4 March 2008 – Publication of DWP Research Report 480: Jobcentre Plus Customer Satisfaction Survey 2007
A report is published today by the Department for Work and Pensions which shows that 80% of customers are satisfied with the service from Jobcentre Plus and one in five customers think service is improving.
It presents findings from the Jobcentre Plus Customer Satisfaction Survey 2007. Quantitative telephone interviews were carried with over 4000 Jobcentre Plus customers claiming Jobseekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Income Support in July/August 2007.
The aim of the survey was to determine the level of satisfaction of customers of Jobcentre Plus against defined customer service standards. The survey focused on satisfaction with the standard of service delivered, such as staff attitudes office conditions and professionalism, not satisfaction with Jobcentre Plus policies or operational processes.
The main findings of the research are:
- 80% of customers are satisfied with customer service standards provided by Jobcentre Plus. IS customers were most likely to be satisfied (84%) followed by IB (80%) and JSA customers (74%).
- 21% thought that the service had improved. The majority of customers thought that service standards had stayed the same over the last 12 months. Only 6% thought service had got worse.
- Those who had a face to face meeting as their last contact were most likely to have been satisfied (89%), followed by those who visited an office but did not have an interview with a member of staff (86%) and those whose last contact had been via telephone (85%).
- Factors affecting satisfaction with customer service standards include: office conditions, receiving inaccurate or irrelevant information, having limited access to services and business taking too long to be dealt with.
Notes to editors
1. The DWP research report Jobcentre Plus Customer Satisfaction Survey 2007 is published on 4th March 2008.
2. The report is based on telephone interviews with over 4000 Jobcentre Plus customers claiming Jobseekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Income Support. Policy Research Institute (PRI) at Leeds Metropolitan University conducted the research in July/August 2007. The reports authors are Steve Johnson and Yvette Fidler.
3. The report identifies differences in views between recipients of different benefits. Each benefit has defined eligibility rules that determine the level and type of contact the customer must have with Jobcentre Plus. For example, recipients of Jobseeker’s allowance must attend a fortnightly face to face meeting to confirm they are actively seeking work.
4. To address the key issues raised in the survey a policy improvement action planning process is underway. The findings will also feed into on-going work to improve the customer experience across DWP.
5. To further investigate issues arising from this research, PRI have been commissioned to conduct qualitative interviews and focus groups with Jobcentre Plus customers and staff. The results of the qualitative research will be available in Spring 2008.
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