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4 Other topics of interest
4.1 Citizen-focussed service
The Agency has contributed in several ways to improving this aspect of the MAF, notably through the Service Improvement Initiative, the Government On-line initiative and the steps it has taken to apply the Official Languages Act.
4.1.1 Service Improvement Initiative
For more than 10 years now, the Agency has been involved in a large-scale approach to offer quality services and ensure rigorous management of its program delivery. In fact, since 1997 the Agency has met the requirements of the ISO international standard with respect to quality management. All of its intervention tools are targeted by its service improvement plan.
Measurement of applicants' satisfaction and progress accomplished toward attaining Agency objectives
Since 2000, for consistency in the results attained by the Agency and to make it possible to compare them, the Agency's yearly survey has included questions concerning the satisfaction of the different applicants, drawn from the Government of Canada's Common Measurements Tool.
To evaluate its ability to meet the expectations of promoters of the projects it supports during the year, the Agency also uses the results of the post-service evaluation questionnaires it sends them.
Finally, the information gathered by the Agency through program evaluations or studies also informs its reflection and enables it to derive ways in which to improve its programs and services.
In short, to understand properly the needs and expectations of its targeted promoters and ensure the continuous improvement of its programs and services, the Agency uses several information sources.
The Agency's objectives concerning recipient satisfaction are established by means of historical data, frequently revised and approved by senior management. The Agency has obtained high levels of satisfaction over the past few years, and set itself the objective of maintaining them while pursuing its continuous improvement efforts. It also set itself service standards stating its commitment to offering quality service. These standards are published on its Web site and attached to correspondence addressed to promoters applying to the Agency.
The following table presents the Agency's results with respect to promoter satisfaction. The satisfaction levels recorded exceed the Agency's objectives or service standards in all cases except the time the Agency takes to respond to applications for financial assistance.
The variation from the Agency's goal may be attributable to different factors, among them the establishment of new initiatives by the Agency, adoption of a new project approval procedure, approval of new directions with respect to organizations, and the termination of the IDEA-SME and RSI programs as of March 31, 2007. These changes required a running-in period and entailed a significant increase in the number of files to be processed. This situation may have led to dissatisfaction among a number of promoters. In particular, the level of dissatisfaction of those who had already dealt with the Agency is higher than among new promoters. Over the next fiscal year, it plans to pursue its staff training and supervision efforts and review its service standards and procedures with respect to application processing.
Promoter satisfaction
|
Main aspects of service |
Objectives |
2006-2007 |
|---|---|---|
|
Quality of services in generala |
90 % |
93,0 % |
|
Access to servicesa |
85 % |
89,5 % |
|
Guidance through procedurea |
85 % |
86,8 % |
|
Ability to meet promoters' needsa |
85 % |
86,7 % |
|
Fairness and impartiality of servicesa |
N/A1 |
88,4 % |
|
Financial assistance application response timea |
80 % |
68,2 % |
|
Claim response timea |
80 % |
78,9 % |
|
Telephone call response timeb |
N/A1 |
80,4 % |
|
E-mail response timeb |
N/A1 |
81,4 % |
|
Competence of staffa |
90 % |
93,1 % |
|
Courtesy of staffa |
95 % |
97,1 % |
|
Clarity of documents and information brochuresa |
N/A1 |
92,4 % |
|
Clarity of contribution agreementsa |
N/A1 |
92,7 % |
a Percentage of promoters stating that they are "very satisfied" or "satisfied" with the services received. The Agency uses the satisfaction scale from the Government of Canada's Common Measurements Tool, namely: "very satisfied", "satisfied", "neutral", "dissatisfied", "very dissatisfied". N = 929 respondents.
b Percentage of promoters stating that advisors always returned their telephone call or e-mail within two days.
Note:
1 N/A = Not applicable. While it has no specific objective for these aspects of service, in a concern for continuous improvement the Agency tracks promoters' satisfaction.
4.2 Sustainable Development Strategy
The Agency's 2003-2006 Sustainable Development Strategy is divided into two components, an internal component comprising objectives for the greening of Agency operations, and an external component aimed at helping enterprises maintain and reinforce their competitiveness by putting sustainable development practices in place. As mentioned earlier, the strategy has been the subject of an evaluation (see Section 3.4).
The following table presents the Agency's commitments and achievements under its 2003-2006 Sustainable Development Strategy. In fact, the Agency focussed particularly on preparing the new 2007-2010 strategy, drawing lessons from the evaluation of the 2003-2006 strategy (see Section 3.4). This learning notably prompted it to reinforce its governance in order to support sustainable development. In particular, the Agency intends to integrate its commitments with respect to sustainable development with its planning and decision-making processes, develop robust governance mechanisms and train its personnel.
|
Sustainable Development Strategy 2003-2006 |
|
|---|---|
|
Commitments |
Achievements |
|
Internal Component Goal to make the SDS a tool for change within the organization by further integrating the Agency's sustainable development concerns in its day-to-day operations. |
|
|
Objectives: |
|
|
An identification, analysis and tracking tool was developed for sustainable development projects. Two training sessions on greenhouse gases were held in business offices. |
|
The Agency introduced measures to promote sustainable development: each of its business offices designated a sustainable development champion, the Agency maintained its sustainable development committee, and supervisory staff refer to sustainable development at new employee orientation sessions. |
|
The Agency continued its greening efforts: imposition of double-sided printing at all business offices. Since October 2006, the Agency has had a policy of purchasing recycled paper from Quebec. Gas consumption and pollutant emissions from the Agency's motor vehicle fleet have plummeted since 2005, since staff have made greater use of hybrid (gasoline/electric) vehicles. Seven out of the Agency's 19 vehicles are hybrid.
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External Component Goal to play a strategic role in advancing understanding and taking ownership of the principles of sustainable development by SMEs, the regions of Quebec and the Agency's private and public partners, in a perspective of financial, economic and social viability. |
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Objectives |
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