Transcript ElectraLink DTS Customer Satisfaction Survey Report

ElectraLink Customer
Survey
DTS User Group Presentation
R
19th January 2010
Research Method
Quantitative
Qualitative
49 x CATI Telephone
Interviews:
6 x 45 Minute Face-to-face Depth
Interviews:
30 GOMs/ 27 CM’s
6 DTS (3 GOMs/ 3 CM’s)
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Combined Approach
Quantitative
The DTS – Key Headlines (1/2)
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•
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Qualitative
Most users see the DTS as a highly efficient service & only have occasion
to deal with Electralink if there is a problem (especially smaller users).
They find it hard to identify any major needs for improvement and rate the
DTS highly for meeting the current & future needs of their businesses.
Overall, perceived service levels are on a par with 2008, but:
–
GOM’s perceive improvement (particularly providing expertise resource)
–
CM’s see a slight decline – mainly in responsiveness
Comparison is still favourable versus other benchmark organisations. At
the same time opinion of Gemserv (& Elexon) has declined, but for Xoserv
has improved.
Despite January’s price increases, there is no real concern raised and
perceptions of value for money are stable (but up for GOM’s and down
slightly for CM’s).
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Quantitative
The DTS – Key Headlines (2/2)
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•
•
•
•
Qualitative
Although awareness of last year’s new initiatives is unchanged, uptake
has grown across each of them since 2008. Of the more recent initiatives
less than 40% are aware of any single one, uptake being highest for the
Bulletin Board on Web Tools (61% of those aware, or 24% overall).
Overall, the average taken across 29 service ratings is up on 2008. The
greatest improvements relating to the EDS and the Reporting Tools.
Changes to the website logon have been received well and increased
“flexibility to integrate their gateway with existing” was also a notable
improvement.
In general hardware & service upgrades appear to have passed smoothly.
For some, continuity of resource remains a concern, but it is not a top of
mind issue for most. Is Electralink cutting its cloth too thinly in this area?
There is a desire to see Electralink more proactively involved in high level
discussions about the future of the industry, particularly in terms of the
future challenges; Smart Metering, use of new technologies etc.
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•
+
Satisfaction With Electralink Service
Summary
Quantitative
Mean Score out of 10
**Mean
Score
Change
vs 2008
Overall Rating
8.06
-0.05
Overall Professionalism
8.24
-0.11
Being Responsive
7.76
-0.31
Being Easy To Deal With
7.98
-0.24
Being Highly Efficient
7.73
-0.25
Communicating Clearly
7.94
-0.08
7.67
+0.13
7.71
+0.45
*Understanding The Service
Support Requirements Of…
Providing Valuable
Expertise Resource
Base: Total Sample
(49)
* Wording changed in 2009
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** Changed wording to “Electralink’s management of the DTS Service”
Rating Versus Other Organisations
Summary
Quantitative
Overall Satisfaction
Mean Score out of 10
Mean
Score
Change
vs 2008
** Electralink
8.06
-0.05
GEMSERV / MRASCO
Elexon
6.79
7.09
-0.56
-0.36
National Grid
6.26
+0.12
*JOINT GAS OFFICE
6.00
N/A
OFGEM
5.95
-0.41
Xoserv
6.25
+0.92
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Base: All Who Use Each Company (Various)
* Asked of OFGAS in 2007
** Changed to wording to “Electralink for the DTS”
Quantitative
Summary Versus Previous Years
Comparisons are made only across those ratings present in all years shown:
DTS Survey
Year
Base
Average
(Mean Score)
2007
2008
2009
41
46
49
4.01
4.13
4.22
No Of Ratings
Compared
29
29
29
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The above is like for like comparison on statements scored as follows:
Rating
Score
Very Good
5
Good
4
Adequate
3
Poor
2
Very Poor
1
Those with no experience or not using services / features rated are excluded from the mean
scores.
Average Rating Of Main Service Areas
DTS Sample
Quantitative
Mean
Score
2009
Attributes
Compared*
Change
Since
2008*
All Ratings
42
4.22
29
+0.09
DTS Web Tools
9
3.92
8
-0.43
Electralink Helpdesk
5
4.43
5
+0.19
The DTS Itself
5
4.24
5
+0.05
Electralink Reporting Tools
4
4.33
4
+0.19
Electralink Services
6
4.05
6
-0.01
Gateway Connection
5
4.13
5
+0.08
EDS Helpdesk
3
4.48
3
+0.47
Electralink Website
5
4.01
4
+0.09
Service
Area
Base: All rating each attribute
* Change compared only on ratings in both 2008 and 2009
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No. of
Attributes
Rated
Quantitative
DTS - Key Service Changes Since 2008
Change in mean score since 2008
The way EDS manages fault situations
+0.58
The quality of service provided by the EDS helpdesk
+0.42
The quality of response you receive from the EDS helpdesk
+0.40
Being clear and easy to log in as a user (website)
+0.29
Having the flexibility to integrate the gateway with existing systems
+0.29
The speed of response (Electralink Helpdesk)
+0.22
Receiving consistent level of service regardless how you get in touch
+0.21
Getting consistent info & advice regardless how you get in touch
+0.20
Overall helpfulness (Electralink Helpdesk)
+0.20
The Audit tool
+0.20
The ACMT
-0.35
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NB: All other changes were less than +/- 0.20
Quantitative
How Well Electralink Provides Feedback On Topics
Discussed And Issues Raised At The DTS User Group
10% are elected members of the DTS user group in 2009*
2009
2008
27
Very Well
Quite Well
35
63
Not Very Well
4
Not At All Well
6
Base: Total DTS Sample
50
13
2
(49)
(46)
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*New questions added in 2008
How Well User Group Representative Provides Feedback On
Topics Discussed And Issues Raised At The DTS User Group
Quantitative
At least 1 in 4 still feel that User Group Representatives do not give feedback well.
2009
20
Very Well
Quite Well
26
53
Not Very Well
Not At All Well
2008
46
20
6
Base: Total DTS Sample
24
4
(49)
(46)
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*New questions added in 2008
Quantitative
Awareness & Claimed Uptake Of Initiatives Introduced In
The Past Two Years
Ability To Re-collect Files
Previously Delivered
Aware &
Aware But
Planning To Not Planning
Use
To Use
22
12
Ability To Identify Files
Held In EMS (Audit Tool)
16
Ability To See No. Of
Instances Of A Flow Within
A File (Within Audit)
18
Ability To Upload Bulk
Search Requests Into Audit
10
Technology Refresh
Programme
12
Enhanced MPAN Search
Facility In Audit
12
New Gateway Summary
Screen Within ACMT
10
20
8
10
14
10
24
8
8
10
59
63
0
8
45
65
16
12
Unaware
63
67
71
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Already
Using
Quantitative
Awareness & Claimed Uptake Of Newer Initiatives
Introduced In The Last Year
Aware &
Planning To
Use
Bulletin Board On Web Tools
Ability To Restore Routing Data
Through ACMT
24
6
4
Ability To Extract Routing Info.
In CSV Format From ACMT Tool
Flexible Filenaming
4
Ability To Display List Of All
MPANs In Single Data File
Ability To Deliver
Acknowledgement Files To
Different Directory
Introduction Of ‘Admin’
Accounts On Web Tools
New ‘STATS’ Graphs On Web
Tools
12
16
4
6
16
14
8
8
4
6
8
Unaware
4
61
78
6
73
73
8
14
12
8
10
Aware But
Not Planning
To Use
69
73
6
14
76
69
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Already
Using
Qualitative
DTS – Suggested Improvements / Changes (1)
➨
There is a limited but vocal request for more flexibility over the nature of
the housing of the gateways
–
Feels out of step with Electralink in all other ways – dictatorial, inflexible
“(we) found the model very inflexible – (we had a) lovely new data centre, ... the
gateway is older technology .... (it was ) “this is the standard approach – we’re
not prepared to move on that”. ... I understand the reasons behind it, but I feel
there should be the ability to compromise - at least some. It was an edict – “this
is how we do things”. (I worry that) the hardware will break down – so what will
happen at that point? ... Inflexible & intolerant isn’t how (we) think about
Electralink”
–
A heads-up email or maybe a note on the front page of the websites they
look at
–
For news - newly published papers, meetings that have taken place, to
inform / alert non-attendees, (other) things Electralink has been involved
in, etc
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➨
Know this is down to EDS
Qualitative
DTS – Suggested Improvements / Changes (2)
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➨
How to test backup gateways are ready to function? Don’t want to pass
live data through them, but how do you know they’ll be available if the
need arises?
A get to know the DTS training session
“I’m a contract expert, not a technical expert. ... some of the meetings & paperwork (are)
quite difficult to follow. ... would like the opportunity to understand it better. A ‘get to
know the DTS’ type session – others would find that useful too”
Perhaps speed and capacity of the service:
“Speed of delivery,
acknowledgements ...
It’s pretty good, but it
can always be better”
➨
“(we) don’t have the ability to send as high a volume of files as I would
ideally like – flow traffic is relatively high at present – we may have 10k
files waiting to go, would like to see them disappear in half an hour,
they’ll go over night at present. It’s fine ,but they should be able to
deal with that volume of files”
A central (i.e. remote) archive of files sent via the gateway, used to
resend files if there is problem
“One party had a problem – needed us to send their
flows again – (I think) this isn’t my responsibility, ....
more appropriate to go back to the central service to
help with this – less embarrassing too”
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➨
Qualitative
DTS – Suggested Improvements / Changes (3)
“I think all users are in the same agreement that if have a problem, Electralink will arrive with a box
on the back of a lorry. But what would happen if 2 went down together?”
➨
➨
One wanted to know what would happen in disaster recovery scenario.
Felt it’s “a bit woolly” - may be there, but he doesn’t know about it
Maybe wider updating of teams beyond the people directly involved if
there is a problem, and timescales for resolution, especially if at the end
of a working day / week
“I don’t know what the policy is on updating us about major issues – there was a problem with
another gateway, ... You need an update before the end of the day – in good time so can plan &
communicate. This is a little issue – I knew it was in hand, I’m sure the team directly involved
would have known, but it would have been useful for us to know too”
An update between user-group meetings to keep things moving along
“In between user groups meetings, a between-time
update might be useful – meetings are 3 months apart,
it feels like a long time. Maybe one between, or
monthly – there’s a monthly DTS report that comes out
– it could come out with that”
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➨
Qualitative
DTS – Suggested Improvements / Changes (4)
➨
Management information may benefit from a review
“Management information is OK, it’s not factually incorrect, but it hasn’t really been reviewed in
several years. There’s nothing really wrong with it, but I’d like to see a reconsideration of it. It would
be better done centrally, alternatively that data could be provided to customers to do their own
analysis, across the Gateway as opposed to doing internal systems. The problem is that the service is
so quick ... we rely on the speed, I’d quite like to have that information”
➨
Consideration of new technology options for the future
–
To speed things up
–
To interface with anticipated changes in data transfer protocols
–
Possibly involving some form of messaging, or real-time over the internet?
Some of the larger businesses know that upgrades that require access
to equipment can go awry because of complications due to their own
third party arrangements - so their own communication & management
could be better sometimes
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➨
DTS: The Future Of The DTS & The Role
For Electralink….
Views about just how active Electralink should be vary a little, but there is
agreement about the expertise that Electralink has, can & should bring to
the table ... Not just in relation to the DTS as it stands, but in thinking
ahead
“Good to hear from them,
I don’t think they should be driving change, the
industry has to drive the change. They can be there
in support, with new functionality, but in terms of
the changes it’s Electralink as the maintainer of the
DTS & the service ... In terms of changing it, no,
they shouldn’t be. Suggesting new things, new
tools, ... we shouldn’t be looking to stand still, and
there are new opportunities”
•
because of their expertise –
they may have suggestions for
services”
“if there’s anything Electralink can see that would
benefit the industry, they should be out there
canvassing the industry, then it’s up to the
gateway contract managers to decide”
Everyone wants Electralink on this basis to be involved in top-table
discussions about the future of the industry
–
–
About the DTS’s form & relationship to the world around it as it changes –
with the introduction of Smart Metering, for example
And how the DTS may evolve to take advantage of new technologies for
data transfer, for instance
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•
Qualitative
DTS – The Future Of The DTS & The Role
For Electralink….
➨
➨
➨
Some respondents knew little about the reality of this at present, others
knew a bit; but when those quite close to Electralink felt unsure as to
exactly where they were represented
A few (the more strategic in respect of their role / thinking) want
Electralink to be much more involved and active
The DTS is just one outsourced service amidst a plethora of others, in a
market that is about to enter the first significant period of change since
1998
If there are changes afoot, the best knowledge & expertise in the industry
needs to be applied to the process of designing the future … and
Electralink should surely be part of this
–
➨
In order to save the industry wasted effort, time and money designing new
systems that might be better done in other ways
Electralink runs good services delivered very effectively – so is in a good
place to offer advice, and to help shape the future in a way that is
effective and efficient for industry parties
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➨
Qualitative
ElectraLink Customer
Survey
DTS User Group Presentation
R
19th January 2010