Customer Service and Efficiency

HC Deb 24 April 1989 vol 151 c397W

Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the monitoring of customer service and efficiency in Department of Social Security offices in the north-west.

Dr. Godman

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the monitoring of customer service and efficiency in Department of Social Security offices in Strathclyde.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

In all Department of Social Security local offices, major areas of local office activity, including throughput of claims and payment accuracy, are monitored on a monthly basis against pre-set targets. Their scope has recently been extended from 50 per cent. to 70 per cent. of all local office activity. In 1988–89 all local offices began monitoring the quality of their service in areas such as caller times, correspondence and interviews, as well as sampling customer opinion of the service they provide.