Customer satisfaction surveys

Report: 5
Date: 10 October 2000
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report gives a summary of the results of MPS customer satisfaction surveys for the period April - June 2000.

A. Supporting information

Introduction

1. The customer satisfaction surveys obtain the views of members of the public who have come into contact with the police either as callers at police stations, victims of crime or people involved in personal injury road traffic accidents. Historically, all three surveys have been conducted using paper-based questionnaires. Since April 2000, however, the crime victim surveys have been carried out by telephone interview.

2. Other changes have been made to all the surveys from April 2000:

• The questionnaires/interviews have increased in length, with new questions added to gauge better customer satisfaction with the service received. Questions relating to the Best Value Performance Indicators have also been included.
• Respondents are asked their views on a five-point scale, which now incorporates a mid-point (rather than the four-point scale previously used). This complies with Home Office and ACPO recommendations. The introduction of the mid-point is likely to reduce the percentages of both those satisfied and dissatisfied with the service received.

3. Copies of the new survey questions are attached (Appendix 1). Questions 10 of the front counter survey, 13 of the road traffic accident survey and 29 of the crime survey are those previously used to measure overall satisfaction with the service received, and have now moved to the five-point scale. Questions 9 (front counter), 10 (accident), and 17 (crime) are the additional BVPI questions.

4. Results are available for the first quarter of 2000/2001 (April-June). This paper looks at achievement against the new performance indicators introduced in 2000/2001 and discusses the impact of the changes to the surveys on performance levels. Satisfaction levels have fallen for all surveys. The paper concludes that the decline in satisfaction is not simply a reflection of the new methodology, but indicates an underlying reduction in customer satisfaction. It is perhaps not surprising that in a time of increasing demand and decreasing resources, there is a reflection of this across customer satisfaction.

Performance headlines BVPIs and PPIs

5. The standard is only being achieved in one out of the five BVPIs (road traffic accidents). Of the remaining four BVPIs, the greatest difference between standard and achievement is in the satisfaction with police initial response to the report of a violent crime.

Policing Plan Indicators (PP D a1) To achieve parity in the level of satisfaction recorded amongst victims of racially motivated crime and the victims of other crimes:

6. Results for the first quarter of 2000/2001 show a gap of around 5% in the level of satisfaction with initial police response between victims of all crimes and victims of racially motivated crimes. The gap is around 2% when looking at “overall impression of police on this occasion”.

Reasons for target level

7. Targets for BVPIs and Customer satisfaction were set as part of the 2000/2001 planning process, and were based on the existing MPS Charter. At the time BVPI targets were set for 2000/2001, consideration was given to the possible effect of introducing a middle box. It was, however, decided not to make any adjustment to the standards for the following reasons:

• The effect of introducing a middle box was difficult to determine; 2000/2001 performance would give a better indication of the impact of the five-point scale.
• At the time the BVPI targets were set, the MPS was exceeding the standards; it was felt that to reduce the standards could be interpreted as an acceptance by the MPS that performance would fall.
• Performance historically has been set against standards rather than targets.

The effect of survey changes on performance

8. The introduction of a middle box to both the telephone and paper based surveys is likely to have affected both positive and negative assessments of performance, although it is difficult to determine how this split breaks down. The following table shows, for the first quarter 2000/2001 results, the range of percentages between which performance under the previous four-point scale would have fallen. The highlighted column assumes that, of the customers with mixed feelings towards MPS performance, half would have previously opted for “fairly satisfied” and half for “fairly unsatisfied”. This assumption has been used later to compare performance against time:

9. Additional questions were added to both the telephone and paper based surveys, to reflect better the requirements of the BVPIs. The Charter question on satisfaction (which has been retained) asked “what is your overall impression of police on this occasion”, whereas the new BVPI question is worded “overall how satisfied were you with the initial police response 1 ”. The following table compares the positive responses to both questions for the first quarter 2000/2001:

10. It is interesting that those completing the surveys are more positive in their responses to the BVPI, rather than the charter wording. This could indicate a greater level of satisfaction with initial rather than overall performance. 1 Crime and Road Traffic Surveys. The BVPI question on the front counter survey is “how satisfied were you with the way you were dealt with?"

11. In terms of the crime survey, it is also likely that the telephone survey now reaches people who would not have previously responded to the paper based crime survey. The effect of this is difficult to determine. However, it is possible that those most likely to respond to the paper based survey were those who felt they had received particularly good, or bad, service. It is possible, then, that the move towards a telephone survey could result in a greater level of people neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.

Comparison over time

12. In order to show a comparison with previous quarters, the results relating to the original Charter question have been reproduced below. Also, for purposes of comparison, the performance in the first quarter of 2000/2001 includes half of the people with mixed feeling towards the question. This is a “best guess” and may not fully counteract the effect of moving to a five-point scale. The following comments must therefore be read in this context:

13. The figures show that in the last quarter fewer people are satisfied with the service they received at the police station front counter, and in response to a crime. Whilst satisfaction in connection with road traffic accidents has dropped very slightly, the standard of 90% is still being met. Satisfaction and resources Front counter survey

14. The new survey questions allow for a better comparison between satisfaction with service received and the time taken to be seen at the front counter. The following table shows, for the total of those customers with either a good, mixed or poor impression of police on this occasion, the length of time each group waited to be seen. This shows that there appears to be a clear link between satisfaction levels and time taken to be seen:

B. Recommendations

1. That the MPS report to PSPM when the next quarter (July-Sept) results are available.
2. That the MPS recognise and further research the likely link between performance, resources and satisfaction.
3. That the MPS and MPA consider the results reported here when setting targets for 2001/02.

C. Financial implications

None.

D. Review arrangements

The July-September customer satisfaction report will be presented to PSPM in December.

E. Background papers

The following is a statutory list of background papers (under the Local Government Act 1972 S.100 D) which disclose facts or matters on which the report is based and which have been relied on to a material extent in preparing this report. They are available on request to either the contact officer listed below or to the Clerk to the Police Authority at the address indicated on the agenda.

None.

F. Contact details

The author of this report is Lesley Nichols, Corporate Performance Analysis Unit, MPS.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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