29 September 2005 - Publication of DWP research report: Jobcentre Plus National Customer Satisfaction Survey 2005
Research published today by the Department for Work and Pensions provides national representative data on customers’ experience and levels of satisfaction with Jobcentre Plus services. The research was carried out by the Policy Research Institute, Leeds Metropolitan University, via telephone interviews. The report assesses changes from the 2004 national satisfaction survey; tracks customers’ views on the new integrated Jobcentre Plus service; and provides information needed to drive the performance improvement agenda and help in setting new customer service targets.
The main findings are as follows:
- Overall levels of satisfaction with services increased between 2004 and 2005 from 81 per cent to 86 per cent of respondents very or fairly satisfied.
- Respondents continue to give good performance ratings (approaching 60 per cent ‘very good’) to aspects of service relating to how they were treated by staff, for example, friendliness and politeness and being treated with respect. However, some aspects of the quality of service provided continue to receive rather lower ratings (less than 50 per cent ‘very good’), for example, finding out about vacancies and benefits and knowledge of staff.
- As in 2004, the majority of customers (about two thirds) perceived little change in the quality of the service provided over the past year, but the proportion who felt that the service had improved increased from 25 per cent to 30 per cent.
- Respondents in areas covered by new integrated Jobcentre Plus offices continue to give higher performance ratings to aspects of office facilities and environment than users of legacy Jobcentres and Social Security offices. They were also more likely to perceive that the service had improved over the past year.
- Awareness of the Customers’ Charter increased from 26 per cent of all respondents aware in 2004 to 29 per cent in 2005. Awareness is particularly low amongst younger people and decreased among the under 25s from 16 per cent in 2004 to 11 per cent in 2005. This result confirms the importance of reviewing the Jobcentre Plus service standards and how they are communicated to our customers; this is now taking place in consultation with external and internal stakeholders.
- Overall 13 per cent of respondents felt that they had grounds for complaint, unchanged from 2004, but only three per cent had actually made a complaint over the previous six months (little changed from four per cent in 2004). Younger people and shorter term JSA customers were most likely to have felt like complaining. Jobcentre Plus is currently taking forward a number of recommendations to address this.
Notes to Editors
- The research was conducted by Ian Sanderson, Yvette Fidler and Penny Wymer of the Policy Research Institute, Leeds Metropolitan University, and follows up two previous DWP studies (Research reports 168 and 204) which surveyed customer satisfaction levels in 2003 and 2004 respectively.
- Jobcentre Plus National Customer Satisfaction Survey 2005 (report series No.282) is published on 29th September 2005. A summary and copy of the report is available on the DWP website: http//www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5.
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Prepared by: Department for Work and Pensions Jobcentre Plus Analytical Division