Building on Success

Jennifer Wallace

Scottish Consumer Council

11th December 2006

Structure of Presentation

• Background to SCC

• Defining ‘consumers’

• The Transforming Public Services agenda

• Satisfaction with public services

• Six keys to unlocking satisfaction

Who are we?

• Established in 1975

• SCC a committee of the National Consumer Council

• Council members, appointed by Minister for Consumer Issues

• Part funded by the DTI and by income generation

Our strategic objectives• Make public services work for consumers

• Enable consumers to be effective & demanding in their use of services

• Offer solutions to problems facing the public sector

• Strengthen consumer representation

SCC Public Sector Work

• Patient involvement in the NHS

• Parent & pupil involvement in education

• Complaints handling

• Interpretation and translation services

• Consumer involvement in scrutiny

• Consumer guides

• Guidelines for professionals

SCC Private Markets Work• Construction• Switching suppliers• Rural advocacy• Surplus food distribution• Accessible information• Healthyliving Award• Responsible retailing• Digital TV switchover

Consumers, by definition, include us all. They are the largest economic group in the economy, affecting & affected by almost every public & private economic decision.

JFK, 1962

Who are the ‘consumers’?

What’s in a name?

Consumers are:– Current service users– Those waiting to use a service– Those eligible to use a service but unable to

do so– Those who could reasonably be expected to

use the service in the future

Transforming Public Services

Our continuing commitment to reform is about making a real difference to users and communities whilst remaining realistic about public spending…our challenge to local communities and public services is to work with us to identify the reforms that will transform service delivery in their area.

Scottish Executive 2006

Principles of Reform

Public services need to:

1. Be user focussed and personalised

2. Drive up quality and encourage innovation

3. Improve efficiency and productivity

4. Join up services and minimise separation

5. Strengthen accountability

• Survey of 1000 consumers and citizens about public services

• Brings together our evidence base on public services

The Building on Success report

Overall satisfaction

Comparing users and non-users

52% 52

%

47%

44%46

%

15%

7%9%

Comparing public and private

Local council services rated worst for:

• Value for money (27% poor, very poor

or terrible).

• Customer service (24% poor, very poor

or terrible).

What’s going on?• Between users and non-users:

– Opting out due to poor experience– Unable to access services

• Between public and private:– Expect higher levels of customer service

• Good news doesn’t sell!

Unlocking satisfaction

ConsumerExpectation =

ConsumerExperience

Satisfaction is when:

Consumer strategies must tackle both…

1. Information about services

• Helps consumers access services (but watch accessibility of information)

• Helps them understand what is (and isn’t) on offer

• Clarifies expectations • But resist urge to over-promise

2. Information about standards

• Be clear about targets• Inform consumers about

standards • Involve consumers in setting

standards

3. Access

• Accessibility (transport, cost, physical

barriers)

• Availability (waiting times, opening hours)

• Acceptability (language, communication)

Improving Customer Service by:

• Acting on customer priorities

• Understanding customers (CRM)

• Resources (time and training)

• Continuous improvement

• Reward & recognition

4. Attitude

5. Putting things right

• 44% wanted to make a complaint about local council services, only 29% had.

• 27% wanted to make a complaint about central government, only 13% had.

• 32% wanted to make a complaint about health services, only 17% had.

Barriers to complaining

• Lack of information

• Gratitude factor

• Scepticism about change

• Concern about negative impacts

Why complaints matter

• As part of customer care

• As part of risk management

• As a way of making services more responsive

Principles of effective complaints procedures

• Easy to access • Well publicised• Speedy• Confidential • Informative

• Simple• Fair • Effective • Regularly monitored and audited

6. Listening to Consumers

• Limited choice in public services– Education, Health, Housing, Social Work etc.

Limited mechanisms for feedback

• Voice stronger mechanism for driving change in public services (evidence based policy).

double devolutio

n

common ownership

The power gap

Personalisation

The Participation Tree

Consultation Pitfalls

• The decision has already been taken

• It is being done to tick a box

• The methods don’t suit the stakeholders

• The timescales are unrealistic

• You don’t know who your stakeholders are

• You don’t give any feedback to stakeholders

Over to you…

www.scotconsumer.org.uk

jwallace@scotconsumer.org.uk