OQM offers technical expertise based on experience in formulating sound customer assessment methodologies. OQM is well-versed in designing customer interviews, conducting customer focus groups, developing customer surveys in hard copy, electronic, and web formats. OQM also analyzes the data collected using statistical approaches when appropriate, interprets findings, and makes recommendations based on the data.
Uses
In FY02 a standard survey tool, known as the ORS/ORF Customer Scorecard, was developed to assess customer service satisfaction and importance in ORS and ORF. It still provides the basis for many customer service satisfaction and importance surveys today.
OQM, in partnership with ORS ITB, has since developed an innovative data collection tool to gather customer data via the web. This tool has been used by many ORS/ORF service groups to conduct large scale surveys to assess customer satisfaction and importance. Some of these service groups include:
- NIH Child Care
- NIH Events Management
- NIH Library Services
- ORF Division of Facilities Planning
- ORF Division of Property Management
- ORF Division of Technical Resources
- ORS Division of International Services
- ORS Division of Veterinary Resources
- ORS Security and Emergency Response Services
This tool will be discontinued in the near future as OQM, again partnered with ORS ITB, is working to adapt a survey tool known as the “Voice of the Customer” currently under development by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
ORS/ORF Customer Scorecard
The ORS/ORF Customer Scorecard has been used throughout ORS/ORF to measure customer service satisfaction and importance. Service groups work with OQM to determine the methodology for adapting and administering the survey, collect completed forms, or alternately distribute the survey via the web. This ensures that ORS/ORF customers are not inundated with surveys, and that every service group incorporates components of the ORS/ORF Customer Scorecard in their measurement process.
For more information on how to develop a customer satisfaction survey, please refer to the Customer Assessment Training. In addition, the following general steps may be helpful to you in developing your methodology:
- Review your customer segmentation data to determine the appropriate groups for your data collection efforts. Realize you cannot collect data from all your customers, so you want to select those customers who are your primary customers and most important to your business.
- Review the products/services in your service group to determine at what level your customers can provide you meaningful feedback in terms of their satisfaction with and perceived importance of your services (i.e., service group level or specific product/service level).
- Consider which other ORS/ORF service groups might potentially contact the customers you plan to contact.
- Determine if a survey is the best method for collecting data from your customers. Other methods of data collection include focus groups, personal interviews, and observations.
- If you plan to survey your customers, develop a short paragraph explaining to them why you are doing the survey and define what you want them to rate (e.g., the service group, a specific product/service, etc.). Also, indicate how they return completed surveys to the OQM for data analysis.
- Determine how you plan to deliver the survey to customers. Potential methods are hard copy surveys with a point-of-sale distribution method where customers receive the survey when the product/service is received. Another method is to use a web-based survey. Both methods have pluses and minuses which you may want to discuss with OQM.
The OQM will analyze the data and provide the service group with a detailed report. The ORS/ORF Customer Scorecard data has been rolled-up ORS/ORF-wide to provide senior ORS/ORF leaders with historical data regarding customer satisfaction across the varied services in ORS.
