Written Evidence from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman [PHS0040]
Our Customer Experience
During the year, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman carries out research to find out what our customers think about our service.
This includes telephone calls by the independent market research company IFF Research with all of our customers whose complaints have been investigated, and with a random sample of those customers who have made an initial enquiry to us. Since 2010, we have received feedback from over 8,000 people this way. This financial year alone we have sought the opinions of over 1,700 of those who have used our service.
We welcome this opportunity to share the latest figures from our customer satisfaction survey with the Public Administration Select Committee. We hope that they provide further context for the Committee’s inquiry into Parliament’s Ombudsman Service.
Customer satisfaction
Satisfaction levels have remained stable over the past five years, even though the number of people seeking our help has increased.
How the outcome of an investigation affects customers’ views of our service
Our research has found that whether or not someone’s complaint is upheld has a significant impact on their satisfaction levels. Customers whose complaints were investigated and upheld had a 98% satisfaction level. In contrast, only 57% of those whose complaints we investigated but did not uphold were satisfied with our customer service overall. In 2012/13 more complaints were upheld than in 2011/12 or that have been upheld so far in 2013/14. This is reflected in the higher satisfaction levels for 2012/13.
These findings are borne out by research by other comparable bodies. In their annual review of 2012/13, the Financial Ombudsman Service found that 90% of those consumers who said they felt they had ‘won’ their complaint gave positive feedback on the level of service provided. In contrast, 48% of those consumers who said they had ‘lost’ their complaint gave positive feedback.
Why our customers are satisfied
Certain aspects of customer service really matter to everyone who uses our service.
Mr B’s mother was admitted to hospital with malnutrition and dehydration, and did not survive. Mr B came to us but, after a detailed consideration of events by our clinical advisers, we decided there was nothing more we could achieve. Despite this, Mr B wrote telling us:
‘You have now answered our concerns methodically and sensitively and given us clarification to questions we were struggling to interpret … we would like to thank you for your diligence and integrity.’
Our customer satisfaction survey reveals that the main reasons our customers are satisfied with our service are:
The quality of the information and advice we provide
Our helpful, polite and sympathetic staff
Being kept informed and good communication
Our professionalism.
What our customers say
‘They found things out that we didn’t have access to and they have made the hospital be truthful and honest with us at last.’
‘They are very tolerant – they are easy to talk to – they are professionals and are not taking sides.’
‘I feel like this will be coming to an end now, because the Ombudsman has taken over, it will bring closure. As it’s independent it will either be yes it’s their failure or no. You can’t go higher than the ombudsman.’
November 2013