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Evaluation of Consumer Direct Scotland

Evaluation of Consumer Direct Scotland. October 2005. Structure of presentation. Background and o bjectives Methodology and analysis Profile of service users Expectations of users Dealing with Consumer Direct Scotland Outcome of enquiry Overall perceptions of Consumer Direct Scotland

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Evaluation of Consumer Direct Scotland

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  1. Evaluation of Consumer Direct Scotland October 2005

  2. Structure of presentation Background and objectives Methodology and analysis Profile of service users Expectations of users Dealing with Consumer Direct Scotland Outcome of enquiry Overall perceptions of Consumer Direct Scotland Summary and conclusions

  3. Background and Objectives

  4. Introduction “ is a new consumer advice service that aims to provide clear practical and impartial advice to consumers, and to enable consumers to arm themselves with the knowledge, tools and confidence to resolve problems and to seek redress from suppliers of goods and services”

  5. Strategic objectives Increase consumers’ access to quality assured advice and information Give people the knowledge, tools and confidence to resolve matters themselves Improve the quality and coverage of information for Trading Standards and other stakeholders Act as a gateway to other complementary services where required

  6. Research objectives Explore who is using the service Ascertain how callers contacted Consumer Direct Scotland Ascertain users’ needs and expectations of the service Measure user experience of the service Measure attitudes and satisfaction Establish and measure to what extent the service provides tangible benefits Identify variations in these measures across different types of callers

  7. Methodology and Analysis

  8. Method • Launch of Consumer Direct Scotland in July 2004 • Originally surveyed in August 2004, and again in July 2005 • Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI) with consumers who contacted Consumer Direct Scotland: 500 in 2004 and 250 in 2005. 500 interviews were completed in 2004 as Scotland was the first region to be surveyed and a more robust sample size was required • Random selection made from in-scope calls • In 2004 respondents had previously agreed to be re-contacted, but this was NOT the case in 2005 - in line with other regions • On average, interviews lasted 13 minutes each • Fieldwork for 2005 conducted 25th July to 12th August 2005 • Fieldwork completed seven to eleven weeks after first contact with Consumer Direct Scotland

  9. Variables used for analysis Trend data is shown for between data collected in 2004 and 2005 Demographic variables used for analysis: • Social Grade • Age • Gender • Working status

  10. Variables used for analysis Other variables used for analysis: • Called Consumer Direct Scotland v called Trading Standards or other • Previously sought advice v not previously sought advice • Those satisfied with response v those dissatisfied • Those who called Consumer Direct Scotland once v those who called more than once (on the same issue) • Enquiry resolved v enquiry unresolved • Those that would have achieved less if they had not contacted Consumer Direct Scotland v those that would have achieved same

  11. Variables not used for analysis Due to small sample sizes for one or more of the categories listed below the following variables could not be used for analysis: • The type of enquiry • Business v private individual callers • Called with specific v general enquiry • Those receiving a response from Consumer Direct Scotland v those receiving a response from another source

  12. Profile of Service Users

  13. Demographic profile of users Significantly higher at 95% Base: Consumer Direct Scotland Users - All respondents 2005 (250) vs. total population of Scotland (4,088,000) grossed-up from figures from National Readership Survey (identical question, base 5,185 Jan-Dec 2004) Shows unweighted percentages and excludes refusals at age, social grade and working status

  14. Demographic profile of users: 2005 vs. 2004 The demographic profile of callers to Consumer Direct Scotland was constant between 2004 and 2005. Base: Consumer Direct Scotland Callers - All respondents in 2004 (500) and 2005 (250) Shows unweighted percentages and excludes refusals at age, social grade and working status

  15. Number of weeks elapsed between last contact with Consumer Direct Scotland and interview Base: All respondents (500) *Data from sample file

  16. Whether callers had previously sought advice or not Callers who had previously sought advice were less satisfied with the service provided by Consumer Direct. Age, working status, social grade and gender do not seem to affect whether respondents have previously sought advice or not. The same proportion of callers in 2004 and 2005 had previously sought advice before (21%). Q3: Had you previously sought advice on consumer issues from any other organisations? Base: All respondents (250)

  17. Where previous advice was sought from Due to small size of sub groups comparison for this question was not possible Q4: Where did you previously seek advice? Base: Those that had previously sought advice 2004 (104), 2005 (52)

  18. How consumers reached Consumer Direct A lower percentage of callers in sample reached Consumer Direct Scotland via 0845 number in 2005 vs. 2004, and a higher percentage by calling Trading Standards and being transferred to the 0845 number. Other includes: Friend/family member Local council contact Citizen Advice Bureaux Telephone directories/Yellow pages Leaflet More males than females and more ABC1s than C2DEs called Consumer Direct via 0845 in 2005 Q1: How did you get through to Consumer Direct? Base: All respondents 2004 (500), 2005 (250)

  19. Profile of users by entry point Significantly higher at 95% Base: Consumer Direct Scotland Users - All who called 0845 number (86) vs called other number (154) excluding refused

  20. Reason for contacting Consumer Direct Scotland Less consumers called with a general inquiry in 2005 than in 2004. Results are consistent among sub-groups Q2: Which of the following best describes the reason for your call? (multiple response) Base: All respondents 2004 (250), 2005 (250)

  21. Reason for calling on someone else’s behalf • 9% of all calls were made on someone else’s behalf because: • Complainant was too busy • Complainant was not confident • Complainant was an elderly person Q2c: Can I ask why you were calling on someone else’s behalf? Base: All respondents calling on someone else’s behalf 2005 (23) SMALL BASE SIZE

  22. Number of times contacted Consumer Direct Scotland with enquiry • Those who have not resolved the issue they were calling about are more likely to have called Consumer Direct Scotland more than once: • 53% (125) of those who resolved their problem called only once vs. 39% (92) of those who have not resolved their issue 2004 2005 Q6: How many times did you contact Consumer Direct about your enquiry? Base: All respondents 2004 (500), 2005 (250)

  23. Awareness of rights and confidence in complaining • More likely to be confident complaining: • Consumers who called Consumer Direct via 0845 (97%) vs. those who called via Trading standards or another means (88%) • Those who were satisfied with the outcome of their query vs. those who were not satisfied (93% vs. 82%) Q22: How much do you agree / disagree with the following statements a) I am aware of my rights b) I am confident about complaining? (Agree net) Base: All respondents 2004 (500), 2005 (250)

  24. Expectations

  25. Expectations of Consumer Direct Scotland (1) The majority of consumers expected to receive general advice about their rights (58%) or to receive step-by-step instructions about what to do (52%). This followed the same pattern in 2004. Q17: In what way did you expect Consumer Direct to help you? (multiple response) Base: All respondents 2004 (500), 2005 (250)

  26. Expectations of Consumer Direct Scotland (2) • More likely to expect Consumer Direct Scotland to take action on their behalf: • Those who were not satisfied with the service from Consumer Direct (61% vs. 25% for those satisfied) • Those whose expectations had not been met (64% vs 22% for expectations met and 27% for expectations exceeded) • More likely to expect to be referred to someone with more power: • Referrals (35% vs. non-referrals 21%) • Those whose expectations had not been met (40% vs 22% for expectations met and 17% for expectations exceeded)

  27. Dealing with Consumer Direct Scotland

  28. Satisfaction (1) Satisfaction with the service overall continued to be high in 2005 (86%) following on from the 2004 survey (90%) Q5: How satisfied or dissatisfied were you with the service provided? Base: All respondents 2004 (500), 2005 (250)

  29. Satisfaction (2) Consistent levels of satisfaction: • Across age, gender and social grade • Whether caller working or not • Whether caller had called about specific or general inquiry • Whether caller was referred to another organisation or not • An enquiry compared to a trading complaint Overall satisfaction is slightly higher among: • Those who had never sought advice before (89%) compared with those who had previously sought advice (77%) • Those where issue resolved (91%) compared with unresolved (80%) • Those that would have achieved less if not contacted Consumer Direct Scotland (95%) compared with those who would have achieved same (67%) • Those whose expectation had been exceeded (97%) or met (96%) compared with expectations not met (43%) • Those who felt able to deal with a similar issue in the future (89%) compared to those who did not feel they would be able to (69%)

  30. Ratings of aspects of customer service Callers were generally very happy with each aspect of the customer service from Consumer Direct Scotland. However, there was a slight increase in those agreeing that “They were not interested in my enquiry” (12%) from 2004 (7%) 7% Q8: How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements about the way your enquiry was handled? Base: All respondents 2004 (500), Non-referrals 2005 (199)

  31. Benchmarking:Satisfaction with customer service Consumer Direct Scotland callers were generally more satisfied with the customer service they received than callers to other similar public sector helplines, with high scores for knowledge, interest and reassurance * Base: Consumer Direct Scotland 2005 - all respondents excl referrals (199), Organisation 1 (1500), Organisation 2 (1,100) and Organisation 3 (400) * All respondents - 250

  32. Consumer Direct Scotland’s response The type of response the callers received was consistent with the responses in 2004, with nine out of ten callers getting advice or information over the phone (89%) and one in five callers being arranged to be contacted by another organisation. Q7: In which of the following ways did Consumer Direct respond to your enquiry? Base: All respondents 2004 (500), 2005 (250)

  33. Quality of advice The quality of advice received from Consumer Direct Scotland remained high in 2005. Q14: How much do you agree / disagree with the following statements about the response or information you received from Consumer Direct? Agree (net) Base: Non-referrals calling about a specific issue 2004 (344), 2005 (172)

  34. Benchmarking: Satisfaction with handling of enquiries Compared with other organisations, callers to Consumer Direct Scotland were more satisfied with the way their enquiry was handled. In particular, information was specific, provided a full answer, callers got a better understanding of their rights and clear guidance was given on the choices available. Base: Consumer Direct Scotland - non-referrals calling about a specific issue 2005 (172) Organisation 1 (1500), Organisation 2 (1,100) and Organisation 3 (400)

  35. Outcome of Enquiry

  36. Actions taken since contacting Consumer Direct Scotland Although less respondents in 2005 (22%) contacted the trader involved and asked for a refund/replacement after calling Consumer Direct Scotland than in 2004 (64%), this was still the most common action taken. Q9: What action, if any, have you taken since you contacted Consumer Direct? Base: All respondents 2004 (500), 2005 (250). Responses below 3% not shown

  37. Status of enquiry – resolved / unresolved Resolving consumer issues seems to have increased between 2004 and 2005. In 2005 58% of consumers said their enquiry was resolved fully or partially, compared to 48% in 2004. This may, however, be explained by the increase in the average amount of time between initial contact with Consumer Direct and the interview, from five weeks in 2004 to nine weeks in 2005 Q10: As a result of contacting Consumer Direct, have you managed to resolve the issue you were calling about? Base: All respondents calling about a specific issue: 2004 (427), 2005 (219)

  38. How consumers’ issues were resolved Q11: How was the issue resolved / what was the outcome? Base: All respondents whose issues were fully or partially resolved 2004 (206), 2005 (125)

  39. How much resolving problem was worth (1) Mean 2004: £964 Mean 2005: £11,802 Median 2004: £158 Median 2005: £230 Q12: How much resolving the problem was worth to you? Base: All respondents whose issues were fully or partially resolved and could put a value on it 2004 (156), 2005 (96).

  40. How much resolving problem was worth (2) • A quarter of those whose issues were resolved*were unable to estimate the amount saved (24% in 2004 and 23% in 2005) • Around two thirds estimate a value of £100 or more (58% in 2004 and 66% in 2005) Q12: How much resolving the problem was worth to you? Base: All respondents whose issues were fully or partially resolved 2004 (206)*, 2005 (125)*

  41. Other benefits of resolving problem Reduction in worry or stress was still the most mentioned additional benefit of calling Consumer Direct Scotland in 2005 (61%). However a minority of consumers in 2005 felt that they did not get any extra benefits (3%) or they were unsure (9%). Q13: As a result of contacting Consumer Direct, In which of the following other ways, have you benefited? Base: All respondents whose issues were fully or partially resolved 2004 (206), 2005 (125)

  42. Impact of Consumer Direct Scotland advice

  43. Helpfulness of Consumer Direct Scotland advice • More likely to think advice helped a lot in 2005: • Those who have never sought consumer advice before (73% vs. 52% of those who have sought advice previously) • Those whose enquiries were resolved (84% vs. 49% of those who did not get a resolution) Q15: How much did the advice from Consumer Direct help you? Base: All respondents 2004 (500), 2005 (250)

  44. Value to consumers of contact with Consumer Direct Scotland 66% of consumers said they would have achieved less if they had not contacted Consumer Direct Scotland. This was consistent in 2004 and 2005 2004 2005 Q16: Do you think you would have achieved more, less or the same if you had not contacted Consumer Direct? Base: All respondents 2004 (500), 2005 (250)

  45. Ability to deal with similar issues in future Over eight out of ten callers felt that as a result of contacting Consumer Direct Scotland they would be more able to deal with similar issues themselves in future Q20: Having received help or advice through Consumer Direct, would you feel more able to deal with similar issues by yourself in the future? Base: All respondents 2004 (500), 2005 (250)

  46. Likelihood of re-contacting or recommending Consumer Direct Scotland Overall nine out of ten consumers would recommend Consumer Direct Scotland (93% 2005, 95% 2004). Men were less likely to recommend (87%) than women (96%). Similarly, nine out of ten consumers would re-contact Consumer Direct Scotland (89% 2005, 91% 2004) Q22: How much do you agree / disagree with the following statements c) I would recommend Consumer Direct to a friend d) I would consider contacting them again? (strongly agree and agree) Base: All respondents 2004 (500), 2005 (250)

  47. Consumer Direct Scotland performance against expectations More consumers in 2005 (17%) felt that Consumer Direct Scotland did not meet their expectations than in 2004 (11%). However, the majority still felt that the service either exceeded or met their expectations (86% in 2004, 81% in 2005) Q18: Given your expectations before you contacted Consumer Direct, do you feel the Consumer Direct… Exceeded your expectations, Met your expectations, or Didn’t meet your expectations? Base: All respondents 2004 (500), 2005 (250)

  48. Why expectations were met or exceeded: positives Q19: Why were expectations met or exceeded? (multiple response) Base: All respondents 2005 (250). Responses below 3% not shown

  49. Why expectations were not met: negatives Q19: Why were expectations not met? (multiple response) (Expectations not met) Base: All respondents 2005 (250). Responses below 3% not shown

  50. Other comments about Consumer Direct Scotland Few consumers had additional comments to make about Consumer Direct Scotland Q23: Is there anything else you would like to say about Consumer Direct? Base: All respondents 2004 (500), 2005 (250). Responses below 3% not shown

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