What counts for Kiwis experience of government service?

Friday July 6 2007

As part of the Development Goals programme to build New Zealand a world class system of State Services, the State Services Commission today released a report that identifies the key things that have the greatest influence on New Zealanders' trust and satisfaction with the services they receive from public service organisations.

Iain Rennie, Deputy State Services Commissioner, said understanding New Zealanders' experience of public services is the essential first step towards improving the service experience for them.

"To understand that experience the State Services Commission adopted an international best practice approach, which will focus public servants' attention on what really matters for the people using their services," Iain Rennie said.

"The concept is based around the very successful Canadian approach to improving citizens' satisfaction with government service delivery over the past decade - 'Citizens First'."

"The SSC recently commissioned the first piece of research that contributes to understanding the important things that we need to measure in these surveys - the 'Drivers Survey'."

"The Drivers Survey showed us that there are six definite drivers of satisfaction with service quality that affect how satisfied New Zealanders are with public services. The research confirms what the SSC believed to be the case, that meeting New Zealanders' expectations of service delivery is the most important factor. The other key drivers of satisfaction with service quality are:

* Staff were competent

* Staff kept their promises

* You were treated fairly

* Your individual circumstances were taken into account

* It's an example of good value for tax dollars spent."

"The survey also told us the five things that are most important for New Zealanders concerning their trust in public services. Here the most important factor is that people have confidence that public servants do a good job. The other key drivers are:

* The public service provides services that meet your needs

* Public servants treat people fairly

* The public service keeps it promises - that is, it does what it says it will do

* The public service admits responsibility when it makes mistakes."

"The next step for the SSC is to undertake a New Zealand-wide public survey. This survey, which is planned to be in the field in August 2007, will take the drivers identified in our current research and measure their presence for New Zealanders."

"The results of the public survey will provide a set of benchmark data so that we can measure service satisfaction improvements over time. Most importantly the survey will identify the key areas that public servants need to target in order to make service improvements. It will be up to them to turn the results into action."

"The SSC expects to release the results of the public survey early in 2008."

For a copy of the Drivers Survey report, "Satisfaction and Trust in the State Services" see http://www.ssc.govt.nz/ drivers-report

ENDS

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