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Appendix 5 - Client Service Charter
The Department's Client Service Charter represents the Department's commitment to deliver high quality services to its clients. Following consultation with clients, the Service Charter was revised in October 2000 in accordance with the Government's Client Service Charter Principles.
The Department surveyed a representative sample of the Department's clients in mid-2001 to obtain feedback on the Department's current service delivery performance.
The results of the survey indicated that in general the Department's clients rated the service of Departmental staff as satisfactory to excellent (98 per cent of respondents). Particular areas of strength have been identified in relation to courteousness, handling calls between 9-5 p.m. and resolution of non-complex enquiries during phone calls. However, room for improvement was identified in relation to providing information to assist contractors and suppliers to provide their services and the administration of a couple of programs.
No formal complaints were recorded during the year.
The Department's performance against stated Service Charter standards was as follows:
Communication with clients
- Courteousness-100 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- Responsiveness-94 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- Willingness to assist clients-98 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- Fair and professional treatment-98 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- Provision of timely oral and written advice which is clear, concise, accurate and complete-96 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- Technical/professional competence in providing advice-98 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- Sensitivity to diversity issues-96 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
Online access
- Availability of major Departmental publications, information and policy statements-97 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- 95 per cent website availability was achieved.
Telephone dealings with clients
- Handling of calls 9:00-5:00 p.m.-98 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- Staff identify themselves by name and/or work area-99 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- Resolution of enquiries during the call or if the query was more complex response provided within three working days-95 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
Email dealings with clients
- Responding as soon as possible and within three working days for more complex enquiries-96 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
Written or fax enquiries
- Responding to clients as soon as possible. Where the matter is complex responding within 20 working days of receipt by the Department. Where this is not possible due to the nature of the inquiry, clients are informed of the time needed to provide a final response and provided with a name and telephone number to call for further queries-96 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
Administration of programs
- Programs, application procedures and program policy issues were publicised using a range of methods including online and hardcopy format-92 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- Equitable access to our programs and services-90 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- Grants and programs were administered fairly, in accordance with relevant published guidelines, criteria, regulations or legislation-93 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- Grants payments were made within four weeks of acceptance of reports, and/or in accordance with relevant schedules or commitments-92 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
Dealings with contractors, consultants and suppliers and the administration of contracts
- Availability of, or access to, information required to assist contractors/consultants/suppliers to provide their services-92 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- Payments were made in accordance with relevant schedules or contractual obligations-100 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
Development and review of policy and legislation
- Consultation with interested parties as early as practicable, where appropriate-92 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
- Consultative processes were designed to include those who would be most affected by changes in policy or legislation-85 per cent rated performance as satisfactory to excellent.
The Service Charter is available on the Department's website at www.dcita.gov.au.
Questacon Client Service Charter
Questacon introduced its Customer Service Charter in August 1998 after consultation with staff, Questacon members, the public and special stakeholders (such as the Council) and sponsors. The Charter was revised in early 2001 to reflect changes in the Centre's goals as set out in the Business Plan for 2001-2005.
The Questacon Customer Service Charter covers visitors to the Centre and its exhibitions and to programs throughout Australia. It is available online at www.questacon.edu.au/html/customer_service_charter.html and as a pamphlet with an attached comment card. Copies are displayed in the Centre's galleries and foyer and distributed through outreach programs and travelling exhibitions throughout Australia, including regional, rural and remote areas.
The Charter sets out a number of performance standards for Questacon programs. These standards comply with the Government's Charter of Public Service for a Culturally Diverse Society under the Commonwealth Access and Equity Strategy.
The Charter reflects the values of service expressed in the Australian Public Service Act 1999.
During 2000-2001, 293 people (about 0.1 per cent of all visitors) used Customer Service comment cards to provide feedback to Questacon. Almost all were in relation to a visit to the Centre in Canberra. The proportions of positive responses on organisation's performance against the standards in the Charter were as follows:
- warm, friendly and helpful staff-95 per cent;
- enquiries dealt with to customer's satisfaction-92 per cent;
- special needs, if any, adequately catered for-83 per cent;
- premises clean and well presented-92 per cent;
- opening hours suitable-93 per cent; and
- the visit was good value for money-87 per cent.
The feedback card also provides space for general comments. Of these, 38 per cent (i.e. less than 0.04 per cent of the total number of visitors to the Centre) registered a complaint, 79 per cent offered a compliment and 54 per cent offered a suggestion on some aspect of the Centre's operation. Many of the complaints related to the Centre's café; Questacon's management works closely with the operators on issues raised. All complaints were dealt with immediately or a written response provided within ten days.
In customer surveys, carried out at the Centre in January 2001 and for the Shell Questacon Science Circus over several months in 2000, more than 95 per cent of responses indicated that visitors were satisfied or very satisfied with their Questacon experience as a whole.
ScreenSound Australia Client Service Charter
ScreenSound Australia's Service Charter, which was first published in 1997, sets out the standards of service customers can expect in their dealings with the organisation, and the steps to be taken if these standards are not met.
During the year, ScreenSound Australia conducted in-house and external surveys to assess the level of client satisfaction with the services it provides. Ninety-eight per cent of respondents rated the programs and services provided by the Archive as satisfactory to excellent. The Archive's performance against the standards in the current Service Charter was as follows:
- Provision of programs and services to a high standard: 98 per cent of clients who completed survey cards were satisfied or very satisfied with their ScreenSound Australia product purchases and 100 per cent of visitors to presentations and exhibitions rated them as good to excellent in our formal surveying.
- Prompt, effective, courteous and personal service: 96 per cent of Collection Access users rated the services provided very satisfactory or satisfactory, with 97 per cent of requests serviced within or before the deadlines requested by customers.
- Highest possible standard of technical work: 94 per cent of clients have indicated that the quality of technical work supplied by ScreenSound Australia was good or very good.
- Adherence to legal obligations and the right to privacy and confidentiality: no complaints were received on this standard.
Formal feedback from ScreenSound Australia's clients during the year comprised 49 letters complimenting ScreenSound Australia on its programs, employee performance and technical expertise.
Three written complaints were received about the logo for the ScreenSound Club; the inability to purchase shop products online; and a number of matters from one client including the disposal of recordings, access and audio costs, and the preservation of film footage. These three complaints were dealt with promptly and action taken to address the matters raised.
ScreenSound Australia's website has been available for greater than 99 per cent of the time during the reporting period. Policy documents and other administration documents for visitor information and orientation are available on our website and a guest book has been included on the site for users to provide comments.
ScreenSound Australia has a program in place to monitor service to clients, well-developed procedures for obtaining client feedback and a complaints handling mechanism. The Service Charter is available in hard copy from the Archive's Corporate Relations area, included in mail-outs to customers and is on ScreenSound Australia's website, www.screensound.gov.au/AboutUs.nsf/Sub+Pages/Publications+Corporate+Service+Charter
In the next financial year, ScreenSound Australia will undertake an external review of its Service Charter to examine its relevance and effectiveness and to determine what changes, if any, are required.