Legislative Council Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3) 51 3 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Service SA SERVICE SA The Hon. I.K. HUNTER Legislative Council SERVICE SA The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (15:22): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Government Enterprises a question about customer satisfaction. Leave granted. The Hon. I.K. HUNTER Legislative Council The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: Ensuring that customers get what they want is often challenging and difficult to measure. Can the minister advise what Service SA is doing to measure and ensure customer satisfaction? The Hon. G.E. GAGO Legislative Council Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (15:22): I thank the honourable member for his most important question and his ongoing interest in this important policy area. In 2007, Service SA adopted the state government's approved common measurement tool (CMT) questions to help it better understand customers' satisfaction drivers. In May 2007, Service SA implemented a customer feedback process across the Service SA Customer Service Centre Network called 'Have your say'. The system assesses customers' experience via a common measurement tool, the CMT questions, via forms which are very easy to use and quite user-friendly. The forms are freely available in the customer service waiting area and are completed by customers at their discretion. The 'Have your say' feedback form is returned direct to Service SA's central office. All forms received are recorded and, if contact details are provided, Service SA responds directly to the customer as appropriate. Customers indicated a satisfaction rating of 86 per cent for the overall outcome of getting what they needed. That was in May 2008. In late 2008, the Service SA Customer Contact Centre also commenced using the common measurement tool questions for its quarterly customer satisfaction reports. With customers attending the service centres, contact centre customers opt in to the feedback process. Team leaders call customers who have previously contacted the centre and agreed to participate in a quick survey. The feedback provides useful insights for customers' preferences around service delivery activities and helps Service SA develop responsive practices. During the March quarter of 2009, the contact centre recorded a 92 per cent rating for overall customer satisfaction from the customers contacted. Service SA was aiming for a customer satisfaction target of greater than 85 per cent and, clearly, it exceeded this last financial year and hopes to achieve similar results this financial year. I think what it goes to is the real drive and commitment of the staff of Service SA. The driving focus of the staff is to provide a strong, high quality, customer focused service. The staff work very hard to improve their service in an ongoing way, and they should be commended for these outstanding results.