client information remains confidential and were satisfied with the time it took to get service. Nearly as many felt that they were treated fairly (81%) and were informed of everything needed to get the service (79%). Clients' perceptions of the staff they dealt with were also very positive. Approximately four in five felt that the staff were both courteous/professional (78%) and knowledgeable/competent (77%). Following this, similar majorities agreed that it was clear what they could do if they had a problem (75%) and that staff provided them with what they needed (73%). Slightly fewer (66%) felt that decisions were clearly explained.

Respondents were least likely to agree that staff went the extra mile (61%). Of those who did not agree, 12% were neutral and 5% disagreed (22% did not provide a response).

With one exception — access to service in the official languages — surveyed clients were more likely to express moderate, not strong agreement with each of the service-related statements.

Several subgroup variations exist with respect to agreement in these areas:
  • High-volume users were consistently more likely than lower-volume clients to express agreement with each of the statements.
  • Those who file both electronically and in hard-copy were more likely than those who file only by paper or electronically to agree with each statements.
  • French and English respondents were similarly likely to agree with most statements, but French respondents were more likely to strongly agree.

The in-depth interview feedback also revealed a high level of satisfaction among those who deal with Corporations Canada on a regular basis. Everyone provided very positive assessments of their interactions with staff and the types of services available to them. As one intermediary explained, Corporations Canada goes the extra mile to help no matter what the problem. Importantly, participants tended to use the semi-structured nature of the interview as an opportunity to emphasize that, while many had experienced difficulties dealing with Corporations Canada, their problems — which were mostly minimal and, many said, inevitable — were dealt with extremely well.

Widespread Satisfaction with Service Channels

Most surveyed clients (88-95%) were satisfied with each service channel used to contact Corporations Canada. Clients were most likely to express satisfaction with Online Filing (95%) and email (94%). Recall that Online Filing was also the most frequently used method to contact Corporations Canada. Nine in ten expressed satisfaction with the website, mail, and in-person service channels. Among those who contacted Corporations Canada in-person, the majority were very (54%) not moderately (36%) satisfied with the service received. Slightly fewer were satisfied with the quality of service received over the phone (88%). As was the case regarding mail service, clients were far more apt to express moderate, not strong satisfaction with service received over the phone.

Bar chart of Satisfaction With Service Channels

Those few clients who were not satisfied with the service received through the channels that they used were more likely to be neutral (2-10%) than to express dissatisfaction (4% or less).

Some groups were more likely than others to express satisfaction with the various methods of contacting/dealing with Corporations Canada, including French respondents (90-100% vs. 86-95%) and high-volume clients (90-97% vs. 75-93%). Beyond this, those who filed both electronically and in hard-copy did not express dissatisfaction with any of the methods, while dissatisfaction among e-filers and paper-filers was never below 1%.

Satisfaction With Specific Services

This section of the report presents client assessments of the different services offered by Corporations Canada. These include:

  • Name pre-approval process (i.e. request for a name decision letter; acceptability of a proposed corporate name)
  • Incorporation process
  • Filing of documents (e.g. annual returns, changes to corporate information, continuance, dissolution, amalgamation, amendment)
  • Certification and copies (e.g. obtaining copies of articles and other related documents)
  • Information services (i.e. make general/specific information enquiries).

Name Pre-approval Process

The questions in this section were asked of a random sample of surveyed clients who conducted one or more name searches as part of the name pre-approval process during the 12-month period preceding the research (n = 171).

Most Satisfied with Name Pre-Approval Process

Most surveyed clients (85%) who rated the name pre-approval process expressed satisfaction with the overall quality of service they received. That said, their satisfaction was far more likely to be moderate (66%), not strong (19%). Only 8% expressed dissatisfaction with this service (7% were neutral).

Bar chart of Overall Satisfaction with Name Pre-Approval Process

In terms of subgroup variations, those who filed both electronically and in hard-copy were more likely to express satisfaction with the overall process (100% vs. 81-91% of e- and paper-filers).

Positive Perceptions of Name Pre-Approval Process

Using a 5-point scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree), clients were asked to rate their level of agreement with the following aspects of the name pre-approval service:

  • The application requirements that a corporate name must meet are appropriate.
  • The 'Choosing a name' information on the Corporations Canada website was helpful.
  • You are confident that the privacy of your clients is protected during the process.
  • The reasons for decisions about proposed name(s) were clearly explained.
  • You received the decision in a timely manner.
  • NUANS forms are easy to understand and complete.
  • The NUANS on-line training module is useful.

Overall, clients provided positive ratings of all aspects of the name pre-approval process. Respondents were most likely to agree that they received a decision in a timely manner (89%) and that they are confident their clients' privacy was protected (87%). However, agreement was more likely to be moderate (58-62%) than strong (27-29%).

Bar chart of Perceptions of Pre-Approval Process

Approximately four in five felt that the application requirements are appropriate (81%), that the forms are easy to understand (78%), and that the information on the website was helpful (78%). Slightly fewer (75%) found the online training module useful, while 71% thought that decisions were clearly explained to them. Again, while agreement was widespread, it was not intense. That is, respondents were much more apt to moderately not strongly agree with these statements. Clients who said aspects of this service did not apply to them were removed from the calculation (highest for the online training module; 55%).

Most Encountered No Problems

In total, 73% experienced no problems with the name pre-approval process. Conversely, just over one-quarter (27%) did encounter difficulties during the previous 12 months.

Pie chart of Problems with Name Pre-Approval Process?

Those who had problems (n = 46) were most likely to identify the perception that the process requirements are too stringent (41%). This was followed by a lack of support or assistance (24%). Somewhat less said the process took too long (20%), and one in ten cited technical problems or difficulties obtaining a Real-Time report (9% each). The rest (37%) mentioned other, more specific problems they had while using the service, such as a lack of clarity or confusion about the process and requirements, inconsistent turnaround times, or difficulty getting names approved due to problems with the process itself.

Two-Thirds Used Registered Search House

Two-thirds of clients used the assistance of a NUANS Registered Search House to obtain their NUANS report(s). The rest (34%) ordered their own report from the NUANS Real-Time System.

Pie chart of Method Used to Obtain NUANS Reports

Mainly Positive Perceptions of NUANS Real-Time System

Respondents who used the NUANS Real-Time System (n = 112) offered mainly positive perceptions of specific aspects of the system. Virutally everyone (96%) agreed that the process takes an appropriate amount of time, with 40% expressing strong agreement. In addition, strong majorities felt that obtaining a NUANS report is user-friendly (90%) and that it is easy to register with the 'Strategis Secure Server Facility' (89%). Clients were least likely to agree that the help files with examples are comprehensive (79%). This was also the aspect of the system that clients were most apt to say did not apply to them (23%).

Bar chart of Perceptions of NUANS Real-Time System

Feedback from the in-depth interviews suggests that there are slightly more problems associated with NUANS compared to other services. Specifically, some suggested that the NUANS database be updated more frequently, and one person mentioned that it is missing one jurisdiction in Quebec. Several others reported having difficulties associated with NUANS, but these issues had been dealt with to their satisfaction by Corporations Canada.

Incorporation

The questions in this section were asked of a random sample of surveyed clients who filed one or more federal incorporations between August 1st, 2005 and July 31st, 2006 (n = 279).

Widespread Satisfaction with Incorporation Process

Satisfaction with the incorporation process was widespread and fairly strong. Overall, 96% of these clients said they were satisfied with the process of filing federal incorporations, with 41% very satisfied. Those who were not satisfied were almost equally likely to be neutral (3%) or dissatisfied (2%).

Bar chart of Overall Satisfaction with Incorporation Process

The following subgroup variation is worth noting: high-volume clients were more likely to express satisfaction with the incorporation process (97% vs. 92% of low-volume users).

Positive Perceptions of Incorporation Process

Overall satisfaction with the service was reinforced by the fact that the vast majority of clients offered positive assessments of different aspects of the incorporation process. Approximately nine in ten expressed agreement with each of the four aspects of the process: it takes an appropriate amount of time to complete (91%), application requirements for a Certificate of Incorporation are simple and easy to complete (90%), Corporations Canada provides good value for money (88%), and the service fee to issue a Certificate of Incorporation is appropriate (88%).

Bar chart of Perceptions of the Incorporation Process

Disagreement with these statements ranged from 2-4%.

Approximately One-Quarter Experienced Problems with Incorporation

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents had no problems with the incorporation process during the past 12 months. Conversely, 27% experienced difficulties filing federal incorporations.

Pie chart of Problems with Incorporation Process?

Among those who had problems (n = 47), technical problems (30%) and complications associated with re-submitting online (28%) topped the list. Other problems included a lack of support or assistance, and deficient applications not being returned quickly enough (19% each). Nearly two-thirds cited some other problem (64%), and they ranged from issues of clarity and communication to confusion about the rationale behind decisions.

Document Filings

The questions in this section were asked of a random sample of surveyed clients who completed one or more filings between August 1st, 2005 and July 31st, 2006 (n = 465). This could have included annual returns, changes to corporate information, continuance, dissolution, amalgamation, or amendments.

Variety of Documents Submitted, Annual Returns Tops List

Surveyed clients completed a variety of filings in the last year. Not surprisingly, annual returns were the most common type of filings. Virtually everyone filed at least one annual return (97%) in the previous 12 months. This was followed by changes to corporate information, with three-quarters (74%) saying they filed related documents. None of the other filings were completed by a majority of respondents: 41% filed amendments, 29% dissolutions, 13% amalgamations, and 10% continuances.

Bar chart of Types of Filings Completed

Electronic More Popular than Hard Copy Filings

Clients who completed the different types of filings were asked to identified the method(s) used to submit the documents. Given the choice between electronic and hard copy filings, respondents are far more likely to have used email or the Online Filing service. Those who filed amendments, dissolutions, changes to corporate information, and annual returns were most likely to have done so electronically (56-85%). The exception to this finding was continuance filings, which were more likely to be submitted in hard copy form, either in person or by mail/courier (47%). A small number of clients (13-16%) said they filed documents in both hard copy and electronic form.

Bar chart of Method Used for Different Types of Filings

Most, but not all, of the intermediaries interviewed prefer to file everything electronically: "anything we can do online, we do" was the main feedback from participants. In fact, for many the only improvement to be made to the Online Filing service is to expand the types of filings that can be completed online. One of the few participants who does not file documents electronically explained that the resulting formatting does not look professional enough. For this reason, s/he prefers to submit filings in hard copy.

Strong Satisfaction with Filing Process & Specific Aspects of Process

Satisfaction with the filing process was widespread, both overall and with respect to specific aspects. In terms of overall satisfaction, 98% of respondents were satisfied with the filing process, with 42% expressing strong satisfaction.

Bar chart of Overall Satisfaction with Filing Process

Some respondents were more likely than others to be very satisfied with the filing process: high-volume clients (46% vs. 38%) and French respondents (43% vs. 38%).

Levels of agreement with a series of statements about the filing process were uniformly positive, ranging from 91-97%. Virtually everyone agreed that the forms are appropriate for the type of filing (97%). Substantial and similar numbers felt that it is clear what information is needed to complete the forms (94%), that the forms ask for the right type of information (94%), and that the forms are easy to complete (93%). In addition, fully 91% thought that the forms are well structured and intuitively organized.

Bar chart of Perceptions of Filing Forms

Relatively Few Report Problems with Filing Process

Reflective of the high overall satisfaction, only slightly more than one in ten (12%) experienced problems with the filing of documents in the previous 12 months. The large majority (88%) did not.

Pie chart of Problems with Filing Process

Among those who did have problems (n = 55), general difficulties with the Online Filing service (42%) and technical problems (33%) were the types of issues cited most often. An additional 22% said the process took too long, while smaller and similar numbers reported that their forms were not received by Corporations Canada (11%) or that compliance generally is burdensome (9%). Others (44%) had more specific problems, including inexperience with the process, trouble with the search engine, and issues related to the filing requirements.

Certification and Copies

The questions in this section were asked of a random sample of surveyed clients who requested copies and/or certified copies of articles and other related documents during the period from August 1st, 2005 to July 31st, 2006 (n = 158).

Widespread Satisfaction with Request Process

Fully 91% of surveyed clients were satisfied with the request process to obtain copies of articles and other related documents. That said, satisfaction was considerably more likely to be moderate (59%) than strong (32%). Virtually no one was dissatisfied (1%), while 8% were at the mid-point of the scale, indicating that they were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.

Bar chart of Overall Satisfaction with Certification and Copies Process

Some respondents were more likely than others to be very satisfied with the process to obtain certification and copies, including:
  • High-volume clients (55% vs. 46%)
  • French clients (40% vs. 29%)
  • E-filers (38% vs. 18-28%).

Positive Perceptions of Certification & Copies Process

Not only were clients satisfied overall, they also offered positive assessments of all aspects of the request process that were examined. Respondents were most likely to agree that the process of obtaining certification and copies is clear and easy to understand (91%). In terms of intensity, however, these clients were twice as likely to express moderate (61%) not strong (30%) agreements with the statement. Following this, the vast majority (88% each) agreed that the forms are easy to complete and that it took an appropriate amount of time to obtain the documents.

Bar chart of Attitudes About Certification and Copies

Very Few Report Problems with Service

Fully 95% of these clients experienced no problems with the process in the last year. Only (5%; 8 respondents) of those who tried to obtain copies of articles and other documents said they had difficulties. Typical problems included the process taking too long, not receiving the correct documents, and having trouble finding out how to make the requests.

Pie chart of Problems with Certification and Copies Process?

Information Services

The questions in this section were asked of a random sample of surveyed clients who contacted Corporations Canada on one or more occasions to obtain information or make enquiries during the period from August 1st, 2005 to July 31st, 2006 (n = 230).

Variety of Methods Used to Access Information Services; Email Tops List

Clients used a variety of methods to access Corporations Canada information services during the last year. In terms of frequency of use, email is the method that was used most often to access services. Four in ten (41%) used the service by email at least six times (6% 11-20 times and 16% more than 20 times). Close to half (48%), however, used it less often, with the single largest proportion (36%) saying they accessed the service by email between two and five times.

Bar chart of Use of Information Services By Method of Contact

Slightly fewer (39%) reported using the phone at least six times, while one-third (32%) accessed the service in person with the same frequency during the previous 12 months. The majority of clients (56%) used the phone five times or less (48% two to five times and 8% once only). In contrast, 37% personally visited Corporations Canada information services five times or less (32% were not sure how many times they did this in the last year).

Note that respondents who indicated that any of these methods were 'Not Applicable' to them were removed from the calculation.

Most in-depth interview participants had not accessed Corporations Canada information services, at least not to a significant extent. Many said they were comfortable with most of the processes and tasks they needed to do on behalf of their business clients, and did not require extra assistance or information.

Variety of Information Sought; Most Looked for Info on Federal Incorporations

Respondents were most likely to have sought information on federally-incorporated entities (69%), followed at a distance by assistance with online filings and forms (50-51%) (multiple responses accepted). Slightly fewer looked for information about the status of an application (43%), while smaller numbers sought general information about incorporation, including information on policies and regulations, compliance requirements, and the process in general (33-39%).

Bar chart of Types of Information Sought

One in four used Corporations Canada information services to obtain information about fee schedules (25%). Other types of information included corporation profiles and information about copies of documents.

Vast Majority Satisfied & Offered Positive Impressions of Service

Fully 96% of these clients expressed moderate (66%) or strong (30%) satisfaction with the quality of service received when using Corporations Canada information services. Those few who were not satisfied were split between being neutral or dissatisfied.

Bar chart of Overall Satisfaction with Information Services

At least 88% of those surveyed agreed with each of the five statements about specific aspects of the service received when using Corporations Canada information services.

Bar chart of Impressions of Aspects of Information Services

Respondents were most likely to agree that they were satisfied with the quality of the information or advice they received (95%). This was followed closely by satisfaction with the accessibility of service (92%), and perceptions that questions were answered to their full satisfaction (91%) and that staff were knowledgeable and competent (90%). In total, 88% agreed that they were satisfied with the amount of time it took to receive service. While assessments of the information service were positive, it is worth noting that agreement was more than twice as likely to be moderate (64-68%) rather than strong (24-27%) for all areas that were assessed.

There was widespread satisfaction with the quality, accessibility, and timeliness of service. Many remarked that turnaround times are virtually instant for certain services and queries, and that staff are very helpful and are able to resolve issues quickly and satisfactorily without a lot of footwork required of intermediaries. Despite the positive feedback, several participants said that staff at the first level of contact (i.e. those responding to information enquires) are sometimes less knowledgeable than others and could be better trained to assist intermediaries. While these intermediaries stressed that this is not the case all the time, when it does occur, it can result in incorrect information being given to them by the service agent.

Few Encountered Problems

The vast majority (93%) of those who used the information services reported encountering no problems during the previous 12 months.

Those who had problems (n = 17) tended to point to the perception that the service took too long or that they received incorrect or inconsistent information.

Pie chart of Problems with Information Services?

Overall Satisfaction: Widespread Satisfaction Across all Services

In summary, clients who rated the various services offered by Corporations Canada were satisfied with each one. As the graph indicates, overall satisfaction ranged from 98% (filing of documents) to 85% (name pre-approval). While satisfaction is high, it tended to be moderate rather than strong in terms of specific assessments.

Bar chart of Overall Satisfaction with All Services

Satisfaction with specific services was stronger among in-depth interview participants than survey respondents. That is, most intermediaries said they were 'very' or 'extremely' satisfied with all services that they use of behalf of their business clients. Highlighting clients' high level of satisfaction, virtually none of the participants was able to offer any suggestions to improve the services. Regarding incorporation, one intermediary suggested that Corporations Canada hire more examiners.

Assessments of Online Filing

This section of the report presents client assessments of Corporations Canada Online Filing service channel. The questions in this section were asked of all clients who used the service channel to submit documents between August 1st, 2005 and July 31st, 2006 (n = 639).

Frequency of Using Online Filing Varies; One-Third Used Service Over 25 Times

Respondents' use of Online Filing varied considerably. More than half of those surveyed (55%) said they used the service over 10 times, while 42% used it less often. Broken down further, one-third (34%) used the service over 25 times and 21% did so 11-25 times. At the other end of the spectrum, 16% used Online Filing 6-10 times, 22% 2-5 times, and 4% reported using the service one time only.

Bar chart of Frequency of Submitting Documents Online

Interview participants emphasized that they did and would file anything they could online when to comes to interacting with Corporations Canada on behalf of their business clients. Virtually everyone completed all of their filings using Online Filing, with the exception of the types of filings not currently available via the service channel. Those few who did not explained that this was the result of their clients' preferences or that the formatting that results from online submissions does not look professional enough.

Most Submitted Multiple Types of Documents; Annual Returns Heads List

Fully 86% submitted more than one type of document online during the last year. The overwhelming majority had filed annual returns (91%). Considerably fewer, but still strong majorities, submitted changes of director (70%) or changes of registered address (67%). In addition, over half (55%) had filed articles of incorporation online. Smaller and similar numbers (36-37%) used the Online Filing service to submit name pre-approvals, articles of amendment, and certificates of compliance/existence. Included in the 'other' category are predominantly articles of continuance or dissolution.

Bar chart of Types of Documents Submitted Online

Widespread and Strong Levels of Satisfaction with Process

Overall, clients who used the Online Filing service were satisfied with the process. Nearly everyone (97%) expressed satisfaction with the amount of time it took to complete the process, with half (51%) saying they were very satisfied.

Bar chart of Overall Satisfaction with Time Needed for Online Filing

Some respondents were more likely than others to be very satisfied with the speed of the Online Filing process, including:
  • High-volume clients (55% vs. 46%)
  • French clients (67% vs. 45%)
  • Those who filed both electronically and hard-copy (60% vs. 40-52%).

Turning to the specific documents or requests submitted using the Online Filing service, the majority of clients who completed each type of submission were satisfied with the overall process.

Bar chart of Satisfaction With Online Filing Process

Specifically, 98% were satisfied with the process of filing changes of address and director, while nearly as many were satisfied with the process for annual returns (97%) and certificates of compliance/existence processes (96%). For each of these, respondents were slightly more likely to be very (49-54%) not moderately (43-48%) satisfied with the overall process. Slightly less (93% each) expressed satisfaction with the process of filing articles of amendment and articles of incorporation. Satisfaction was lowest for name pre-approvals, with 78% saying they were satisfied with the process.

Favourable Assessments of All Aspects of Electronic Filing Process

Using a 5-point scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree), clients were asked to rate their level of agreement with the following aspects of the Online Filing service:

  • The process is simple and easy to use.
  • Electronic filing is convenient because it can be accessed 24/7.
  • The reduced filing fee for electronic submissions is important to my clients.
  • I am confident that it is safe to send sensitive information to Corporations Canada using the Internet.
  • The information that I provide to Corporations Canada via the Internet is treated confidentially.
  • The faster turnaround time provided by electronic filing is a distinct advantage.
  • The immediate acknowledgement of receipt is an important feature.

At least 86% of those who used the service agreed with each of these statements. Nearly everyone (98% each) agreed that the faster turnaround time is a distinct advantage of electronic filings, and that the acknowledgement of receipt is an important feature. Not only do the vast majority think these are valuable features, approximately two-thirds each expressed strong agreement. Almost as many clients felt that 24/7 access is convenient (97%) and that the process is easy to use (95%). Again, more than half agreed strongly with these statements. In addition, there was widespread agreement that it is safe to send sensitive information to Corporations Canada using the Internet, that the information is treated confidentially, and that the reduced filing fee is important (86-90%).

Bar chart of Attitudes About Online Filing Process

Disagreement with these statements ranged from 1-3%; most respondents who did not express agreement were neutral (1-8%).

In-depth interview participants usually emphasized the fact that Online Filing saves them and their clients time and money. Several said the service is also excellent because it is more reliable than using couriers or other means of filing — that is, they can be certain that documents filed through Online Filing are reaching Corporations Canada. Further, aside from one client who felt that filings "could always be sped up", most had no suggestions for how to improve the service apart from expanding the types of filings that can be completed online.

Of those who did offer suggestions, one intermediary was concerned about the security of the Online Filing system. Because anyone can create an account and log on, there is nothing stopping unauthorized users from changing company information. For this respondent, the system should be protected and limited to only accredited users. Another participant mentioned difficulties with the rapid-fill fields on most forms, suggesting they should be improved. According to this individual, they are not always accurate, are difficult to change, and often result in users having to type and re-type the same information repetitively.

Reasons for Not Using Online Filing Have Little to do with Process

Respondents who have not used the Online Filing service (n = 104) were asked to explain why they have not done so. These clients were most likely to provide reasons external to the process itself — that is, two-thirds of the reasons offered had nothing to do with the service itself. Approximately one-quarter pointed to the fact that they prefer paper filing (27%) or that they did not know they coud file online (23%). No other reasons were mentioned with any frequency.

Bar chart of Reasons for Not Using Online Filing

Smaller numbers (5-9%) said the reason lies with their clients — either they are not-for-profit (9%) or they request paper filing (8%) — or that they had problems with the process itself (7%) or found it to be difficult to use (5%). The types of responses included in the 'other' category ranged from the choice being beyond their control to a lack of need for e-filing on the part of their firm.

Assessments of Website

This part of the report describes clients' perceptions of the Corporations Canada website. The questions in this section were asked of all clients who visited the website during the period from August 1st, 2005 to July 31st, 2006 (n = 518).

Most Use Website Frequently

Nearly half the respondents who visited the Corporations Canada website in the last year did so more than 25 times (43%). Another 14% said they visited the site 11-25 times, and slightly more accessed it 6-10 times (18%). In total, therefore, 75% went to the website at least six times in the previous 12 months. One-quarter visited less often: 23% reported 2-5 visits and 2% visited once only.

Looked at differently, 98% of surveyed clients who visited the website were not one-time users of the site.

Bar chart of Frequency of Visiting Website for Information

Varied Reasons for Visiting Website

Clients cited a range of reasons for visiting the Corporations Canada website, with most giving multiple reasons for doing do. Respondents were most likely to say they visited the website to do Online Filing (87%) or to search the Federal Corporations database (86%). Almost as many said they used the site to get information for a particular corporation (81%), while a smaller majority did so to download and/or print forms (70%).

Bar chart of Reasons for Visiting Website

Smaller proportions visited the website to access policies and regulations (45%), to obtain information kits (42%), to access the Guide to Federal Incorporation (35%), or to get general information about the incorporation process (33%). Close to one in five (18%) visited the website to look at the 'What's New' section.

Widespread Satisfaction with Quality of Website

A large majority of respondents were satisfied with the overall quality of the website. Fully 92% expressed satisfaction, with 29% indicating they were very satisfied. Among the rest, 5% were neutral and 4% were dissatisfied.

Bar chart of Overall Satisfaction with Website

The few who were dissatisfied with the website (n = 18) attributed their dissatisfaction to the trouble they experienced finding information, to the perception that the site is poorly organized or difficult to navigate, to the difficulty they had using the tools, to a lack of support/assistance, or to the impression that the information was not up-to-date or accurate, or that the tools or resources were not useful.

In terms of demographic variations, French respondents were more likely than English respondents to be very satisfied with the website (34% vs. 27%).

The intermediaries interviewed were also highly satisfied with the website, most often explaining that it is very easy to navigate and user-friendly. A few others pointed to the site's content, explaining that it is good and comprehensive. Many participants, in fact, find the site to be a step above other government sites in terms of navigation, layout, and ease of use. Just one intermediary had not visited the website in the past year, and s/he attributed this to a lack of need. When, and if, information is required this person prefers to use the phone to contact Corporations Canada.

Positive Perceptions of Aspects of Website

Respondents were asked to assess various aspects of the Corporations Canada website by expressing their level of agreement or disagreement with the following statements (using a 5-point scale):

  • It was easy to find what you were looking for.
  • You were satisfied with the scope or range of information and resources available on the website.
  • The site had the information you needed.
  • The information on the website is up-to-date.
  • The information on the website is clear and easy to understand.
  • The site was visually appealing.

Underscoring the widespread overall satisfaction with the website, large majorities offered positive assessments of these various aspects of the site. In total, 87-91% agreed that the site had the information they needed, was up-to-date and clear, and had a satisfactory range of information and resources. Approximately three-quarters (74-77%) felt that it was easy to find what they were looking for and that the site was visually appealing. In each of these areas, clients were more likely to express moderate (53-64%) not strong (21-28%) agreement. Relatively few expressed dissatisfaction in these areas (2-11%), although dissatisfaction was highest for the ease of finding needed information.

Bar chart of Attitudes About Website

Perceptions of Service Delivery Strengths & Weaknesses

This section identifies client perceptions of the principal strengths and weaknesses of Corporations Canada as a service provider. These questions were asked of all surveyed clients (n = 743).

Processes/Procedures & Service Quality — Main Organizational Strengths

Clients were asked to identify what they believe to be the main strengths of Corporations Canada as a service provider. Leading the way, cited by 71%, were processes and procedures, followed quite closely by the quality of service (65%). A majority also identified the professionalism of staff (53%) and the responsiveness/client-oriented focus of Corporations Canada (51%) (multiple responses accepted).

Bar chart of Strengths of Corporations Canada

Beyond these perceived strengths, smaller numbers (37-41%) identified the technical knowledge/expertise of staff, understanding of client needs, and communications as main strengths of Corporations Canada. Respondents citing other specific strengths pointed to the website and online services as being particularly useful.

Several subgroup variations exist in the types of strengths mentioned:
  • High-volume clients were 6-15% more likely to identify the various strengths listed
  • English clients were 3-15% more likely than French clients to point out the strengths listed, with one exception: there was essentially no difference in terms of the quality of service
  • While the top strength for E-filers and those who file both electronically and hard-copy was processes and procedures (72-77%), for paper-filers it was the quality of service (68%).

In-depth interview participants generally felt that client service (especially its consistency and friendliness) and the website/online services were the top strengths of Corporations Canada. Others pointed to the staff's knowledge, cooperative disposition, and accessibility as organizational strengths. Many, moreover, were able to cite specific instances in which they had been particularly impressed with the service they received, and most find the online services to be very valuable to them in their work.

Organizational Weaknesses Cited

Clients were also asked to identify weaknesses or things that Corporations Canada does less well as a service provider. Each aspect of service delivery listed above as a perceived strength was also mentioned by some respondents as a weakness. That said, none of these service attributes was cited as a weakness by more than 24%, and 17% volunteered that Corporations Canada has no service delivery weaknesses.

Heading the list in terms of perceived weaknesses, communications was cited by one-quarter (24%) of surveyed clients. Following this, similar numbers (17-19%) indicated that understanding of client needs, responsiveness, and processes/procedures were areas that require improvement. Slightly fewer (14%) felt the same about the technical knowledge and expertise of staff. Relatively few (6-7%) pointed to the professionalism of staff and the quality of service. Those who specified some other weakness pointed to the speed and consistency of service.

Bar chart of Weaknesses of Corporations Canada

In terms of weaknesses, only minor subgroup variations exist:
  • While the top two perceived weaknesses for E-filers and those who file both electronically and hard-copy were understanding client needs (9-21%) and responsiveness (21-24%), for paper-filers, the top two were understanding client needs (26%) and communications (22%)
  • While responsiveness was one of the top three weaknesses mentioned by English respondents (19%), it was fifth for French respondents (16%).

Intermediaries had more difficulty thinking of organizational weaknesses than identifying strengths. Those few who did mention a weakness pointed to inconsistencies in information, turnaround times, lack of knowledge/training of some staff that assess name submissions, and dips in service quality when there is a problem or difficulty. Specifically, one person felt that turnaround times and the quality of service tended to falter whenever 'human intervention' was required. Automated services, according to this person, are very efficient, but when they fail to work properly staff are not always able to resolve the issues effectively. Other weaknesses, each cited by one or two participants only, included the security of the website, the currency and completeness of NUANS, and the fact that some service staff answering the enquires phone line are not as knowledgeable as others.

Comparison of Strengths and Weaknesses

Looked at differently, significantly more respondents feel the following areas are strengths rather than weaknesses: processes and procedures, service quality, professionalism, responsiveness, and technical knowledge/expertise. Assessments were more mixed regarding the level of understanding of clients' needs.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Corporations Canada
Multiple responses accepted
Phoenix SPI, IC Corporations Canada Client Survey; December 2006
Attribute Strength % Weakness %
Processes/procedures 70 17
Quality of service 65 6
Professionalism 53 7
Responsiveness 51 18
Technical knowledge/expertise 41 14
Understanding of client needs/priorities 40 19
Communications 37 24

Suggestions to Improve Service Quality

At the end of the survey, respondents were asked to offer suggestions to help Corporations Canada improve the quality of service it provides to intermediary clients. In total, just over one-quarter of surveyed clients (n = 211) provided feedback.

Variety of Suggestions — Largest Proportion Focus on Improvements to Forms

Various suggestions were offered by clients to improve the quality of service provided by Corporations Canada. That said, no single suggestion was cited with much frequency. The largest single proportion (14%) said that Corporations Canada should address some format issues frequently encountered when filing documents online. Specifically, when users try to import or 'cut and paste' text into their forms, the text loses formatting (i.e. line and page breaks are erratic and indentations occur at inappropriate points). Several suggested having the option to append PDF or Word files to all forms. Another 4% think that users should be able to save templates of frequently-entered fields in order to cut down on the number of times they have to type the same information into different forms. The same proportion would like to have the option to save all drafts and documents in order to be able to return to or print them later. Another 2% suggested allowing users to review documents before submitting them. Taken together, approximately 24% offered form-related suggestions (a few offered multiple suggestions related to forms).

Suggestions for Future Improvements
Base: n = 211 who provided suggestions
Phoenix SPI, IC Corporations Canada Client Survey; December 2006
Q47. Do you have any suggestions to help Corporations Canada improve the quality of service it provides?
Suggestion % Suggestion %
Fix format issues (loss of format, PDF/Word option) 14 Be more consistent re: turnaround times, information and decisions 4
Speed up service/add priority option 10 Expand online services 4
Make info easier to find on site 10 Make does reviewable before submission 2
Train staff/improve service quality and courteousness 7 Hire more staff 2
FAQ/more help and information on site 7 Reduce fees 2
Allow templates to be saved for frequent users (i.e. auto-fill forms) 4 Already doing a good job 5
Add option to save and return to documents later 4 Other 16

One in ten think that service should be faster, and in particular, many would like to see a priority or expedited service option for certain documents and filings. The same proportion find it difficult to locate information on the website, and suggested having a list of the top links on the main page or a better search engine. Another 7% think the website should have an FAQ or an extensive help section for new users or those who have questions about procedures. The same proportion focused on the courteousness or competence of staff, citing unfriendly telephone service or less-than-helpful service representatives.

Smaller numbers (4% each) want more consistency with regard to turnaround times, information, or decisions, or would like to see online services expanded. Five respondents each (2%) suggested hiring more staff to keep up with demand or reducing certain fees. Of the rest, 16% provided some other, more specific suggestion, while 5% felt that Corporations Canada is already doing a good job.

The verbatim responses offered for this question are appended to this report.

Intermediaries who took part in the in-depth interviews offered largely positive feedback in terms of future directions. While most said that Corporations Canada simply needs to "keep up the good work", some did have specific suggestions for how service and the incorporations system in general could be improved. In terms of service, most would like to see Online Filing expanded to include other types of filings not currently offered. One intermediary would like to see the option of retrieving all provinces in which specific companies are incorporated using a single search, rather than being required to search each province separately.

As for incorporations in general, someone felt that Industry Canada should put pressure on the federal government to move toward a single-tier incorporation system by eliminating provincial incorporation. Moreover, this individual sees the opportunity for Industry Canada to share its strategy for offering online services with other government departments in Canada and with other governments world-wide. According to this interviewee, Industry Canada has managed to provide complex online services and does this 'uncommonly well'; as an example of smart government at its best, it can provide a model for other areas of government in need of new direction.

Corporate Profile

The following graphs present the characteristics of surveyed companies and respondents.

Type of Company

Half the respondents work for law firms (50%), while one in five (21%) are employed by accounting firms. Few work directly for businesses or search houses (4% each). Included in the 'other' category are in-house legal counsel, in-house accountants, consultants, and service providers, to name some of the most common.

Bar chart of Type of Company

Number of Employees

Company size varies considerably, although two-thirds of those surveyed work for firms with fewer than 50 employees. Just over one-quarter work for firms of 100 or more, with 13% working for firms with more than 500 employees.

Bar chart of Number of Full-Time Employees

Position

Respondents come from diverse levels within their firms, but are most likely to be paralegals (39%) or the owner/CEO/president of the firm (23%). Smaller numbers were lawyers, accountants, administrative employees and comptrollers/CFOs (3-11%). Included in the 'other' category are mainly law clerks, search clerks and legal assistants.

Bar chart of Position

Region

Most of those surveyed work in Quebec (44%) or Ontario (38%), while 17% are located in the West or the Territories. Only 1% reside in Atlantic Canada.

Bar chart of Region

Language

Most surveys were completed in English (78%), as opposed to French (22%).

Pie chart of Language


Corporations Canada—Survey of Client Intermediaries

Email Invitation

From: Phoenix SPI
Subject: Corporations Canada Client Satisfaction Survey


Corporations Canada, the branch of Industry Canada responsible for incorporation at the federal level, is conducting an online survey with individuals and businesses that help others become incorporated or deal with related issues on their behalf. The purpose is to help Corporations Canada improve the information, tools and services the branch provides to its clients… people like you. While your participation is voluntary, your feedback is essential to the success of this service improvement initiative.

The survey should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. To participate, please click on the link below and then enter the password provided. We kindly ask that you complete the survey by November 30.

Link to survey: [Enter access code]

Password: [Enter password]

Please be assured that your responses will be treated in confidence—no individuals or organizations will be identified in any way. Corporations Canada has commissioned Phoenix SPI, an independent research firm, to conduct this survey on its behalf.

If you have any questions or would like more information about this initiative, please contact Isabelle Foley of Corporations Canada by phone at 613-941-9569 or by email at isabelle.foley@canada.ca. For questions about the research process itself, please contact Phil Azzie of Phoenix at 613-260-1700, ext. 222 or via email at pazzie@phoenixspi.ca.

We encourage you to take this opportunity to share your views on Corporations Canada and the services it provides.

Thank you,


Stephen Kiar
President
Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc.


Corporations Canada—Survey of Client Intermediaries

1st Email Reminder

From: Phoenix SPI
Subject: Reminder: Corporations Canada Client Satisfaction Survey


Approximately one week ago, we sent you an email inviting you to take part in an online survey for Corporations Canada. Please take the few minutes needed to participate in this important service improvement initiative. Your feedback will help Corporations Canada to improve the information, tools and services it provides to clients like you—individuals and businesses that help others become incorporated or deal with related issues on their behalf.

The survey should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. To participate, please click on the link below and enter the password provided. We kindly ask that you complete the survey by November 30th.

Link to survey: [Enter access code]

Password: [Enter password]

Please be assured that your responses will be treated in confidence—no individuals or organizations will be identified in any way. Corporations Canada has commissioned Phoenix SPI, an independent research firm, to conduct this survey on its behalf.

If you have any questions or would like more information about this initiative, please contact Isabelle Foley of Corporations Canada by phone at 613-941-9569 or by email at isabelle.foley@canada.ca.

Thank you in advance for taking part in this important research.

Sincerely,


Stephen Kiar
President
Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc.


Corporations Canada—Survey of Client Intermediaries

Email Reminder

From: Phoenix SPI
Subject: Reminder: Corporations Canada Client Satisfaction Survey


Approximately two weeks ago, we sent you an email inviting you to take part in an online survey for Corporations Canada. Please take the few minutes needed to participate in this important service improvement initiative. Your feedback will help Corporations Canada to improve the information, tools and services it provides to clients like you—individuals and businesses that help others become incorporated or deal with related issues on their behalf.

The survey should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. To participate, please click on the link below and enter the password provided. We kindly ask that you complete the survey by November 30th.

Link to survey: [Enter access code]

Password: [Enter password]

Please be assured that your responses will be treated in confidence — no individuals or organizations will be identified in any way. Corporations Canada has commissioned Phoenix SPI, an independent research firm, to conduct this survey on its behalf.

If you have any questions or would like more information about this initiative, please contact Isabelle Foley of Corporations Canada by phone at 613-941-9569 or by email at isabelle.foley@canada.ca.

Thank you in advance for taking part in this important research.

Sincerely,


Stephen Kiar
President
Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc.


Corporations Canada—Survey of Client Intermediaries

Final Reminder

From: Phoenix SPI
Subject: Final Reminder: Corporations Canada Client Satisfaction Survey


A short while ago, we sent you an email inviting you to take part in an online survey for Corporations Canada.

This is your last opportunity to provide Corporations Canada with your feedback. Please take the few minutes needed to participate in this important service improvement initiative. Your feedback will help Corporations Canada improve the service it provides to clients.

To participate, click on the link below and enter the password provided. We kindly ask that you complete the survey by December 5.

Link to survey: [Enter access code]

Password: [Enter password]

Once again, please be assured that your responses will be treated in confidence—no individuals or organizations will be identified in any way.


Thank you.


Sincerely,


Stephen Kiar
President
Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc.


Corporations Canada—Survey of Client Intermediaries

Final: November 2, 2006

Thank you for agreeing to take part in this client satisfaction survey for Corporations Canada, the branch of Industry Canada responsible for incorporation at the federal level. Your participation will assist Corporations Canada in improving its services to you. This survey is registered with the national survey registration system1.

The survey should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. You can save your responses at any time and return to complete the survey at your convenience. All responses will be treated in confidence — no individuals or organizations will be identified in any way.

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Philippe Azzie of Phoenix by phone (613-260-1700, x 222) or email (pazzie@phoenixspi.ca).

1The registration system has been created by the survey research industry to allow potential respondents to verify that a survey is legitimate, get information about the survey industry or register a complaint. The registration system's toll-free phone number is 1-800-554-9996.

Notes:

A 'Don't Know/No Response' option will be available to respondents for all appropriate questions. Where relevant, A 'Not Applicable' option will also be available as a separate response.

The lines separating questions indicate where the 'page breaks' would be in the online version of the survey.


Section 1: Use Services and Service Channels

During the past 12 months, have you contacted Corporations Canada on behalf of one or more of your business clients? This could have been to file documents or make requests for any reason related to Corporations Canada products and services.

  • Yes
  • No *

* Terminate if respondent says 'No' and direct to new window (see below).


New Window:

Thank you for your willingness to take part in this client satisfaction survey. Unfortunately, only those who have had service dealings with Corporations Canada during the past 12 months on behalf of business clients are eligible to complete the survey. Is there another individual in your firm who has had dealings with Corporations Canada in the last 12 months and who can speak to your office's service experience?

  • Yes
  • No — Terminate *

* Thank you for your interest in Corporations Canada.
Link to: http://corporationscanada.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cd-dgc.nsf/eng/home

If Yes:

Please provide the following information for this individual so that we may invite him/her to complete the survey:

  • Name:
  • Email Address:

1. Corporations Canada provides various services to individuals and businesses that help companies become incorporated. During the past 12 months, which of the following services have you used on behalf of your business clients? Check all that apply.

  • Name pre-approval process (i.e. request for a name decision letter; acceptability of a proposed corporate name)
  • Incorporation process
  • Filing of documents (e.g. annual returns, changes to corporate information, continuance, dissolution, amalgamation, amendment)
  • Certification and copies (e.g. obtaining copies of articles and other related documents)
  • Information services (i.e. make general/specific information enquiries)

2. For each of the Corporations Canada services you've used, approximately how many transactions have you personally completed during the past 12 months? Program Note: Only show the services used by each respondent per Q.2.

No. of Transactions Name Pre-approval Incorporation Process Filing of documents Certification and copies Information Services
One only          
2-5          
6-10          
11-20          
More than 20          
Can't Recall          

3. During the past 12 months, in which of the following ways have you been in contact with Corporations Canada? Please focus on contact initiated by you, not contact initiated by Corporations Canada. Check all that apply.

  • By phone
  • By mail or courier
  • In person
  • By email
  • Online Filing
  • Visit to website for information

Section 2: Overall Client Satisfaction

4. Thinking about the service you received from Corporations Canada during the past 12 months, please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements. If something does not apply to you, please select 'Not Applicable' (N/A). [Rotate List]

  Strongly disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither
3
Agree
4
Strongly agree
5
N/A
Staff were knowledgeable and competent.            
Staff were courteous and professional.            
You were treated fairly.            
You were satisfied with the amount of time it took to get the service.            
You were satisfied with the accessibility of the service.            
You were informed of everything you had to do in order to get the service.            
Staff went the extra mile to make sure you got what you needed.            
Staff gave you what you needed or guided you to others who could help you.            
It was clear what you could do if you had a problem or question.            
Decisions were clearly explained to you.            
You received service in the official language of your choice (i.e. English or French).            
You are confident that client information, you provided will remain confidential.            

5. Overall, how satisfied were you with the quality of service you received from Corporations Canada during the past 12 months?

1 2 3 4 5
Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither Satisfied Very Satisfied

6. Would you say the service you received exceeded your expectations, met your expectations, or fell short of your expectations?

  • Exceeded expectations
  • Met expectations
  • Fell short of expectations

7. For each of the methods you used to contact or deal with Corporations Canada during the past 12 months, how satisfied were you with the overall quality of service that you received? Programming Note: Only show the service channels used by respondents per Q.4.

  Very dissatisfied
1
Dissatisfied
2
Neither
3
Satisfied
4
Very satisfied
5
By phone          
By mail or courier          
In person          
By email          
Online Filing Services          
Website          

Section 3: Satisfaction with Specific Services

Programming Note: No respondent will be asked to complete more than two survey modules on specific services. The survey should be programmed to randomize the selection of modules, while ensuring that an adequate number of respondents complete each module.

Name Pre-approval Process

You mentioned that you conducted one or more name searches as part of the name pre-approval process during the past 12 months. Can you please confirm this?

  • Yes, did use this service
  • No, did not use this service (Go to next relevant section)

8. How did you obtain your NUANS report(s)? Did you …?

  • Order your own from the NUANS Real-Time System
  • Use the assistance of a NUANS Registered Search House

If Used Real-time System, Ask:

9. Please rate the extent to which you agree with each of the following statements about the NUANS Real-Time System. If something does not apply, please indicate this (N/A). [Rotate List]

  Strongly disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither
3
Agree
4
Strongly agree
5
N/A
The help files with examples were comprehensive.            
It was easy to register with the "Strategis Secure Server Facility".            
The process of obtaining a NUANS report is user-friendly.            
The process of getting a name search done takes an appropriate amount of time to complete.            

10. Please rate the extent to which you agree with each of the following statements about the pre-approval process. If something does not apply, please indicate this (N/A). [Rotate List]

  Strongly disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither
3
Agree
4
Strongly agree
5
N/A
The application requirements that a corporate name must meet are appropriate.            
The 'Choosing a name' information on the Corporations Canada website was helpful.            
You are confident that the privacy of your clients is protected during the process.            
The reasons for decisions about proposed name(s) were clearly explained.            
You received the decision in a timely manner.            
NUANS forms are easy to understand and complete.            
The NUANS on-line training module is useful.            

11. Overall, how satisfied were you with the name pre-approval process during the past 12 months?

1 2 3 4 5
Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither Satisfied Very Satisfied

12. Did you have any problems with the name pre-approval process during the past 12 months?

  • Yes
  • No

If Yes:

13. What problems or difficulties did you encounter? Check all that apply

  • Lack of support/assistance
  • Technical problems/difficulties
  • Obtaining a NUANS Real-Time report is difficult
  • Name pre-approval requirements are too stringent
  • Other (please specify):___________________

Incorporation Process

You mentioned that you filed one or more federal incorporations during the past 12 months. Can you please confirm this?

  • Yes, did use this service
  • No, did not use this service (Go to next relevant section)

14. Please rate the extent to which you agree with each of the following statements about the incorporation process. If something does not apply, please indicate this (N/A). [Rotate List]

  Strongly disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither
3
Agree
4
Strongly agree
5
N/A
The application requirements for a Certificate of Incorporation are simple and easy to complete.            
The service fee to issue a Certificate of Incorporation is appropriate.            
Corporations Canada provides good value for the money.            
The incorporation process takes an appropriate amount of time to complete.            

15. Overall, how satisfied were you with the federal incorporation process during the past 12 months?

1 2 3 4 5
Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither Satisfied Very Satisfied

16. Did you have any problems with the federal incorporation process during the past 12 months?

  • Yes
  • No

If Yes:

17. What problems or difficulties did you encounter? Check all that apply.

  • Lack of support/assistance
  • Technical problems/difficulties
  • Deficient applications for incorporation are not returned quickly
  • Re-submitting on-line is too complicated
  • Other (please specify):_____________

Filing of Documents

You mentioned that you completed one or more filings during the past 12 months. Can you please confirm this?

  • Yes, did use this service
  • No, did not use this service (Go to next relevant section)

18. Which of the following filings did you complete in the past 12 months? Check all that apply

  • Annual return
  • Changes to corporate information
  • Continuance
  • Dissolution
  • Amendment
  • Amalgamation

19. For each of the filings you completed, which method did you use to file the document(s)? Programming Note: Only show the filings completed per Q.18.

  Hard copy using courier, in-person services or mail Electronically using email or the On-Line Filing Services Both hard copy and electronic
Annual returns      
Changes to corporate information      
Continuance      
Dissolution      
Amendment      

20. Thinking about the filings you completed in the past 12 months, please rate the extent to which you agree with each of the following statements about the forms. [Rotate List]

  Strongly disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither
3
Agree
4
Strongly agree
5
The forms are appropriate for the type of filing.          
The forms are easy to complete.          
It is clear what information is needed to complete the forms.          
The forms ask for the right type of information.          
The forms are well structured and intuitively organized.          

21. And, overall how satisfied were you with the filing process during the past 12 months?

1 2 3 4 5
Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither Satisfied Very Satisfied

22. Did you have any problems with the filing process during the past 12 months?

  • Yes
  • No

If Yes:

23. What problems or difficulties did you encounter? Check all that apply.

  • Technical problems/difficulties
  • Problems with Online Filing Services
  • Compliance is generally burdensome
  • Forms were not received by Corporations Canada
  • Took too long for filings to be processed
  • Other (please specify):________________

Certification and Copies

You mentioned that you requested copies and/or certified copies of articles and other related documents in the past 12 months. Can you please confirm this?

  • Yes, did use this service
  • No, did not use this service (Go to next relevant section)

24. Thinking about the requests for copies of articles and other related documents that you've made in the past 12 months, please rate the extent to which you agree with each of the following statements. [Rotate List]

  Strongly disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither
3
Agree
4
Strongly agree
5
The forms are easy to complete.          
The process to obtain copies of articles and other related documents is clear and easy to understand.          
It took an appropriate amount of time to obtain the documents.          

25. Overall, how satisfied were you with the process to obtain copies of articles and other related documents during the past 12 months?

1 2 3 4 5
Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither Satisfied Very Satisfied

26. Did you have any problems with the process during the past 12 months?

  • Yes
  • No

If Yes:

27. What problems or difficulties did you encounter? Check all that apply.

  • Took too long
  • Did not receive the right documents
  • General lack of support/assistance
  • Had trouble finding out how to make the request(s)
  • Other (please specify):_________________

Information Services (Enquiries)

You mentioned that you contacted Corporations Canada on one or more occasions to obtain information or make enquiries during the past 12 months. Can you please confirm this?

  • Yes, did use this service
  • No, did not use this service (Go to next relevant section)

28. Approximately how many times did you use Corporations Canada Information Services during the past 12 months, either in-person, over the phone or by email? If something does not apply, please indicate this (N/A).

Number of Times In-person Phone Email
Once only      
2-5      
6-10      
11-20      
Over 20      
Can't Recall      
N/A      

29. What type of information were you looking for? Check all that apply

  • Information on federally incorporated entities
  • General information relating to the incorporation process
  • Assistance with on-line filings
  • Forms
  • Policies/regulations
  • Fee schedules
  • Compliance requirements
  • Information on the status of application submitted
  • Other. Please specify:_________________

30. Thinking specifically about the service you received when using the Corporations Canada Information Services during the past 12 months, please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements. If something does not apply to you, please select 'Not Applicable' (N/A). [Rotate List]

  Strongly disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither
3
Agree
4
Strongly agree
5
N/A
Staff were knowledgeable and competent.            
You were satisfied with the quality of the information or advice received.            
You were satisfied with the amount of time it took to get the service.            
You were satisfied with the accessibility of the service.            
Your questions were answered to your full satisfaction.            

31. Overall, how satisfied were you with the quality of service you received when using Corporations Canada Information Services during the past 12 months?

1 2 3 4 5
Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither Satisfied Very Satisfied

32. Did you have any problems with Corporations Canada Information Services during the past 12 months?

  • Yes
  • No

If Yes:

33. What problems or difficulties did you encounter? Check all that apply.

  • Poor client service
  • Received inconsistent information
  • Received incorrect information
  • Staff not knowledgeable
  • Had to wait in line for too long
  • Took too long to speak to a client service representative
  • It took too long to receive a response to my email
  • Lack of support/assistance
  • Other (please specify):___________________

Section 4: Assessment of Online Filing Services

*Programming Note: Skip if did not use online filing at Q3.

You mentioned that you used Corporations Canada's Online Filing Centre one or more times during the past 12 months. Can you please confirm this?

  • Yes, did use this service
  • No, did not use this service (Go to next relevant section)

34. Approximately how many times did you submit documents online in the past 12 months?

  • Once only
  • 2-5 times
  • 6-10 times
  • 11-25 times
  • Over 25 times
  • Don't know

35. What type of documents or requests did you submit using Corporations Canada Online Filing Services during the past 12 months? Check all that apply

  • Name pre-approval
  • Articles of incorporation
  • Annual returns
  • Changes of registered address
  • Changes of director
  • Articles of amendment
  • Certificate of compliance or existence
  • Other. Please specify:_________________

36. For each of the documents or requests you submitted using the Online Filing Services, how satisfied were you with the overall process? Programming Note: Only show the submissions completed by respondents per Q.35.

  Very dissatisfied
1
Dissatisfied
2
Neither
3
Satisfied
4
Very satisfied
5
Name pre-approval          
Articles of incorporation          
Annual returns          
Changes of registered address          
Changes of director          
Articles of amendment          
Certificate of compliance or existence          

37. Please rate the extent to which you agree with each of the following statements about the electronic filing process. If something does not apply, please indicate this (N/A). [Rotate List]

  Strongly disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither
3
Agree
4
Strongly agree
5
N/A
The process is simple and easy to use.            
Electronic filing is convenient because it can be accessed 24/7.            
The reduced filing fee for electronic submissions is important to my clients.            
I am confident that it is safe to send sensitive information to Corporations Canada using the Internet.            
The information that I provide to Corporations Canada via the Internet is treated confidentially.            
The faster turnaround time provided by electronic filing is a distinct advantage.            
The immediate acknowledgement of receipt is an important feature.            

38. Overall, how satisfied were you with the time it took to complete these electronic filing transactions during the past 12 months?

1 2 3 4 5
Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither Satisfied Very Satisfied

Ask Those Who Did Not Use E-file:

39. You mentioned that you have not used the Online Filing Services to make electronic submissions to Corporations Canada during the past 12 months. Why not? Check all that apply.

  • Did not know that I could file online
  • Experienced problems with the Strategis registration process
  • My clients are not-for-profit
  • Clients request paper filing
  • Prefer to file by paper
  • Online filing is difficult to use. Please specify why:_______________
  • Other. Please specify:________________

Section 5: Assessment of the Website

* Programming Note: Skip if did not use website at Q3.

You mentioned that you visited Corporations Canada's website to obtain information during the past 12 months. Can you please confirm this?

  • Yes, I have visited this website
  • No, I have not visited this website (Go to next relevant section)

40. During this period, approximately how many times did you visit the Corporations Canada website to obtain information?

  • Once only
  • 2-5 times
  • 6-10 times
  • 11-25 times
  • Over 25 times

41. Why do you typically visit the Corporations Canada website?

  • To use the Online Filing Services
  • To search the Federal Corporations Database Online
  • Search for information for a particular corporation
  • To access the Guide to Federal Incorporation
  • To obtain general information relating to the incorporation process
  • To download/print forms
  • To access policies/regulations
  • To obtain information kits
  • To visit the 'What's New' section
  • Other. Please specify:_________________

42. Thinking about your use of the Corporations Canada website during the past 12 months, please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements. If something does not apply to you, please select 'Not Applicable' (N/A). [Rotate List]

  Strongly disagree
1
Disagree
2
Neither
3
Agree
4
Strongly agree
5
N/A
It was easy to find what you were looking for.            
You were satisfied with the scope or range of information and resources available on the website.            
You were satisfied with the scope or range of information and resources available on the website.            
The site had the information you needed.The information on the website is up-to-date.            
The information on the website is clear and easy to understand.            
The site was visually appealing.            

43. Overall, how satisfied are you with the quality of the Corporations Canada website during the past 12 months?

1 2 3 4 5
Very Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neither Satisfied Very Satisfied

Ask if Dissatisfied with Website (Scores of 1-2):

44. Why are you not satisfied with the website? Check all that apply.

  • Poorly organized/structured website
  • Difficulty using/navigating website
  • Tools/resources difficult to use
  • Tools/resources not useful/relevant
  • Information not up-to-date
  • Information not accurate
  • Lack of support/assistance
  • Technical problems/difficulties
  • Trouble finding the information sought. Please specify why:______________
  • Other (please specify):__________________

Section 6: Service Delivery Strengths and Weaknesses

45. Organizations typically have both strengths and weaknesses when it comes to service delivery. When you think of Corporations Canada as a service provider, what would you say are its principal strengths in terms of service delivery? Check all that apply.

  • Processes/procedures
  • Professionalism of staff/personnel
  • Quality of service
  • Technical knowledge/expertise
  • Understanding of client needs/priorities
  • Responsiveness/client-oriented
  • Communications
  • Other. Please specify:_______________

46. What would you say are the principal weaknesses of Corporations Canada in terms of service delivery? Check all that apply

  • Processes/procedures
  • Professionalism of staff/personnel
  • Quality of service
  • Technical knowledge/expertise
  • Understanding of client needs/priorities
  • Responsiveness/client-oriented
  • Communications
  • Other. Please specify:______________

Section 7: Future Directions

47. Do you have any suggestions to help Corporations Canada improve the quality of service it provides? Please be specific.

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Section 8: Corporate Characteristics

These last questions are for background and statistical purposes. Please remember that your responses to these and other questions will be kept confidential.

48. Which of the following best describes you or your company?

  • Law firm
  • Accounting firm
  • Search house
  • Other. Please specify:________________

49. Including yourself, how many employees work for your business in Canada? Please include part-time staff as full-time equivalents.

  • One only
  • 2-5
  • 6-20
  • 21-50
  • 51-99
  • 100-500
  • Over 500

50. Please identify your position within your company.

  • Owner/CEO/President
  • Comptroller/CFO
  • Lawyer
  • Paralegal
  • Accountant
  • Other. Please specify:________________

51. In what province or territory is the office you work in located?

  • drop-down list of all provinces/territories in alphabetical order

Thank you. That completes the survey.
Your participation is greatly appreciated.

Link to Corporations Canada website.


Corporations Canada Service Improvement Initiative

Corporations Canada
9th Floor
Jean Edmonds Towers South
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0C8

November 2006

Insert
Client Address

Re: Corporations Canada Service Improvement Initiative

Dear (Insert Client):

Corporations Canada, the branch of Industry Canada responsible for incorporation at the federal level, is undertaking research in support of an important service improvement initiative. We have commissioned Phoenix Strategic Perspectives, an independent research firm, to conduct this research on our behalf. The first phase of this research, an online survey, is now underway. You, or someone in your firm, may have received an email inviting you to participate in the survey. If you completed the survey, we thank you for taking the time to do so.

In addition to the online survey, this research also consists of a set of executive telephone interviews with our intermediary clients who conduct a high volume of incorporation-related transactions. The interviews would last approximately 30 minutes, would be conducted in either French or English, and would be scheduled at your convenience. The purpose is to obtain detailed feedback on some key issues. Should you be contacted by Phoenix, we encourage you to participate in the telephone interview. Together with the survey findings, these results will be used to help us improve the information and tools we provide, and ultimately our service to you.

Please be assured that all information will be treated in confidence. Findings from this research will be reported in aggregate form only—absolutely no individuals or companies will be identified in any way.

If you have any questions, or would like more information about the study, please do not hesitate to contact Isabelle Foley by telephone at 613-941-9569 or by email at isabelle.foley@canada.ca.

Thank you for considering helping us with this important service improvement initiative.

Sincerely,


Richard G. Shaw
Director General


Corporations Canada
In-Depth Interviews: Higher-Volume Intermediary Clients

Final: November 14, 2006

Initial contact:

  1. Obtain agreement to participate in interview. Explain relationship to online survey (i.e. to obtain more detailed, fulsome info from higher-volume clients).
  2. Schedule time for interview.
  3. Email discussion guide (confirm email address).

Subsequent contact:

  • Determine if person is available for interview.
  • If not available, schedule for another time.
  • Interview would take approximately 30-40 minutes.
  • Note that responses are confidential.
  • Request permission to include on participant list (name/position/region).
  • Record name, position, type of participant (i.e. lawyer, accountant, etc.), type of firm (i.e. law firm, accounting firm, or search house), region, telephone number, and length of interview.

Introduction/Context

I'd like to begin by asking you a couple of background questions about you and your work.

1. First, could you tell me your position in your company, as well as your responsibilities regarding your business clients' incorporation-related needs?

Probe:

  • position (e.g. lawyer, accountant, etc.)
  • role/function

2. How often do you tend to deal with Corporations Canada on behalf of your business clients? That is, in the past 12 months approximately how many transactions have you completed? Note: We're not looking for a specific number, but to confirm that they are fairly high volume users [i.e. correct target audience].

Probe:

  • frequency of use: limited, moderate, high

Perceptions of Corporations Canada

Thinking about your experience with Corporations Canada in the past year,

3. What's your overall impression of Corporations Canada? That is, how satisfied are you with Corporations Canada and the quality of the service it provides? Why do you say that?

Probe:

  • level of satisfaction
  • reasons for dis/satisfaction

4. Organizations typically have both strengths and weaknesses. In your view, what are the main strengths of Corporations Canada, what does it do particularly well?

Probe:

  • processes/procedures
  • professionalism of staff/personnel
  • quality of service
  • technical knowledge/expertise
  • understanding of client needs/priorities
  • responsiveness/client-oriented
  • communications

5. And what do you think are the areas in which Corporations Canada performs less well, areas in need of improvement? Why do you say that?

Probe:

  • processes/procedures
  • professionalism of staff/personnel
  • quality of service
  • technical knowledge/expertise
  • understanding of client needs/priorities
  • responsiveness/client-oriented
  • communications

6. What, if anything, could Corporations Canada do to improve the overall quality of the service it provides to you and your firm?

Probe:

  • more knowledgeable/competent staff
  • faster turnaround time
  • more accessible service

Assessment of Services

I'd now like to talk about the specific services offered by Corporations Canada,

7. Which Corporations Canada services have you personally used on behalf of your business clients during the past 12 months?

Probe:

  • name pre-approval process
  • incorporation process
  • filing of documents
  • certification and copies
  • information services

Ask for Each of the Services Used:

8. Have you encountered problems/difficulties when using this service? If so, explain.

9. Do you have any suggestions to improve this service to make it more useful?

10. All things considered, how satisfied would you say you are with this service? Why?

See Appendix for Additional, Service-Specific Probes


Assessment of Online Filing Services

As you probably know, Corporations Canada offers Online Filing Services to its clients,

11. During the last year, have you used the Online Filing Services?

If Yes:

12. And how often do you tend to use the Online Filing Services? That is, do you conduct most transactions electronically? If not, why not?

13. Are there certain types of transaction that you prefer to complete using the Online Filing Services? If so, which ones and why?

14. Overall, how satisfied are you with the Online Filing Services? Why do you say that?

Probe:

  • level of satisfaction
  • reasons for dis/satisfaction

15. Is there anything that Corporations Canada could do to improve its Online Filing Services to make this more useful to you?

If No:

16. Why haven't you used the Online Filing Services? And, what could Corporations Canada do to encourage you to use this service?


Assessment of the Website

Turning briefly to the Corporations Canada website,

17. During the last year, have you visited the website?


If Yes:

18. How often did you visit Corporations Canada website? And, for what reason(s) did you visit the site?

19. What's your overall impression of the website?

Probe:

  • positive/indifferent/negative

20. What do you think of the website in terms of…?

Probe:

  • content (e.g. amount, accurate, up-to-date, useful)
  • structure/ease of use/navigation

21. Is there anything that Corporations Canada could do to improve its website to make it more useful to you and your company?

If Not Visited Site:

22. Why do you not use or visit Corporations Canada website? Any other reasons?


Future Directions

23. Looking to the future, what new tools or services, if any, would you like to see offered by Corporations Canada? Anything else?

24. Do you have any comments or suggestions that we have not already discussed on how Corporations Canada could improve the quality of the information or service it provides to organizations like yours? If so, what?

Thank you very much for your time and thoughtful feedback. It is very much appreciated.

Appendix – Suggested Service-Specific Probes

Name pre-approval process

Probes:

  • obtaining a NUANS report
  • application requirements
  • clarity of NUANS forms
  • timeliness of decision/reasons for decision

Incorporation process

Probes:

  • application requirements for a Certificate of Incorporation
  • service fee to issue a Certificate of Incorporation
  • timeliness

Filing of documents

Probe the forms:

  • easy to complete, clear what information is needed
  • appropriate for the type of filing.
  • well structured and intuitively organized.

Certification and copies

Probes:

  • forms are easy to complete
  • process is clear and easy to understand
  • took an appropriate amount of time

Information services

Probes:

  • staff knowledgeable/competent
  • quality of the information/advice
  • timeliness
  • accessibility

Corporations Canada
Survey of Client Intermediaries - January 2007

Future Directions — Verbatim Responses to Question 47

Question wording:

Do you have any suggestions to help Corporations Canada improve the quality of service it provides?

Staff and Service Issues

Hire more staff

  • Add more examiners on the not-for-profit side to enable the 20-business-day turnaround target to be shortened.
  • Hire additional staff at busy times, such as year end so that amalgamations and name pre-approvals can be processed in a timely manner.
  • It appears that the office is sometimes understaffed. Also, when faxing requests for name decisions I am not able to use the toll free or the regular fax numbers — apparently due to volume of users.
  • More employees to help with phone requests.
  • More staff in the Vancouver office.
  • Your personnel are very helpful. You could use more phone operators during business hours.

Train existing staff

  • Please educate staff that "old" defunct federal corporations do not necessarily appear on Strategis.
  • As stated in the prior section, new staff at the general inquiries should be thoroughly trained.
  • Friendliness of staff — seeing as this is a customer service focused branch, staff should be much more polite than is typically associated with a government office. Found response to be very cold, blunt and really had to prod and poke to find the […]
  • J'ai téléphoné à votre département une seule fois et lorsque j'ai demandé de l'information sur le rapport annuel, on ne savait pas de quoi je parlais. Je trouve que la personne manquait de compétence et m'a fait sentir comme si je m'étais trompé de […]
  • Personnel answering the telephones could be trained in being in re-directing calls instead of losing calls — especially when callers are calling long-distance, and being aware that when questions are being asked, not to make the assumption […]
  • Personnel in Name Decision section need more training.
  • Phone operators don't want to understand the actual need rather try to read you a written material which is not helpful at all. The only reason you speak to a live person to get more help than is provided on line.
  • There are some senior examiners who are incredibly knowledgeable, client service oriented and extremely responsive to the needs of the legal community. Unfortunately, there are others who [are not].
  • Staff could be more helpful and courteous when people call to make inquiries.
  • Staff should answer the specific question given to them, and not just send form letters which are no use whatsoever.
  • Staff should be better trained before dealing with clients. I have noticed a markedly decrease in the technical expertise of staff at Corporations Canada. I have been told that there have been a number of staff changes and there are a lot of new staff.
  • Some (not most) staff, when approving corporate names, should make a greater effort to try and comprehend what their clients are trying to tell them, before refusing names.

Improve communication and responses

  • Je n'ai jamais réussi à obtenir une réponse immédiate et nous sommes toujours dans l'obligation de laisser un message à chaque occasion.
  • Answer voice mail messages.
  • Email responses are slow.
  • If you can find me as a "provider" of services in order to do this survey, Corporations Canada can find me to send me updates of office hours, form changes, etc., without my having to run into roadblocks.
  • Les délais d'attente pour le service téléphonique est trop long. Dernièrement, j'ai laissé un message pour qu'un préposé me rappelle et je n'ai jamais eu de retour d'appel.
  • Please improve Corporation Canada's response time for email communications.
  • Rappeler lorsqu'on vous laisse un message dans votre boite vocale … j'ai laissé un message le 31-10-2006 et aujourd'hui le 8 Novembre personne ne m'a encore rappeler!
  • Respond more quickly.
  • Le temps d'attente lors des appels téléphoniques pourrait peut-être être amélioré. Le service de boîte vocale peut aller mais il est préférable d'être en communication directe avec un agent.

Improve service quality

  • Name Pre-Approval process is difficult and exhaustive. We attempted to file an incorporation over four times because the name failed in incorporation filing but was pre-approved all four times. This caused frustration on behalf of our office.
  • One of the weaknesses of dealing with Corporations Canada is the lack of understanding of the needs of its clients. When law firms, etc., as clients of Corporations Canada, ask for a document to be processed or for information on a rush basis […]
  • When copies of documents are ordered that are coming from the archives, the representative who is taking care of the request should follow up with the archive to ensure it is being processed.
  • Améliorer le service téléphonique concernant les demandes faite en utilisant ce moyen de communication.

Information on Website

Make information easier to find on site

  • Les coordonnées téléphoniques du service à la client ne sont pas très bien identifiées au site internet.
  • I do find it difficult at times to find things on its website.
  • I find the service excellent — my only complaint is that the website can sometimes be difficult to navigate. There is a wealth of information on the website but I sometimes spend a fair amount of time locating what I need.
  • Make telephone numbers more easily available.
  • Make the website easier to locate specific documents required.
  • Website can be difficult to navigate when searching for specific information. Sorry, I cannot offer examples at the moment.
  • The website is way too cluttered, with links going in all directions looping me through documents. I got lost very easily. I would recommend to update to a new content management system.
  • The website is great for general inquiries, but specific questions on more complicated issues need to be answered over the phone or in person, and I find it difficult to get through to a live person quite often.
  • The web page is extremely difficult to navigate.
  • The search engine on your website is very poor. If one wishes to find a form it is easier to find directly from Google than from within your site.
  • The online filing link should be on the main page.
  • Site Internet plus facile à utiliser visuellement pour la recherche d'informations sur les corporations et de formulaires (votre site est très chargé et difficile à comprendre pour une recherche facile).
  • Simplify the website. Too much information and not well organized.
  • Revoir le site internet pour alléger son contenu.
  • Rendre plus accessible (vulgarisation, explications) l'information sur le site internet.
  • Redesign the website to be user-friendly and respond to primary needs. It seems Byzantine to me.
  • Accèss direct aux principaux formulaires
  • Faciliter l'acces au services de courriels ou d'informations sur les corporations.
  • Alléger les pages Web afin de ne pas surcharger le lecteur qui est à la recherche de l'information.

Make information clearer

  • Employer des mots simples et non un jargon technique dont vous seuls les fonctionnaires connaissez.
  • The information on the web page regarding applications for business numbers and GST could be clearer and it could be easier to contact an individual with respect thereto.

Provide examples/FAQ/Help

  • Examples needed to illustrate how to process.
  • If Corporations Canada want corporations to submit their taxes online they should provide an extensive online help for corporations who might not be confident in submitting their own taxes and feel concerned that they might make a mistake.
  • Maybe have an FAQ where it details how to go about doing certain things i.e. obtaining copies of articles or obtaining a certified copy of documents. I still, to this day, have not found out how to do this.
  • Maybe having a little bit more information regarding on-line filings for first time users or users that do not do this sort of thing all the time and having to recall how to do something they did a while back.
  • When a corporation needs information to operate (for instance, shareholder registration) we need to know if we are doing it correctly.
  • The check list for the client who just start a new business, and more related link for them to go, will save their time to shop around.
  • Should be more friendly and supportive in the process as the users are first timers also, who are trying to understand the system.

Expand online services/information

  • Have a "search" response to every area where searches or filings are available. Make consequences of using one type of incorporation filing (pre-approved or not pre-approved) more clear — make it more clear when to obtain order NUANS.
  • I would appreciate seeing a list of available documents for each entity.
  • I would like to see the ordering of copies of documents as a feature on the on-line service
  • La seule chose qui manque c'est un service prioritaire pour les certificat de conformité demandé en ligne.
  • Place even more items online.
  • Please do a survey to find out how many other main non-official languages are commonly used, and then provide services in other main languages. This will improve the Quality of Services, and also improve the process.
  • Would like more not-for-profit online filing etc.
  • Would like to be able to use on-line filing for CCA Part II not-for-profit corporations.
  • Would like all services offered to be on-line (i.e., amalgamation not available — since we must send by fax and originals by courier to be processed. Suggest that system could accept documents that were .PDF format, be processed on honour system […]
  • When filing articles of amendment (to amend the authorized share capital), there should be the option to attach or browse the authorized share capital (same as the incorporation). I've been filing the articles of amendment (share capital) by fax.
  • To be able to file Ontario corps online.
  • There should be a clear link to the site of Corporations Canada from the www.ic.gc.ca, which the gateway for most info related to economic and business information. It is easy to go from Corporation Canada to http://www.ic.gc.ca.
  • Pour la consultation de la base de données des sociétés vous devriez vous baser sur le site de CIDREQ qui est très facile à utiliser et convivial.
  • Il nous serait profitable de pouvoir, d'une part voir les documents déposés au dossier d'une société (ex : certificats de modifications, rapports annuels, différents avis, etc) afin de savoir ceux que nous voulons commandés et d'autre part, commander

Speed of Service

Speed up service

  • A better or faster procedure should be implemented with respect to obtaining copies of documents from archives.
  • Faster processing time.
  • Faster turnaround time for Certificates of Compliance. I don't use the online filing for Articles because it is too cumbersome and it takes too long to get the Certificate back — I typically need the Certificate "now", not in a few hours or the next day.
  • I file Federal Non Profit corporations for my clients — we wait sometimes 4-5 months — if there is a mistake — very slow in the contact for correction.
  • Le processus d'inscription de depot en ligne est un peu long.
  • Speed up the name decision process for incorporations.
  • Paper filing should be processed faster. I feel at the current rate, it takes a few weeks to months when I have to file something paper (ex. change of registered office).
  • There needs to be quicker turnaround on electronic filing.
  • The process for filings under the CCA needs to be improved substantially, both in terms of ease and speed.
  • Speed up the incorporation process for not-for profit entities.
  • Speed up the name pre-approval process.
  • Sometimes service is slow due to backlog at Corporations Canada's end which I understand can be the case but when we have deadlines at our end it can be a bit frustrating. All in all, very satisfied with the service.
  • Shorten turnaround time to incorporation with a name and short turnaround time for name pre-approval.
  • En cas d'erreur provenant du traitement des demandes par le personnel de Corporation Canada, il faut alleger le processus de correction en place et recourir le temps de traitement.

Add priority option

  • Approval of name being expedited.
  • It would be nice to have a priority option for non-electronic filings. Recently I needed to file a continuation quickly and because of not having access to the electronic copy of detailed, lengthy special rights and restrictions for multiple shares
  • My big suggestion would be to allow expedited service for obtaining Certificate of Incorporation etc. There have been times when we require the Certificate for an opinion and have to wait a day before it can be provided. An option to pay an extra fee […]
  • Possibilité des traitement prioritaire.
  • Provide priority service for an additional cost

Forms

Show status of forms

  • Knowing when Examiners are overloaded that Name Decisions become low priority, would be helpful to post on 1st screen that staff is working on requests received on a certain date. Our firm is not normally pushy and most often only finds out about […]
  • A status page on the status of a filing will be helpful. There were times when I filed and email was lost resulting in miscommunication.
  • When submitting the Name approval form online, we should be provided with the time or number of days it will take to provide a name Decision. We were told that since this is a free service it is at the bottom of the pile and did not get a name decision.

General forms/format issues

  • Please provide the ability, on form 22, to indicate that a corporation has not yet held an annual meeting.
  • Augmenter l'espace de rédaction dans les formulaires 3, 6 et 22 afin que nous puissions indiquer les adresses complètes.
  • Combining Certificate and duplicate filed articles into 1 .pdf document
  • Format of articles filed electronically need to be improved as the copy issued by Corporation Canada is often difficult to read when complex due to lack of indentations, numbering and formatting in general.
  • Is the system able to do real time filing as in British Columbia? When we make a filing, we receive confirmation of it immediately (ie: provided with incorporation # and # of corporation if it is a #'d corporation) and we have the ability to print […]
  • Draft Articles of Incorporation need to be printed in "landscape" otherwise it is cut off.
  • Lors du dépôt en ligne d'une constitution de société ou des clauses modificatrices changeant la description du capital-actions, je trouve que la mise en page n'est pas adéquate car elle n'est pas identique au document original. Je crois que si nous […]
  • (Have) method of correcting information on-line without having to file "change" form.
  • Make the name proposal info pages easier to fill out.
  • Please have the on line applications accessible at all times. The forms are provided need to be in fill-able format.
  • Your forms must provide for longer company names on your PDF forms, otherwise we have to complete them manually…
  • With respect to filing Articles online, the ability to enter information on the actual form and submit it.
  • When drafting the articles of incorporation you are not able to see all the words.
  • Voir à faciliter le dépôt de documents bilingues à même le même formulaire de sorte que les statuts soient dans leur forme du formulaire bilingues.
  • There should be more on line filing and all forms should be made available, especially in dynamic PDF format. Also, we should be allowed to print forms that require the MICR printing, there are ways to go around this.
  • Sometimes I am unable to use the online filing for incorporations or alterations as I do not like how the system loses the formatting in any long text […]
  • The only thing I have noticed is that the Articles of Incorporation Items are not numbered the same as the finished document that is returned by Corporations Canada, and this has resulted in a correction having to be made.
  • Some fill-able electronic forms are not fully visible on screen and it is difficult to present a print out to client for approval. For instance, schedule "D" of articles of continuance.

Add option to save and review forms

  • I need to print forms from the website and have them signed by the company's corporate secretary; I have found at times when I go to file some of these documents online, they […]
  • Corporations Canada should allow clients to see what documents have been filed and to obtain copies of filed documents online, rather than requesting them by fax or other form of request.
  • I would like to see an option to save articles of amendment to file at a later date and for the save feature for articles of incorporation to be improved where there is a legend on the left pane of the screen to jump from section to section.
  • It would be helpful if articles of incorporation, amendments, annual returns, etc. could be saved, printed in the manner in which it will eventually appear (i.e., not just the screens you are completing) and then opened and filed at a later time.
  • It would be helpful to be able to save amendments.
  • With regards to the online filing system, it would be great to be able to save drafts of all documents being filed like we can with the articles of incorporation.

Make forms reviewable before submission/printing

  • It would be useful to have a confirmation page where we can view the information inputted (and correct any typos) in the application before we submit the incorporation. A similar system is used to submit electronically in New Brunswick. Though they […]
  • It would be very helpful if the electronic Incorporation and Amendment forms could be printed in a draft form that mirrors the paper format so that when we present them to clients for signature they look the same and are therefore not confusing to them.
  • J'aimerais pouvoir visionner les documents (rapport annuel ect) avant d'accepter (dernière étape).
  • Just that Articles of Amendment should also be provided in the format that we can prepare in draft for review and sign off as is the case with Articles of Incorporation.
  • Online form completion could be more user-friendly. In particular incorporation form. I need ability to preview information submitted before committing to it in particular the appearance of a form and how the information is captured and displayed.
  • With regards to incorporations, before paying, it would be nice to have a page where we can view all the information submitted to make sure it is correct
  • When filing annual return online, we should be able to print the annual return as we have entered it before the transaction is finished (rather than wait for the confirmation email). This way, we can edit our information before it is sent final.

Allow/fix attachment options

  • Allow special rights as an attachment to Articles of Incorporation/Amendment etc.
  • Improve format of filed documents.
  • Attachment of articles of incorporation or articles of amendments in either PDF or Word document format.
  • Attachment of share structure for incorporations.
  • Avoir la possibilité de joindre des documents Word ou PDF lors d'un dépôt en ligne (ex.: annexes à des statuts de constitution ou clauses modificatrices).
  • I am now faxing my Articles of Incorporation as I want the Articles to look exactly as the form I have my clients sign. By faxing I do not have to fear that the wording in my schedules has changed due to converting the document. If I could attach […]
  • I would like to be able to copy and paste lengthy share provisions with multiple paragraph numberings into the articles without losing the original formatting. If that could be done, I for sure would be doing more on-line filings of articles.
  • Il serait bien de pouvoir conserver notre mise en page des annexes aux documents de constitution (nos annexes, dont la description du capital-actions, sont en format Word et la forme du document est perdue lorsque l'on dépose les documents de [...]
  • Il serait pratique de pouvoir joindre une annexe aux clauses modificatrices lors d'un dépôt en ligne plutôt que de devoir intégrer nos annexes dans le texte du formulaire.
  • Improve online filing for incorporations, more precisely, when attaching schedules for share capital and restrictions on transfers of shares and other provisions, allow the text to be identical to its original form (i.e. font, size, margins, bold etc.)
  • On line filing system not easy to communicate with… especially to enclose documents like schedules to actual articles.
  • Permettre le dépôt en ligne des incorporation sous mode pdf.
  • Possibilité d'enregistrer autre chose que des statuts constitutifs dans le dépôt électronique. Améliorer l'aspect visuel (forme) de la version électronique des annexes.
  • When filing Articles which need a consent to use of name, an attachment should be included in the document so that you do not have to fax it separately.
  • When a deficiency has to be filed or something needs to be attached you have to send it by fax and are not able to send online as well.
  • Pour le dépôt de document avec des annexes, la possibilité de joindre un fichier Word avec une mise en page plutôt que de copier dans les boîtes de dialogue du site, défaisant ainsi toute mise en page acceptable.
  • Pour le dépôt électronique il serait agréable de pouvoir joindre en pièce attachée nos annexes au lieu de les copier/coller dans le menu déroulant.
  • Pouvoir joindre nos propres annexes en pièces jointes ou encore pouvoir faire de la mise en pages afin d'avoir une meilleure présentation de nos documents constitutifs et de modification (ex.: pouvoir mettre du gras, souligné, italique, etc.).
  • The checklists should include post-incorporation tasks that need to be done. Perhaps contrast the format for on-line filing of articles needs to be updated so that the client can import share structure, etc. as a word or PDF rather than having to copy and paste as this wastes too much time.
  • Statuts de modification: On ne peut pas insérer d'annexes.
  • Souplesse dans les annexes qui accompagnent les statuts de constitution ou les clauses modificatrices re: joindre nos annexes sans qu'elles soient déformées.

Allow templates to be saved for frequent users

  • Account reporting to access transactions or lost invoices; the ability to save templates like share rights, other provisions, etc.
  • All of the incorporations I do for my clients involve only one incorporator, director and shareholder. Thus, I should be able to enter this information only once instead of having to enter the same name and address over and over again.
  • As a multiple filer, a shopping basket would be much appreciated so that credit card information can be entered once rather than for each transaction.
  • Allowing for macros or templates to be created and saved enabling frequent online filing users to enter often-used information more efficiently (e.g. director information).
  • Should have the ability to save templates for articles of incorporation so that it is not necessary to enter.
  • I am most unhappy with articles of incorporation, would like it to be similar to what Cyberbahn provides for Ontario incorporation, where you can save templates for future use, in stead of having to repeat information over and over again when we have […]
  • I know that I felt that some information in the filing of the annual report was repetitive and a waste of time. If you want to contact me I will try to explain it better since I haven't filed an annual return lately.
  • If inter-provincial registration is selected, you should pre-populate the data from the previous screens. We don't need to retype lot of information already typed in the previous screens.
  • Prévoir un processus par lequel il serait possible d'enregistrer les détails relatifs à la personne qui procède à un dépôt en ligne. Je fais souvent de tels dépôts et à chaque fois, il faut que je dactylographie mon nom, numéro de téléphone, numéro […]

Consistency

Decisions and information

  • All agents should have access to the same information to provide clients with. There has been more than one time when I have called with a question or inquiry and received what I felt was an inadequate answer. I have called back only to speak to someone else […]
  • Ensure that all information is consistent in policies, information kits, etc. Sometimes it is confusing where to look for example at the policies or the information kit.
  • Ensure that employees do not provide conflicting instructions to users.
  • More consistent approach to name approval. One examiner would approve a corporate name, but another examiner would disallow the same name. Many names are automatically rejected although they are significantly different from […]
  • It appeared to me that various agencies did not talk to each other. I have an incorporated company: I wanted to incorporate another company with a very similar name to the first: I was required to submit a letter (to whom I canot remember), a Letter […]
  • When proposed corporate names are rejected, sometimes the examiners reject for one reason […]
  • There should be a straight-forward "names" rules for companies. It is currently applied too strictly i.e. rejecting a corporation because "Group" was in the name because it may imply to some that it is a group of companies? ‘Xxx’ Investors Group? Please!

Turnaround times

  • La plupart du temps c'est assez rapide mais si c'est une urgence on ne peut pas donner à l'avocat un délai précis.
  • More consistent review times for name decisions. Sometimes decisions are processed promptly (within 1-2 days). Other times it has taken 5-10 business days to receive replies due to changed workflow and employee holidays.

Explain decisions thoroughly

  • Explications plus détaillées pour le refus d'un nom choisi, et comment faire pour corriger la situation.
  • Non pre-approved name corporations are almost always refused in first shot. I am not comfortable with this practice. Another thing: when you see many other companies are already the similar name, how were they approved at first place?

Already Doing a Good Job

  • I am impressed, even with the fact that you are requesting feedback on your service, is indicative that you are sensitive to client satisfaction, and I really appreciate that — especially considering you are a government department!!!
  • I am pleased to see the revised filing system for annual returns based on incorporation date rather than fiscal year end. The latter was very confusing and made no real sense.
  • I find the service very fast and efficient. I often deal with government websites for extra provincial filings and find some provincial websites very confusing and information/forms hard to find. I think the CC website is very organized and easy to […]
  • I think that it is doing the best it can with all of the current cutbacks. We notice a change in the turnaround time, but the quality of service is still very good.
  • I wish the entire government were run this well! Client-oriented, efficient and effective service and knowledgeable too, open 'til 8 pm and you can do every single thing (at least in my experience) on line!
  • Keep up the excellent work. And thank you.
  • Je trouve votre site facile à comprendre et le service excellent.
  • Keep up the good work. It’s always a pleasure to be at your website.
  • Keep up with the good work.
  • No, but I would hope that Revenue Canada would be as helpful.
  • None at this time.

General Filing Issues

  • I find lot of duplication of information in Provincial filing as part of federal filing. It should be as simple as federal filing.
  • When a corporation registers, directors should be contacted and provided with this information. I have personally spent unnecessary money in the past having third parties provide services which are readily available on line and very easy to use.
  • When a Form 22A is filed please provide the client with a formally filed annual return for their records for example if there is a need to file a Form 22A because information on the previously filed annual return was incorrect there is no option to […]

Reduce Fees

  • I have a suggestion on the Corporate Annual Return: the fee doesn't make any sense, should be zero and filed together with the company's T2, not on a separate procedure.
  • Lower incorporation fees are a good thing, and also the online incorporation process is a plus. Lowering data base search and corporation search fees should be a priority. A lot of information is missed because of fees.
  • The name change of a corporation should be free or cheaper that registration within the first 3 months of incorporation.
  • Reduce fees.
  • Puisque le coût du Rapport annuel est moindre lorsqu'on produit via Internet, le coût des autres formulaires produits via Internet devrait être également moindre que le coût par la poste.

Other/uncodable

  • Le site web est parfois difficile à consulter, je ne sais pas pour quelle raison. Peut-être est-ce le fort volume de visiteurs qui en rend la consultation parfois difficile.
  • Nous avons dû utiliser les modèle de consentements pour l'utilisation d'une dénomination sociale (signés par des détenteurs de dénomination)
  • We should keep in open / active 24 hours in 7 days basis
  • Alternative to credit card payment.
  • Annual returns should be either cancelled or should not be a reason in dissolving a company.
  • At one point I was unaware that the corporate tax return filed through CRA didn't exempt us from having to file an annual CC return (under Industry Canada).
  • Avoir un choix plus varié en ce qui concerne les catégories d'actions.
  • Forwarding Consents filed on applications for incorporation, for example, to the applicable provincial authority for which the company has e-p registered to avoid rejection.
  • Companies that have been dissolved should be removed from data base or al least put in a non-active data base.
  • Confidentiality of which files on the behalf of client should be kept confidential and not release to other government departments for whatever reason.
  • Decisions on Corporation Name Approval should provide more details on the reason for the decision, including better suggestions on how to get a preferred name approved.
  • Ensuring that website is always working.
  • Fixing the link to Nova Scotia extra-provincial registration
  • Hold information seminars in Toronto from time to time to introduce new products and services including online filings and name searches.
  • I use Corporations Canada often but I am always afraid to use the NUANS report by email, next time I will try to use it.
  • If documents are mailed in for filing, some sort of confirmation should be returned to the registered office.
  • If I had gotten this survey shortly after I used the service, I could have given you a specific answer. I remember having some trouble logging in (forgotten password), and I also remember trying to do work on two different files in one evening, and […]
  • Inscrire des rubriques d'informations sur les sociétés de fiducie ainsi que des liens précis avec Revenu Canada sur différentes questions sur la fiscalité
  • It would be helpful if we could use our Industry Canada Account number for online filings.
  • It would be helpful to have a deposit account for our firm for the ease of annual return and other filings as opposed to using a credit card.
  • Je suis présentement en processus avec M. Martin Ouellet de Corporations Canada afin de me permettrede faire le dépôt électronique de nos statuts de constitution. Monsieur Ouellet me donne un très bon service toutefois, je suis étonné des difficulté
  • Laisser la production des rapports dans le 6 mois suivant la date de fin d'exercice financier.
  • Link BC incorporation to federal.
  • Lorsqu'on reçoit notre numéro de charte, svp incorporer une lettre de rapelle (date de renouvellement et montant) et un document de changement de renseignements (style permis de conduire) mettre au dossier.
  • Advertise services directly to accounting firms
  • More leniency with acceptance of names for NUANS Reports
  • Online integration between Ontario Ministry and Corporation Canada; in some cases it is quite well done; but in others the customer either has to duplicate inputs OR (worse) one is still paper based while the other is accessible via the web.
  • Please go back to the issuing of federal corporation numbers in advance (i.e. allowing the reserving of numbers) for continuances etc. — particularly at year ends not having this service anymore is slowing the continuance/amalgamation process. Thanks
  • Please include not for profit corporations for name decision through On-corp or other service providers as mentioned previously NFPs often do not have legal endings
  • Please reduce the amount of surveys that are required.
  • Yes. The name search tool should be fixed. It must not provide a message to say "no match found" which means that name is available. But when you accept it and pay for it, then it comes with 37 similar names and I don't get approval for that name.
  • When I was updating Director information for a Corporation, the director lives in the Bahamas and they do not have postal codes however the postal code field was mandatory therefore I resulted in putting N/A as the postal code.
  • Toujours chercher à simplifier.
  • The time difference (Eastern Time zone vs. Western Time zone) makes (telephone) discussions with your personnel difficult at times. Email is an alternative. Also, more convenient ways to pay filing fees would be nice (e.g. accounts to debit).
  • Pour le rapport annuel devrait être comme auparavent six mois comme les rapports d'impots de societe et inclus avec la t2
  • The online submission process for incorporation re the 1) size of the edit boxes; and 2) the ability to safe information if one makes a change; both need to be improved. The BC Corporate Registry website is easier to use; it's obviously a different site.
  • The only complaint that we have is that if a name is rejected, it is quite difficult to go back in afterwards to complete the job once all conditions have been met.
  • Ne pas obliger le client à recevoir des inf […]
  • Prolonger la periode "visiteur" jusqu'a 15 h.
  • Revenir à la production des rapports annuels des compagnies non incorporé au déclarations d'impôt des corporations
  • Review name decision procedures in order that federal-level corporate names can be more fully protected
  • Receipt for payment of $21.20 can not be printed while getting "Name Search Report".