THE DEPARTMENT'S SERVICE COMMITMENTS

The department’s service commitments are a public expression of its vision of delivering excellent services to the Australian people while delivering on the outcomes and expectations of government. They cover:

• what people can expect from the department under the four themes of respect, quality information, honesty and integrity, and efficiency
• the department’s business improvement priorities, such as designing products and services that take people’s feedback into account
• what people can do to help the department, such as providing complete, accurate and timely information about their circumstances and treating staff with courtesy
• how people can offer feedback about service delivery and have complaints resolved.

The department’s service commitments underpin its business priorities. They are available on the department’s website at humanservices.gov.au

SUMMARY OF PERFORMANCE AGAINST SERVICE COMMITMENTS

This is an overview of the department’s performance against each of the four service commitment themes. The results are based on responses to a survey conducted throughout 2017–8 that asked about each respondent’s most recent interaction with the department. Respondents who were unable to provide an answer were removed from the calculation of results.

The department has an ongoing focus on improving the way services are delivered in line with the expectations of the Australian community. There has been an improvement in results against all four of the service commitment themes in 2017–8.

Respect

We will listen and work with you to understand your individual and cultural needs—measured by people’s assessment of staff behaviour:

• 92.3 per cent of people surveyed about Centrelink services agreed that staff treated them with respect and 80.8 per cent agreed that staff took into account their individual circumstances
• 94.4 per cent of people surveyed about Medicare services agreed that staff treated them with respect and 89.4 per cent agreed that staff took into account their individual circumstances
• 90.1 per cent of people surveyed about Child Support services agreed that staff treated them with respect and 85.1 per cent agreed that staff took into account their individual circumstances.

Quality information

We are committed to providing consistent and accurate information—measured by people’s assessment of the consistency and accuracy of information:

• 83.6 per cent of people surveyed about Centrelink services agreed that staff had told them everything they had to do to get the service and 84.2 per cent agreed that they were given accurate information
• 92.4 per cent of people surveyed about Medicare services agreed that staff had told them everything they had to do to get the service and 93.3 per cent agreed that they were given accurate information
• 87.8 per cent of people surveyed about Child Support services agreed that staff had told them everything they had to do to get the service and 89 per cent agreed that they were given accurate information

• 79.8 per cent of people surveyed about Centrelink services agreed that staff gave them information that was consistent with what they had already heard or read
• 89.8 per cent of people surveyed about Medicare services agreed that staff gave them information that was consistent with what they had already heard or read
• 85.7 per cent of people surveyed about Child Support services agreed that staff gave them information that was consistent with what they had already heard or read.

Honesty and integrity

We will be open and honest and follow through on our commitments—measured by people’s assessment of information that is clear and easy to understand:

• 85.1 per cent of people surveyed about Centrelink services agreed that staff gave them information that was clear and easy to understand
• 92.3 per cent of people surveyed about Medicare services agreed that staff gave them information that was clear and easy to understand
• 87.4 per cent of people surveyed about Child Support services agreed that staff gave them information that was clear and easy to understand.

Efficiency

We will simplify the way we deliver services to you—measured by people’s assessment of staff promptness and efficiency:

• 82.2 per cent of people surveyed about Centrelink services said that staff were prompt and efficient
• 86.4 per cent of people surveyed about Medicare services said that staff were prompt and efficient
• 87.8 per cent of people surveyed about Child Support services said that staff were prompt and efficient.

SATISFACTION RESEARCH PROGRAM

In 2017–18 the department engaged a new market research provider to administer its Satisfaction Research Program. This program includes a number of survey modules designed to measure satisfaction with the department’s service delivery:

• The Transactional Survey measures people’s perceptions of the quality of service they received in their most recent interaction with the department.
• The Relationship Survey measures people’s general perceptions of and engagement with the department.
• The Health Provider Survey measures satisfaction with the department’s services to health professionals, including aged care providers, pharmacists, general practitioners and practice managers.

FEEDBACK ON SERVICES

The department is committed to delivering high-quality services to the Australian people. Receiving feedback is valuable, as it helps improve business processes and deliver better services.

The department is committed to ensuring that people are aware of their right to complain and provide feedback. They can do so:

• by calling the complaints and feedback line
• online via their myGov account or at humanservices.gov.au
• by calling one of the department’s international phone numbers from overseas—listed at humanservices.gov.au/international
• by mail (no postage stamp required)
• by calling the National Relay Service for people who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment
• by speaking to a service officer at any service centre or on the phone.

The number of complaints the department received in 2017–8 about its services was 265 293, or 0.19 per cent of the more than 139 million interactions for that period.

In 2017–8 the department received 10 975 compliments. Of these, 88.2 per cent were about the service provided by staff, 6.2 per cent were about programs and 5.6 per cent were about products.

The department actively encourages feedback and suggestions about programs, services and new initiatives. In 2017–8 the department received 8386 suggestions.

Centrelink feedback

In 2017–18 the department recorded 253 752 feedback contacts about Centrelink services. Of these, 236 563 were complaints. The top three complaint reasons, by volume, were:

• dissatisfaction with a claim, application or assessment process, including waiting too long, needing to contact the department multiple times to progress the matter, and not being updated on progress (40.7 per cent)
• dissatisfaction with a decision, outcome or payment, including waiting too long, a cancellation or suspension, or a payment not being received (26.8 per cent)
• difficulties with phone services, including busy or engaged signals, call wait times, and call disconnections (12.1 per cent).

Medicare feedback

In 2017–18 the department recorded 12 254 feedback contacts about Medicare services. Of these, 10 472 were complaints. The top three complaint reasons, by volume, were:

• dissatisfaction with a claim, application or assessment process, including waiting too long, incorrect information, and requests for information (32.5 per cent)
• dissatisfaction with a decision, outcome or payment, including a payment not being received, waiting too long, or the amount of payment (19.9 per cent)
• difficulties with digital services, including inability to complete a transaction, inability to access, and lack of user friendliness (17.8 per cent).

Child Support feedback

In 2017–18 the department recorded 18 711 feedback contacts about Child Support services. Of these, 18 258 were complaints. The top three complaint reasons, by volume, were to do with:

• collection, including lack of collection, issues with account balance, and issues with employer withholding (31.4 per cent)
• quality of service, including lack of courtesy, poor advice, and inaction (30.1 per cent)
• assessment, including income used, care level used, and change of assessment (22.2 per cent).

RESPONSES TO COMPLAINTS AND FEEDBACK

The department is committed to continuous service improvement and reducing overall complaint volumes. Complaints, compliments and suggestions are used to improve service delivery, training, and procedural and communication guidelines.

The department uses data analytics techniques to identify the underlying causes of complaints and determine the actions needed to resolve these issues. Trends in complaints are regularly monitored and reports are provided to service and process teams so that the issues identified can be addressed.

The department provides staff with comprehensive training and guidance materials covering all aspects of complaints management. In July 2017 feedback from staff was also used to improve training in how to manage and record complaints and feedback.