ARCHIVED - Brief Case Studies of Exemplary Practices

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Statistics Canada Advisory Services

The Advisory Services Division of Statistics Canada provides statistical information and a number of other statistics-related services to the Canadian Public. Most of the staff work in the eight Regional Offices located across Canada. The Division has three primary functions: answering statistical inquiries, performing media communications outside the National Capital Region, and acting as a focal point through which requests for cost recoverable services are channeled.

Advisory Service's main client is the Canadian Public, but it provides information to anyone who requests it: business, academic, government and individuals.

Service Standards in Use

On its website, Statistics Canada provides a detailed set of standards for the services it provides to the public. These standards address standards for quality, accessibility, promptness, cost, reliability, and redress mechanisms. The detailed service commitment may be found in the Annex to this Case Study. These service standards were developed largely internally, although Statistics Canada also makes use of ongoing consultations with various advisory committees, which represent the user communities.

Advisory Services is particularly concerned with the response time standards outlined in the detailed service commitment. In addition to these department wide standards, Advisory Services has its own internal processes and standards.

• It as a computerized system that responds automatically to acknowledge e-mails, a worker is expected to read and provide a separate acknowledgement within 24 hours; while an answer is expected within five working days;
• Because of the existence of automatic phone answering system, there is no need for a standard on how long a phone rings before it is answered - it is answered essentially immediately. The Advisory Services telephone system tracks number of people waiting in the queue to talk to someone. Managers at the Regional Offices are monitor the length of the phone queue and take action if it becomes unacceptably long. Head Office tracks the number of abandoned calls and takes action this number become too great.

The quality of the information provided via telephone is assessed though a system of call monitoring by supervisors. Advisory Services has a policy of monitoring 4% of calls of new staff and staff that have been experiencing problems; it monitors 2% of calls to other employees. The results of the telephone monitoring are used to help in the initial training process and to help staff continue to improve the quality of their work.

Advisory Services monitors various aspects of its level of service through periodic Mystery Shopper audits. In these audits, calls are made to Advisory Service offices by an external audit organization. The office manager and staff are not told that an audit is underway.

Statistics Canada does not perform a satisfaction of users of the general telephone system, because it has a policy of not asking callers to identify themselves unless this is necessary in order to provide the caller with a desired services. However, it does perform a satisfaction survey of those who purchase more than $250 of services. The satisfaction rate is very high (over 90%).

Exemplary Practices

The tracking of length of phone queues and number of abandoned calls provides an effective way of monitoring the effectiveness of the telephone answering system

The Advisory Services Division uses the telephone monitory system as an adjunct to its training system. Each new employee takes about six weeks of training on information sources and how to use the computer databases. For the next six weeks, the trainee answers the telephone while being monitored by an experienced staff member who provides assistance and additional training and advice. After this period, the individual answers the phone alone most of the time, with 1 call in 20 being monitored.

The use of Mystery Shopper audits serves as an independent external assessment of the overall phone system.

The use of a satisfaction survey of service purchasers provides a further feedback on satisfaction with service.

Lessons Learned

The use of external testing of the system was found to be very useful. In one case the Mystery Shopper audit identified a technical problem in the telephone system, where a small number of callers were sent to a dead phone line, which was never answered. This technical problem would have been almost impossible to discover internally.

Contact

Iain McKellar
Director
Statistics Canada
Divisional Management
RH Coats Building Holland Avenue and Scott Street
Tunney's Pasture
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0T6
Telephone: (613) 951-9285

ANNEX

STATISTICS CANADA

Standards of Service to the Public

Statistics Canada is committed to serving its clients in a prompt, reliable and courteous manner. To this end, the Agency has developed standards of service which its employees observe in serving its clients. According to these standards, the Agency's personnel makes the following commitments.

Quality

• demonstrate openness, courtesy and equitable treatment at all times with its clients.

Accessibility

• provide service in the official language of the client's choice.
• provide service during the regular business hours between 8:30 and 16:30 hours
• ensure that contacts identified in The Daily, the Agency's official release vehicle, are available on the day of release of survey results.
• ensure accessibility to its information service to the public residing in areas other than where Statistics Canada offices are located, through a 1-800 toll-free service.
• proactively offer the coordination of the provision of services to a client if his/her needs require actions by other Agency divisions.

Promptness

• before work begins, advise the client of the time required to provide the service and, if necessary, obtain the client's agreement to the schedule.
• advise the client, should the need arise, of any additional time required and explain the reason for the delay.
• provide a cost estimate within two (2) working days or specify when the estimate will be ready.
• under normal circumstances, respond to a simple special request within ten (10) working days.
• fulfill an order for off-the-shelf products within two (2) working days.
• answer or acknowledge receipt of a letter whether received by mail, fax or electronically within five (5) working days.
• return a client's phone call within one working day.

Cost

• inform clients of the cost of the service where applicable.
• advise the client immediately, should the occasion arise, of any unforeseen change in cost and explain why.

Reliability

• if there is any difference between the request and the product delivered or to be delivered, advise the client immediately and explain the reason.
• if the product delivered does not conform to the client's request and this is due to our misunderstanding, offer to provide a solution free of charge.

Redress Mechanism

If you, as a client, have reason to believe that these standards have not been adhered to in your dealings with Statistics Canada, you are encouraged to contact:…

 

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