CHIN 2006 Web and Customer Service User Satisfaction Study

Executive Summary
(March 29, 2006)

Background and Methodology
To gauge how well it is meeting its mandate, CHIN solicited Decima Research to conduct a web and customer service user satisfaction exercise.

The research was conducted exclusively with CHIN members based on contact information that CHIN provided to Decima. The on-line survey was conducted from January 25 to March 5, 2006, and the research presented in this report was collected from a final sample of 146 organizations. The maximum margin of error at the 95% confidence level for a sample of 146 is +/- 7.6%.

Results

CHIN’s Web Site
Nearly all survey respondents have visited CHIN’s website and results show that these website visitors are generally quite satisfied with the site overall and with specific aspects of the site. Site visitors are especially pleased with the manner in which their privacy is protected on the site and with the ease with which they can find that for which they are looking. Over four in ten (44%) think that so much more could be added to the Web site to enhance their online experience or to increase the number of visits they make to the site. This certainly suggests a need for additional research with members to explore how the website could be further leveraged to deepen CHIN’s relationship with their members.

Among visitors to the various sections of the CHIN website, satisfaction is highest for the information that is available on the Community Memories Program, followed closely by the publications, reports, tip sheets and other CHIN professional resources found online and the information about the VMC investment program (76%). Satisfaction is lowest for the online feature that allows one to add or make updates to Artefacts Canada (58%). Usefulness was also deemed quite high for all of the online assets evaluated in this research.

CHIN’s Online Courses
Nearly one-quarter of members have accessed CHIN’s online courses and another 42% are aware of them but have never accessed them. Overall satisfaction is high among those having accessed a course. The majority are also quite pleased with the ease with which the course can be navigated, the quality of content and the usefulness or relevance of the courses to their organization.

CHIN Workshops
About 31% of members have attended a CHIN workshop, among whom nearly two-thirds (64%) are satisfied with the manner in which CHIN offers workshops. Among users, the workshops score highest in terms of their quality (92%) and their relevance to member organizations (82%). Potential opportunities for improvement for CHIN in this area could focus on the frequency of the workshops, their accessibility and the variety or amount of workshops available.

CHIN’s Toll-Free Service
Approximately six in ten institutions have used CHIN’s toll-free number (60%) to contact CHIN staff for information on CHIN and the services and products it offers. Among these institutions, roughly six in ten (58%) are satisfied with the automated voice response system, and a similar proportion (62%) are satisfied with the ease with which they can reach a live agent. The automated response system is considered to be either on par with systems from other organizations (47%), if not better (45%).

CHIN staff who respond to calls via the toll-free service receive high scores for the service they provide, in particular in terms of responding in the official language of choice. The only element of customer service that performed relatively worse than others was the wait time before the member was provided a response (although the majority of members are still pleased with this aspect of the service).

CHIN’s Email Service
Approximately six in ten members have used CHIN’s email service (61%) to contact CHIN staff. Among these institutions, the vast majority (90%) are satisfied overall with the service. As with the toll-free service, CHIN email receive high scores for the service they provide. Again, the only element not to receive a satisfaction rating of over 90% (although 83% are still satisfied) is the wait time before an email response is made.

CHIN Publications
Of the 15 organizations that have ordered a CHIN publication in the past year, 13 report that they received their publication in a timely fashion.

Suggestions for Improvement
Among the organizations that provided suggestions for improving the quality and/or delivery of CHIN products and services, many relate to the website (improving the website layout (17%) and/or the navigability of the site (7%)). Concerns were also expressed with respect to smaller museums for whom there appears to be a need for greater support (15%), and a general concern for expenses (13%). There are some general comments about the need for improved communication (15%), as well as concerns over the clarity of instructions for submitting artefacts (13%).