DIMA Annual Report 2000-01
Management and accountability
Performance against the Client Service Charter
The department's Client Service Charter informs our clients of the standards of service
they can expect from the department, provides an avenue for clients to comment on
our performance and advises how clients can help the department serve them better.
The Client Service Charter and companion brochure Do you have a complaint?
have been translated into 19 community languages.
Copies are available at offices
of the department in Australia and overseas, through our general inquiry line 131 881,
from organisations that provide services on the department's behalf and electronically
from the department's website at www.immi.gov.au/about/charters/client-services-charter/index.htm.
The Client Service Charter contains service standards that specify the department's
public commitment to high-quality client service.
To identify problems and facilitate
continuous improvement in service delivery, ongoing monitoring and periodic evaluation
of performance against the service standards contained in the Client Service Charter
is undertaken.
This process was significantly enhanced during 2000-01 through the
implementation of a management information system to more efficiently capture data
on performance against Client Service Charter service standards both on and offshore.
Performance against the service standards contained in the Client Service Charter
for 2000-01 has improved over results for 1999-2000 for both onshore and offshore
operations, with service standards being met on average three-quarters of the time.
The service standard indicating that we will explain our decisions and advise about
any review rights was again our most successful, being met both onshore and offshore
on average 95 per cent of the time.
The Client Service Charter is supported by a complaints handling mechanism enabling
clients to provide feedback to the department orally and in writing. Integral to
this is a network of complaints handling staff who investigate and resolve client
complaints as far as possible at the local level.
In 2000-01 the department received
3,676 complaints, down from 6,244 complaints in 1999-2000 with, on average, 90 per
cent of complaints being resolved within three days.
Complaints received under the
Charter's complaints handling mechanism are also reported at the output level in
performance information for departmental outputs.
The nature of complaints was for the most part about accessibility of service
and delivery of service (approximately 67 per cent and 16 per cent respectively).
The majority of complaints relating to accessibility of service were in relation
to the department's 131 881 national telephone inquiry service.
To address the complaints about the telephone service, the 131 881 inquiry line
is continually reviewed to improve the service provided to our clients.
This has
seen further revision and streamlining of the script, with clients given the option
to speak to an operator without the need to first listen to recorded information.
This, coupled with continuing emphasis on local call management, has delivered significant
improvement in both call waiting times and abandonment rates with fewer call backs.
As a result, during 2000-01, some 20,000 fewer calls (1.22 million) calls were received
nationally through the department's '131' general inquiry numbers than in 1999-2000
(1.24 million). Nonetheless, the number of calls received has increased substantially
from 290,000 in 1996-97, 580,000 in 1997-98 and 866,000 in 1998-99.
For the second year running, the department's telephone-based service delivery
to clients in Australia has exceeded services provided over the counter at State
and regional offices.
The number of clients seen at our state and regional office
counters increased from 838,000 in 1997-98, 969,000 in 1998-99 to 1.11 million in
1999-2000. During 2000-01 the number of clients seen has remained steady at 1.1 million.
The average waiting time for clients to be served was approximately 28 minutes, an
increase on the 25 minutes for 1999-2000.
Other key causes of complaints were timeliness of processing and waiting times at our counters. Strategies to address these issues have included:
- revision of the migration booklets with emphasis on lodgement of complete applications
- production of similar booklets for a number of temporary entry visas
- trials of cashless office initiatives encouraging clients to pay through electronic
means
- ongoing review of counter operations with sharing of best practices
- better management of client expectations for service
- extending the range of electronic services.
In addition to the decrease in complaints received, the department has seen an increase in the number of compliments received through the complaints handling mechanism (42 in 1999-2000 to 229 in 2000-01). In the main, the positive feedback related to appreciation of time taken to fully discuss matters and address client concerns, the timeliness of processing applications and the positive attitude and friendly and professional manner of staff.
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