Statistical Information Service Evaluation

Consultation objectives

During the 2013/2014 fiscal year, Statistics Canada's Statistical Information Service (SIS) was evaluated to assess its ability to meet the information needs of its clients.

This evaluation asked clients who use this service to provide feedback and to express their level of satisfaction with the services. Feedback will be used to plan improvements to the services.

Consultation method

Statistics Canada contacted a sample of SIS users by email or telephone to invite them to complete an online questionnaire. Participation was voluntary, and a total of 392 users participated, representing a 24% response rate.

Participation profile

Participants came from a number of sectors: government (65%), education (19%) and business (12%). 

How to get involved

This consultation is now closed.

Individuals who wish to obtain more information or to take part in consultations should contact Statistics Canada through the Statistical Information Service.

Please note that Statistics Canada selects participants for each consultation to ensure feedback is sought from a representative sample of the target population for the study. Not all applicants will be asked to participate in a given consultation.

Statistics Canada is committed to respecting the privacy of consultation participants. All personal information created, held or collected by the Agency is protected by the Privacy Act. For more information on Statistics Canada's privacy policies, please consult the Privacy notice.

Results

Method of communication

According to consultation results, 66% of SIS users contacted the service via email, while the remainder did so by telephone.

Topics of interest

SIS clients sought information on a number of topics. Demography/population was the most popular with 12% of clients requesting information on this topic.

Clients were also interested in information on income, pensions, spending and wealth (10%), families, households and housing (8%), prices and price indexes (7%), labour (6%) and health (4%).

Type of information sought

Among SIS users, 58% were looking for data or information on a specific topic for a specific region.

Other common reasons for using the service included seeking help to: interpret data (13%); find information on jobs at Statistics Canada (10%): navigate the website (8%); and, obtain a product or service (7%).

Success rate

Overall, 90% of SIS clients obtained the information that they needed. Success rates varied according to how users communicated with the service. Clients who contacted SIS by telephone had a 95% success rate, compared with 85% for those who used email.  

Overall client satisfaction

The majority of clients who contacted SIS reported being very satisfied or satisfied with the service they received. Satisfaction levels were slightly higher for clients who contacted SIS by telephone (86%), compared with clients who communicated via email (77%).

Timeliness of service

People who contacted the service by telephone were also more likely to express satisfaction with respect to the timeliness of the service (85% by telephone versus 78% by email).

Clear communications

How users contacted SIS also had an impact on communication success. Overall, 79% of clients who contacted SIS by telephone reported being very satisfied or satisfied with the ability of SIS staff to understand their needs, compared with 71% of those who used email.

In addition, 82% of clients who contact SIS via telephone claimed to be very satisfied or satisfied with the clarity of communications with SIS staff, compared with 75% of those who used email.

Use of official language

Nearly 88% of clients expressed satisfaction with the language in which they were served.

General observations

SIS users who participated in the survey generally provided positive feedback, indicating that the service was timely and useful, and that SIS staff were courteous, pleasant, friendly and knowledgeable.

Recommendations

Some SIS users recommended improvements, such as increasing the timeliness of responses to requests sent by email and better access to information agents via telephone.

Statistics Canada is taking steps to implement the recommendations.

Statistics Canada thanks participants for their participation in this consultation. Their insights guide the agency’s development and ensure that the services meet users’ expectations.