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4. A Typology for Service Standards

As part of the development of the Compendium of Service Standards, CAC was requested to develop a draft typology for categorizing service standards. In examining ways of categorizing service standards, CAC looked at the relationship between the client and the service provider and identified three broad areas of service which can lend themselves to measurable service standards. First, is the aspect of access or waiting to speak or submit (an inquiry, request, claim or proposal) to a service provider (or receptionist who is in front of a service provider). This would generally be in person or by telephone.

The second aspect is the actual encounter or interaction between the client and service provider (or receptionist). Again, this would generally be in person or by telephone, and may last only a few minutes but occur in real time. Here, the client can feel the service as offered by the service provider (or receptionist) and the drivers of client satisfaction would include, as identified in Citizens First 2000[10] such things as the knowledge or competence of the service provider, "the extra mile/the extra smile" and friendly couteous service, and fairness. In addition, language of choice and confidentiality are other aspects tied into the actual service.

The third aspect is related to the time to respond and the outcome, which can also take place during the encounter, as might be the case in some regulatory, inspection or enforcement (RIE) services. Specific aspects of service include timeliness or speed of srvice, a well reasoned or justifiable (i.e., fair) decision, and the decision or outcome itself. The three aspects are displayed in Figure3.

Figure 3. Aspects of Service

Figure 3. Aspects of Service

With this model in mind, CAC proposed that the typology be structured around whether a service standard addresses:

  • how the service is to be delivered
  • when the service is to be delivered
  • what service is to be delivered

HOW

The HOW category of service standards tends to cover service standards dealing with the client's experience with the service delivery and how the service provider (or receptionist) actually provides the service. Typical service standards in this category deal with fairness, courteousness, repect and knowledgeable servers and with the professionalism and cultural sensitivity of the servers. In a sense, this category deals with the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of servers. In turn, in many cases, the achievement of the service standard really depends on the client's perception of the experience with the service deliverer.

This category really deals with 'how the client is made to feel' with the service experience. Research indicates that client dissatisfaction has more to do with how the product or service is delivered to the client rather than the quality of the product or service itself. The client's perception emphasizes the 'emotional elements' or 'emotional reactions' of service delivery. The client's perceptions on or emotions about service delivery can be measured or assessed by some form of consultation with the client, such as surveys using the Common Measurements Tool or focus groups or comment cards or some other mechanism.

This category is obviously linked to client satisfaction. And client's perception and satisfaction can be based on or applied to service standards addressing waiting time (including both waiting to access the service provider, e.g., the number of phone rings before the phone is answered and waiting for service in a walk-in or counter or in person service), fair treatment, the knowledge or competence of the server, the server's attitude and behaviour, and outcome.

Two other dimensions of how service is delivered can also be considered within the context of service standards, namely, the language of service service standard (i.e., the client shall be offered the service in the Official Language of the client's choice) and service security and confidentiality (i.e., the client 's information shall be treated in strict confidentiality or security).

Thus, the following three types of service standards can be considered from the HOW category, namely:

Client Perception [CP]

Official Language [OL]

Security and Confidentiality [SC]

WHEN

The WHEN category of service standards tends to deal with timeliness, responsiveness and how long it takes or should take for the service or an element of the service to take place. In turn, there appears to be two dimensions of the timeliness service standards. First, there is the time required to contact or reach or access the server. For example, how many rings before the telephone is answered, how long one may have to wait on hold or at a counter to speak to someone or make an inquiry, or how many people a client is passed to until a server can address or act on the client's request. This is very much the accessibility issue and is particularly relevant to inquiries in person at the counter or over the phone, especially call centres.

In a sense, this is the front end wait or access time, i.e., the time a client has to wait to reach or access a server. All other accessibility related topics, at least for the time being (e.g., hours of operation, having things ready for clients when they come to look for them, maintaining updated databases, being ready for a request/inquiry, providing services for free or offering financial assistance, offering different delivery channels), have been lumped together.

The second timeliness dimension deals with service standards related to how much time is required or "allowed" by the server to deal with and resolve an inquiry or claim or proposal received from a client.. This type of service standard first requires some form of intervention from a client, who then is concerned with the time required or "allowed" to respond to a request or process a claim or make a decision, or to 'deliver on time'. That is, the reponse time that a client should expect before receiving an acknowledgement or official interim or final response from the server. In effect, this type of service standard is the 'speed of service'. This timeliness dimension or waiting time, of course, only comes into play after the client has established the initial contact with the server.

In a sense, this is the back end wait time, i.e., the time a server is allowed before having to respond to a client.

Thus, the following two types of service standards can be considered from the WHEN category.

Front end waiting times or accessibility [TF]

Back end waiting times or 'speed of service' [TB]

WHAT

The WHAT category of service standards tends to deal with the accuracy, correctness, comprehensiveness, justifiability and defencibility of the outcome or decision on a request or claim. This category of service standard also deals with the server's commitment for a well-reasoned decision or outcome, whether the client agrees or not. Clients are entitled to and should expect well-reasoned decisions or outcomes, but not necessarily ones with which they agree. Ultimately, the department and clients may need an objective third-party to properly assess the quality of the outcome.

The WHAT category really offers only one type of service standard, namely, outcome [OC].

Using this typology, there are six types of service standards, namely:

Client Perception [CP]

Official Language [OL]

Security and Confidentiality [SC]

Front end waiting times or accessibility [TF]

Back end waiting times [TB]

Outcome [OC]