Select Committee on Public Administration Written Evidence


Memorandum from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

VEHICLE RELICENSING (TAX)

  Forecast volumes for 2006-07 = 42.6 m

  Cost—Unit cost per transaction is £1.13

FIRST REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES

  Forecast volumes for 2006-07 = 2.9m

  Cost—Unit cost per transaction £4.50

Q  What formal systems do you have for gathering customer feedback?

  A


Yes/NoCost pa


Facility on WebsiteY No annual cost, part of business as usual
Response cards at OfficeYes (response cards available at DVLA Local Office response less than 5% Card completed in house therefore no annual costs, business as usual
Focus GroupsYes£15—£25 k
User SurveysYes£50—£80 k
Analysis of complaintsYes Met within Salary budget
Web site usability testingYes £30—£40 k




Q  What systems are more effective?

  A  All have a place in the overall strategy but based on experience, qualitative customer satisfaction surveys are the most effective means of gathering customer feedback giving a robust measure which is representative of the customer base. Survey results represent customer overall customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction. For those who have expressed dissatisfaction with the service, they are asked to state the reason why. Analysis of this feedback looks for trends and gives accountable information that informs us how to improve our services.

Q  Can you identify any changes made as a result of gathering user feedback?

  A  Following customer feedback on the Electronic Vehicle Licensing (EVL) experience of customers, a number of improvements have been made eg Commercial Operators found the system for bulk purchase of tax disc cumbersome. Generally, all customer feedback is incorporated into a consolidated action plan which drives service improvement.

Q  If you undertake user surveys how often are they repeated, and how much is spent on each survey?

  A  Across the Driver and Vehicle Operator Group, annual Customer Satisfaction Surveys are conducted for each of 13 main customer segments. The four highest volumes identified would fall into the annual survey of the Private Motorist. Cost of this survey is approximately £60k annually. Should there be a need to boost a particular issue, the survey may be extended which would incur an additional cost of £10k.

Q  What targets for customer service, if any, are in place?

  A  Proposed Secretary of State targets for 2007-08 is to: "Maintain or improve customer satisfaction at a rate of 88%." Results from current Customer Satisfaction Survey shows an overall satisfaction level of 91.6%. Further break down of overall results shows:

    —  92% customer satisfaction with Relicensing.

    —  We do not have a break down customer satisfaction figure for first registration of vehicles as this does not form part of the Private Motorist Survey. If measured, satisfaction measures of end user are likely to represent satisfaction with (AFRL) dealer performance rather than that of the DVLA.

Q  Do you have a complaint handling unit, or are complaints handled where they are received?

  A  We do not have a central complaint handling unit and complaints are handled by the section they are addressed to. However, our Customer Services Manager section handles the vast majority of complaints. We have recently developed an Agency Complaints Tracking System which is expected to go live early March. This will give better visibility on the status of each case.

Q  How many full time equivalents are involved in complaint handling, and at what grades?

  A  A total of 54 ½ full time equivalents are involved in complaint handling. Break down as follows:

  0.8 Senior Executive Office

  5 ½ Higher Executive Officers

  21.4 Executive Officers

  22.2 Administration Officers

  4 ½ Administration Assistants

Q  Do you have an internal review process for dealing with complaints? If so, how does it operate?

  A  We adopt a staged approach for dealing with customer complaints; literature is readily available to customers, which clearly explains routes of escalation and what these stages are ending with case being referred to the Independent Complaints Assessor.

Q  Do you do any analysis of complaints to inform service delivery and design?

  A  Currently complaints are reported on a monthly basis. Month on month analysis is carried out to track trends which when identified are acted on to improve process and to provide a better customer experience.

February 2007





 
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