United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Division Objects to be assessed in relation to USER RELATIONS in a Global Assessment EFTA-Eurostat-UNECE Seminar on Global Assessments Yalta, Ukraine 23 – 25 September 2009 Petteri Baer, Regional Adviser, UNECE

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Are users well informed about the main services of the statistical system/agency?  Do you have a Release Calendar of official statistics? In which forms is it made available to the media and users?  Do you have a fixed daily time for statistical releases?  How often do you organize press conferences?  What is the number of subscribers of press releases To the media, absolutely and in relation to the number of media in the country To other users of statistical information  Do you have a Publication Catalogue? How is it made available to users What is the amount of its proactive distribution?

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide What is your web site’s role as a service forum for official statistics?  With which average frequency do you produce updates on your web site? By the hour, daily, weekly?  Format of statistical information on your web site Mainly HTML Mainly HTML and PDF HTML, PDF, MS Excel, MS Access Also service databases, visual presentations and dynamic information materials available  Is the general speed users can download your information Sufficiently rapid Too slow

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Do you provide database services to users?  What do your database services cover? Fields of statistics available? Time periods available?  Who are the users of the service databases? Can anybody make use of the services? If not, which are the main user categories? Are the database services chargeable? Are the database services user friendly? Which was the number of subscribers/users of the database services at the end of last year?

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide What user surveys are in place to improve your understanding of the different needs of different users  Are user surveys performed on a regular basis?  When were the three previous user surveys performed?  Were they focused on Specific user groups? Specific products? General satisfaction of the services provided?  What improvements in your user services have taken place due to the user surveys?

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide How is feedback from users dealt with? Is giving feedback encouraged?  In which ways can users give you feedback?  Is user feedback encouraged? How?  Are there active procedures and defined responsibilities to follow-up on user feedback?  Which are the main forms of your reacting on user feedback?  Can examples of improvements, resulting from user feedback, be mentioned?

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Are users informed proactively on new statistical services and updates?  Which are the main forms of contact building with existing users?  Which are the main forms of contact building to new potential users?  Are some user categories given training on methodological issues?  If yes, which?  Is there a plan on providing statistical literacy training to different user categories?  Is it being successfully implemented?

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide How do you categorize your users?  By institutional sectors and branches  By their size (turnover, staff number)  By the frequency they obtain statistical information  By the way they use statistics “Tourists”, “Farmers”, “Miners”  By the statistical products and services they obtain  By all or most of the criteria mentioned

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide In which ways do you deal with contact information of your users?  Contact lists of important and regular users exist In the MS Word format In MS Excel and/or MS Access format In other formats, which?  Responsibilities on updating contact information to customers are defined and work well  A customer database is in use  A customer relationship management system is in use  Do you have sufficiently staff to keep up with this kind of things?

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Chargeable services  Do you provide adapted, custom-designed analyses of your statistical output upon request?  Do you charge users for more labour- or/and investment-intensive services?  Do you have established and published pricing principles for chargeable services?  Name the five most popular chargeable services you provide

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Corporate imago  Does the National Statistical Agency have A logo? A defined visual image?  Is this the defined visual image used in all published materials? Web site Publications Letter heads Business cards Etc.

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Statistical Council  Does the National Statistical Agency have a Statistical Council or a corresponding body providing high-level advice to the Chairperson/Director General?  A Statistical Council can be very helpful In providing advice on the need structures and the sentiments of different stakeholder groups In agreeing on information to be brought from the Statistical Agency to different stakeholders In getting a broad approval for strategic issues of the Agency

Petteri Baer - UNECE Statistical Division Slide Wise words of Samuel Johnson  “Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves or we know where we can find information upon it”  Thank you for your attention! 