1. Page 1 HRDC’S - SERVICE IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVE STRATEGY ALBERTA FEDERAL COUNCIL MEETING EDMONTON, ALBERTA Service Delivery Directorate Beth Wood February 12, 2004

2. Page 2 The Commitment…… HRDC identified as a core lead department for Service Improvement Initiative (SII) SII strategic to HRDC’s business plan DM level commitment  Establish baselines and client satisfaction targets for key programs/services  Develop and update service standards  Plan for continuous improvement  Annually report on progress towards whole-of-government target of 10% by 2005 Senior ADM, Service Delivery - overall responsibility for SII implementation

3. Page 3 The Commitment….(continued) Involvement and commitment of four branches to establish baseline measures and track improvement: –Service Delivery Directorate: Overall coordination of SII implementation within Regions and NHQ Program directorates –Corporate Communications: Surveying expertise (public opinion); departmental communications strategy –Finance & Administrative Services: Survey administration and results reporting –Strategic Policy: Sampling and evaluation/research expertise

4. Page 4 The Challenges/Keys to Success Define “client” Involvement of program area/business line….. Establishing key programs/services to measure  Understanding of operational realities/organizational needs  Obtaining access to and/or creating client databases ….is critical to buy-in/ownership of results and realistic/relevant operational plans for continuous improvement

5. Page 5 The Process….. COMPAS (public opinion research firm) commissioned to conduct research on five major business lines – regionally/nationally 6,000 clients surveyed by telephone One core questionnaire based on Common Measurements Tool used for all client satisfaction surveys – modified to accommodate specific needs of program areas Surveys conducted in phased approach  Phase I (2001) Employment Insurance Income Security Programs  Phase II (2002/03) Employment Programs Branch Human Investment Branch Labour Program

6. Page 6 The Results Overall Satisfaction(0-100)(TBS-10 pt. scale)  Employment Insurance777.8  Income Security Programs798.1  Labour (Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service)888.4  Labour (Workplace Information Directorate)818.1  Labour Operations (Regulatory compliance) Part II (Occupational Health and Safety) – Canada Labour Code Part III (Labour Standards) of the Canada Labour Code 69n/a  Employment Programs Employment Benefits and Support Measures (HRDC delivered) 838.1  Canada Student Loans Program Information and case management (HRDC and externally delivered services) 717.2

7. Page 7 The Process…..continued National results presented to Senior Management (Service Delivery Committee) National results posted on SD Intranet Site Regional survey results shared with Regional Executive Heads Regional service improvement plans developed in conjunction with individual survey results Multi-variate analysis completed (2002) – highlighted factors that detracted or added to overall satisfaction (i.e. processes can contribute to statistically significant declines in overall client satisfaction) International benchmarking comparison of EI and ISP results against OECD countries – confirmed results in line with OECD countries Results/improvements/achievements reported in Departmental Performance Report (2002-03)

8. Page 8 Identifying Areas for Improvement Focus placed on reducing percentage of clients who expressed dissatisfaction Telephone service is a candidate for priority Fairness and competence are service dimensions most strongly associated with client satisfaction Wait time or timing issues are important (delays in informing clients of application decisions, mailing responses to enquiries, delays in processing cheques) can have a large impact on overall client satisfaction Obtaining accurate information is very important

9. Page 9 Our Improvement/Achievements Standardized practice of contacting clients directly to explain information on decisions/reasons for them Implemented national promotional strategy for electronic services – externally/internally –higher uptake of Direct Deposit for EI Piloted electronic Records of Employment – 11 employers – 60,000 electronic ROEs – access to be expanded with Secure Channel availability Networked call centres nationally reducing client wait times (calls answered within 3 minutes) Now providing more information at first point of contact – easier access to automated and on-line information services Client Service Charter/Feedback and Redress Mechanism under development

10. Page 10 Ongoing Commitment… HRDC now divided into two new organizations:  Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSD)  Social Development (SD) HRSD retains Employment Insurance and Labour Programs SD acquires Income Security Programs Various components of Employment and Human Investment business lines split Undergoing service standards review for all business lines Continuous service improvement – key strategic objective for both