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ARCHIVED - Summary Report on Service Standards


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5. Exemplary Practices

From the brief case study write ups prepared, the following key exemplary practices were derived.

Key Exemplary Practices

Government Example

Private Sector Example

Service pledge to commit and communicate standard to clients

CCRA Appeals, CCRA Client Services

 

Customized initial contact letter to help manage client expectations and improve service

CCRA Appeals, CIC

 

Extensive consultation with clients and staff during piloting of service standard and

CCRA Appeals

 

Initial letter and sharing of "best practices"

CCRA Appeals

 

Service standard implementation kit

CCRA Appeals

 

Advice from outside

CCRA Appeals

 

Redress mechanism to handle complaints

CCRA Appeals

 

Client satisfaction surveys (including electronic)

CCRA Appeals, CTCS, National Archives, NRCan ESS, RCMP Forensic laboratory services, Stats Can Adviory Services, TC TIMSD

TD Canada Trust

Consultations with front-line staff

CCRA Client Services Directorate

 

Mix of feedback sources such as ministerial correspondence, invitation, client service rating cards, internal advisory committees, direct staff feedback

CCRA Client Services Directorate, VAC

Canada Life Insurance

Improve quality and range of service interaction in electronic service delivery

CCRA Client Services Directorate, CTCS, TC TIMSD

 

Competency Catalogue to identify, recruit and retain employees capable of responding to client needs

CCRA Client Services Directorate

 

Agency or departmental business specific guide to service standards

CCRA's Guide to Service Standards

 

Common Measurements Tool (CMT)

CTCS

 

Posting surveys on Internet Website

CTCS

 

Survey responses to establish priorities

CTCS, TC TIMSD, VAC

 

Toll-free 1-888 client feedback line

CTCS, VAC

 

Share correspondence

CTCS

 

Senior management report of client survey to staff

CTCS

 

Management performance appraisals and or pay based on client feedback or standards met

CTCS, HRDC EIB

AMEX, TD Canada Trust

Increasing client and employee satisfaction in tandem

CTCS, NRCan ESS

 

Consulting with employees or responding to employee survey results

CTCS, National Archives

 

Strong support from senior management (i.e., DM, ADM, executive ownership, CEO)

CTCS, NRCan ESS

AMEX, Royal Sunalliance

Appropriately resourced Support Unit

CTCS

 

Learning from others or the "best", drawing expertise, in Canada and abroad

CTCS, HRDCEIB, RCMP Forensic Laboratory Services, TC TIMSD

Disney consumer products

Adopting the NQI framework

CTCS

 

Establish baseline through a first survey

HRDC EIB, VAC

 

Quality Management Policy to define responsibilities

HRDC EIB,

 

Posting service commitments widely and clearly for clients to see

HRDC EIB,

 

Providing as much assistance as possible at first point of contact

HRDC EIB

 

Cross-channel management of expectations

HRDC

 

Graphical information on the distribution of the times

Competition Bureau

 

Information both on the actual service provided and on the clients' perceptions of the service

Competition Bureau

 

Periodic meetings with clients

Competition Bureau, TC TIMSD

 

Strong coordination in development and use of service standards, including dedicated team to provide insight and handle complaints

NRCan ESS

Canada Life Insurance

Third-party audit of service standards

NRCan ESS

 

ISO 17025

RCMP Forensic Laboratory Services

 

Tracking of length of phone queues and number of abandoned calls

StatsCan Advisory Services

 

"Mystery Shopper" Audit system

StatsCan Advisory Services

 

Service level agreement or framework

StatsCan Advisory Services

 

New administrative infrastructure

StatsCan Advisory Services

 

Lessons learned

TC TIMSD

 

Contact information in service level agreements

TC TIMSD

 

Publish client survey results (i.e., DPR)

VAC

 

Schedule for priority one problem resolution

TC TIMSD

 

Training (employee or management)

VAC

TD Canada Trust, Disney consumer products

Reward and recognition for employees

 

AMEX

Telephone communication

 

Royal and Sunalliance

Up-to-date technology

 

Royal and Sunalliance

High service standard and client satisfaction targets

 

TD Canada Trust

Staff empowerment to resolve issues with client

 

Disney consumer products

Benefits of Exemplary Practices

  • Initial contact letter reduced the number of phone calls made by clients to the office. Gives idea of how long clients have to wait and plan better, informs them of the importance of the steps that they must take, makes the waiting process much more acceptable to clients.
  • Consultation fosters flexibility and innovation in how the pilot sites achieved the standard.
  • Implementation kit a useful tool for informing regional staff on guidelines for implementation and how to deal with frequently asked questions.
  • Advice helped to learn from the experience and expertise of others.
  • Redress mechanism is valuable indicator of client satisfaction with the service and tool to deal with satisfaction.
  • Regular client satisfaction surveys result in a number of changes in service delivery and the development and implementation of service standards and measures performance.
  • Consultations with front-line staff helps obtain first-hand information on the level of service expected by clients.
  • Mix of feedback sources useful in identifying opportunities for service enhancement and for adapting services and service delivery to satisfy client needs and expectations.
  • Competency Catalogue helps to ensure that employees have the knowledge, skills and support needed to work effectively in an environment that promotes and recognizes exemplary performance.
  • An agency or departmental specific Guide to Service Standards provides a useful tool to guide staff through a practical step-by-step process in the development and life cycle management of service standards
  • Toll free 1-888 client feedback line allows clients to voice complaints, compliments and suggestions.
  • Sharing correspondence helps understand complaints and identify opportunities.
  • Increasing client and employee satisfaction in tandem.
  • Strong leadership and support from senior management facilitates the transition from the old culture to a new approach and to achieve buy-in.
  • Electronic service delivery improvements facilitates monitoring of performance against service standards, especially timeliness, and leads o increases in resource access and to increases in the efficiency of support staff.
  • The National Quality Institute's Framework or the Malcolm Baldridge Criteria for Performance Excellence or ISO 9000:2000 are effective transition facilitation tools.
  • The conduct of a first survey allows to obtain statistically valid results on client satisfaction and have a basis for comparison in future years.
  • A quality management policy defines the specific responsibilities at the national, local, and regional level to achieve the objectives.
  • Posting service commmitments widely and clearly helps clients understand and become aware of the level of service to expect, reminds employees of the service requirements to their clients, and helps them manage client expectations.
  • Management performance appraisals based on meeting standards and client satisfaction serves as an incentive to achieve desired operational results, meet commitments to clients, and contribute to the satisfaction of its clients.
  • Cross-channel management of expectations is possible when staff are trained to inform clients that in some instances certain channels, such as electronic direct payments instead of mail or telephone rather than in-person services for enquiries, may be more suitable to their immediate needs.
  • Graphical information on the distribution of the times identifies cases where the standard is significantly exceed and where the actual completion time is very short.
  • Information both on the actual service provided and on the clients' perceptions of the service avoids the situation where the organization believes the situation is acceptable because standards are being achieved, while clients are actually unhappy because their needs and expectations are not being met.
  • Periodic meetings with client representatives allows for proper feedback.
  • Strong sector coordination ensures consistency of service standards across operating divisions and delivery channels.
  • Third-party audit of service standards allows review and assessment of whether service standards are met and use of performance information to improve its services.
  • Tracking of length of phone queues and number of abandoned calls provides an effective way of monitoring the effectiveness of the telephone answering system.
  • Service level agreement or framework serves as a commitment to provide high quality services and demonstrates provider's openness and confidence in its procedures.
  • New administrative infrastructure may increase efficiency and continuity of the group, and therefore client satisfaction, nation-wide.
  • Schedule for priority one problem resolution keeps the client informed as to where things stand.
  • Reward and Recognition program gives incentives to employees who are recognized as having given service above and beyond the standard.
  • Staff empowerment helps resolve issues with clients on the spot, on their own, without the requirement to consult head office.
  • The use of Mystery Shopper audits serves as an independent external assessment of the overall phone system.