1. Customer Satisfaction Measurement in European Public Administrations
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IPSG Meeting Helsinki
6th/7th July 2006
Eva Nikolov-Bruckner

2. Aim of the Austrian Initiative
Give a brief summary of what is the state of affairs due to CSM in the EU
To come up with optional methodological approaches to a customer satisfaction index that could also be appropriate for measuring public service performance, i.e. the EPSI (European Performance Satisfaction Index), the Eurobarometer etc.
To give a clear picture from a methodological point of view, why a model-based approach should be favoured
How different existing market-research projects and quality improvement initiatives could be integrated in a joint project

3. Results of the survey
Some EU-MS already have customer satisfaction barometers that cover several public sector activities as a national index
There are diverse methodological approaches to service quality evaluation and measurement as many case-studies, questionnaire designs and reports from pilot-studies in several member-countries show.
We can find benchmarking and bench-learning-activities as well as quality improvement initiatives on different levels of intensity

4. Results of the survey
many different approaches, projects and questionnaire designs in use
almost no agreed way to share efforts to the joint development of integrated measurement design
the instruments in use (Eurobarometer and EPSI) either don’t cover the public service sector or are not in use in all EU-Countries on a regular basis.

5. Main Results
Service areas: For which of the following public services exist
data/information about customer satisfaction?

6. Main Results
European initiative - What topics have to be clarified/discussed to make such a collective European project successful?
main topic to discuss:
the object of an EU-wide model
The positions of the countries seem not to be the same, or there are different national goals (benchmarking, development of quality, index).
main obstacle:
the socioeconomic and cultural diversity of the EU-citizens and their expectations. And second the resistance to change by the government departments.

7. Basic approaches for the development of guidelines

8. Design and Phases of a Customer Satisfaction Survey (5D’s)
Objectives of top-management
Motives
Requirements concerning results 1
Define the Problem – Survey Objectives
Discuss approaches in the ‘pyramid’
model based approaches or others
Structure of the Public Sector services
Customer segmentation, target groups 2
Design and Methodology
Questionnaire design
Sampling
Timing
Cost - Budget 3
Data Collection Techniques, Pilot
Briefing a marketing research agency
field work 4
Data Analysis
Statistical analysis and modeling
Reporting and internal/external communication of results
improvement activities 5
Documentation, Reporting and use of results

9. DG-Resolutions Vienna 2006
“Working towards European User Satisfaction Indices is one of the four priority lines with regards to the common Strategy for Growth and Jobs, as established in the Mid-Term Programme Following the initiative during the UK Presidency, Austria responded to the mandate to take the customer satisfaction work forward by conducting a survey to get an overview of the experiences of the countries represented in IPSG, the European Commission and EFQM in the field of customer satisfaction measurement.
The main focus of further work should be the collection of best practices and the preparation of guidelines for CS-measurement questionnaires.”

10. Expert Meeting: Workshop Results
Focus on Good-practice („good examples“) approach as a basis for the development of guidelines.
5D‘s are the framework for analyzing good examples as well as preparing the guidelines.
The next Customer Satisfaction meeting will take place on 10th October (to be confirmed) in Helsinki.

11. Priorities of Further Work
1 Definition of the problem
2 Analysis of good practices
3a Common Knowledge basis
3b Design of common tools
Responses of the definition of the problem received by now from Poland, Germany, Portugal and Finland

12. Thank you for your attention!
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Thank you for your attention!
Customer Satisfaction Measurement in European Public Administrations
All the best to our Finnish Colleagues!