CHAPTER 10 : PERFORMANCE MEASURES

This chapter sets out how Oftel measures performance :

• against its goal and five high-level objectives

• in its work with external clients, principally customers and telecommunications operators.

Oftel has two projects designed to measure the extent to which it meeting its goal of providing improved choice, quality and value for money for customers, and to measure the satisfaction of the clients it deals with.

PRIORITY PROJECT

1. Best deal for the customer: measuring achievement
- Project manager and leader: Geoffrey Delamere

Project objectives: To identify the telecommunications service needs and wants of different groups of customer; monitor and review the extent to which needs are being met; and benchmark the quality, availability and value for money of services for UK consumers with those overseas.

Fit with Oftel's objectives: The purpose of this project is to monitor and assess the extent to which Oftel is successful in achieving its overall goal of getting the best deal for the UK customer. The work also helps Oftel evaluate whether different groups of customers are getting a fair share of the benefits of a liberalised telecommunications market.

Views of customers

Carry out market research as and when required eg PRS numbering- consumer views

by May 96

Set up a panel of large business users to meet on a regular basis from June 96

Focus group with small and medium sized businesses complete by January 97

Interviews with large UK business users Ongoing

Measurement of goal and objectives

Refine the framework for evaluating Oftel's performance against its goal and five high-level objectives by May 96

Collate data and produce a mid year internal report on Oftel's performance against its

objectives by October 96

Feed results into the development of 1997/8 work programme and refine scope and type of measures December 96 to March 97

Geographic spread of competition

Collect data on geographic spread of competition via market information database exercise

June 96 onwards

Benchmarking

Follow up and update results of benchmarking research June 96- February 97

PROJECT

2. Measuring the satisfaction of Oftel's external clients
- Project manager: Christine Farnish
- Project leader: Keith Loader

Project objective: To develop and implement across Oftel appropriate procedures for measuring external client satisfaction ensuring that the results feed back into Oftel's work so that it operates more effectively.

Fit with Oftel's objectives: This project represents a key measure of Oftel's performance. Learning from external client feedback will enable Oftel to ensure that policy development takes due account of all key stakeholders' views and consumers' interests are represented.

Establish a group with representatives across Oftel April 96

Review current procedures, agree new procedures, and test through pilot surveys

by end June 96

Consider pilot results and agree amendments by end September 96

Agree finalised procedures for full implementation by end October 96

Ongoing monitoring and review November 96 onwards

IS Oftel ACHIEVING ITS GOAL AND OBJECTIVES?

The project 'Best deal for the customer: measuring achievement' described above has already provided some evidence on the extent to which Oftel is meeting it goal. Some key findings are summarised below. For further information refer to the published reports.

Improvements in choice

During 1995 reviews were undertaken of how well UK business customers are served compared with customers in other countries . These comparisons showed:

the UK's liberalised telecommunications market typically gives business customers a wide range of telecommunications suppliers, services and service features to choose from

but there is still scope for improvement UK customers need to exercise choice in order for competition in the telecommunications market to develop.

Market research amongst both business and residential customers who had decided to switch to cable telephony showed that they were satisfied with the choice they had made and were happy with the information they had received.

Data collection will be undertaken in 1996 to monitor the take up of services from different telecommunications suppliers on a geographic basis in the UK to identify the spread of competition and choice. Market research will also be undertaken to identify barriers seen by small and large businesses to exercising choice.

Improvements in quality

Performance indicators for quality of service were published for the leading fixed link telecommunications companies in January 1996 for both residential and business customers. These showed a high standard of performance over a range of indicators from both long established and newer telecommunications companies. The data published will be expanded in 1996 to include more telecommunications companies and customer satisfaction survey data.

The publication of accessible comparable performance indicators gives UK customers a better understanding of the quality of service on offer than customers in other countries. However, the benchmarking comparisons undertaken showed UK business customers received a lower standard of supplier account management than their counterparts in USA. Consumer organisations and individual telecommunications customers will be encouraged to highlight this deficiency with telecommunications suppliers and demand improvements in quality.

Value for money

Comparisons of the prices (as at January 1995 ) of baskets of telecommunications services purchased by business and residential customers, produced by the OECD, shows UK customers pay less than the average for the majority of telecommunications services. These comparisons are borne out by the benchmarking research based on July 1995 prices.

Comparisons will continue to be made and reviewed in 1996 in particular against other countries who compare favourably against the OECD average and for newer services as they become more widely used.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR EXTERNAL CLIENT SERVICES

Oftel already has in place a number of performance measures for its dealings with external clients. The majority of these performance targets relate to target times for Oftel response. As explained above in 1996/7 Oftel plans to supplement these targets with measures of customer satisfaction.

Determinations

Oftel maintains a determinations database of interconnect determination requests. This is updated monthly on the Internet and updates are circulated to the industry. A revised print out is reissued every six months. The database details are also available on Oftel's Internet pages.

Dealings with telecommunications operators

'Doing Business with Oftel' sets out a number of performance targets for Oftel's dealings with operators:-

An acknowledgement will be sent within five working days.

A preliminary reply will be sent within fifteen working days from receipt of the written complaint.

Regular reports will be provided at least every two months, on progress with the investigation.

Competition cases

A number of specific performance targets are being developed for:

making initial enquiries in response to complaints

conducting substantive investigations; and

obtaining informed comment on proposed remedies.

These will be published and publicly monitored.

Consumer complaints and enquiries

The consumer representation team has targets for case handling; conducts periodic customer satisfaction surveys; and monitors how often Oftel's involvement in cases results in the operator concerned changing its original response to the customer. The current performance targets are:-

acknowledge all correspondence by end of next working day following receipt.

aim to reply to 90% of cases that Oftel devolves to the operator to handle within two working days.

aim to reply to 90% of cases that Oftel handles with no recourse to operators within five working days.

an end to end performance target for cases that require an Oftel investigation is being developed.

Premium rate service exemptions

Premium Rate Services Section has targets for processing exemptions:

reply dates to applicants - 90% receive responses within 10 working days.

time for final decision to be taken - 90% of applicants should have a decision within 10 working days.

Equipment approval applications

The Approvals Section has targets for processing approval applications. For example, for Contractor Approvals, it issues 90% of maintainer approvals within 5 working days of receipt of a recommendation from a certification body. This Section has also set targets for the enforcement of:

Marking, Labelling and Advertisements Orders;

display of tariff information on private payphones;

compliance with the TSL/SPL maintenance requirements

to send in 95% of cases, an initial letter notifying users of their statutory obligations within 5 working days of receipt of an alleged breach.

Technical enquiries

Oftel's Technical Section has set targets for dealing with external technical enquiries. Any information promised as the result of a telephone enquiry will be provided within 5 working days. For written enquiries an acknowledgement will be made in 3 working days, an initial response made in 10 working days and a substantive response made in another 5 working days (after receiving necessary information from other sources).

Numbering allocations

The Numbering Unit has the following performance measures/ timescales which are set out in the 'Numbering Conventions' for handling numbering allocations:

any consultation on an application for numbering allocation will commence within 30 days of receipt of the application and a decision will be made within 28 days from the end of the consultation period.

allocations of numbering capacity will be made within 28 days from receipt of the application.

if the Number Scheme Manager judges that an exception to the normal timescale is required, the applicant will be informed of the reasons in writing and of the revised period - this generally will not exceed 90 days.

if an application is refused, or is not granted in full, or if specific conditions are attached, the applicant can write disputing the reasons or provide further information. This will be considered by the Numbering Scheme Manager and a response sent within 28 days.

Performance on these measures is reported on in the Numbering Scheme Manager's Annual Report.

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