Developing our Service Abilities Strategic Challenges for Statistical Agencies

1. Developing our Service AbilitiesStrategic Challenges for Statistical Agencies Presentation prepared for the IAOS Conference, Session 3,“User demands for official statistics” Shanghai, China, 14 October 2008 Petteri Baer, Regional Adviser, UNECE

2. User demands – how can they be found out? • Is knowing user demands important – or not? • Not a simple task • Which users’ voices are heard? • How good is the coverage of our information sources?

3. More and more statistical publication takes place on the internet… • This is a very positive development • Availability and accessibility of official statistics has grown substantially • In the beginning of the year 2008 • > 500 Million internet hosts in the world!

4. How do we perceive ourselves? How do decision makers perceive our services? • How important is our role in real decision making? • In practical terms? • How covering is our information on users? • Do we know enough about our potential users, our potential customers?

5. User demands – the basic ones • User friendly • Easily accessible • Understandable and clear • Focused on the essentials • With visual presentations • Impressive • Balanced

6. Q= Relevance Accuracy Timeliness Punctuality Accessibility Clarity and Comparability Basic quality demands for statistical services

7. Trade-offs almost every day • Timeliness is a must – but what about accuracy? • Relevance is a must – but what about needs specific only to one or a few users? • Remember:Only used statistics is useful statistics

8. User friendly statistical services • …can be established only through interaction with users • Interaction with real users • Not with solely our imagination on them • Not only governmental users • Not only the ones we by tradition are mainly used to

9. If we do not know our users • We will not know how satisfied or dissatisfied they are with the present services we provide • We will not know about any unmet needs in the field of statistics • It will be difficult to develop services that better fit their information needs.

10. Who bears the responsibility that communication with users works well? • The future… • The importance… • Our place in society is at stake… • Users’ judgement may well define, how of our statistical services are perceived and used

11. Who bears the responsibility that communication with users works well? (2) • Is it the individual statistician, the subject-matter expert? • Program managers? • Information & PR Unit? • Or – Is it a challenge for the top management? • Who should bring in a systematic approach on building user relations, if it is missing?

12. Back to the basics:Who are our stakeholders? • Government & Ministries • Parliament • President • The National Bank & other central gvt • Regional & locaal governing bodies • Is THIS the list?

13. Different user groups have different need structures • Consequently they have varying demands for statistical services • Business people versus researchers • Local authorieties – comparisons with other local authorities and with the average • NGOs, lobbyists – focus on the themes, relevant for their interest group • It is not wise to serve them all with the same common approach

14. A modulated approach - basics for efficient user services • The importance of • A good information architecture • Effective databases • Metadata information available • Linking identifications exist between different data • XML helps to build electronic bridges

15. Often it is not easy, especially if different divisions work in silos - and behave as that would be ideal

16. Internet has in recent years pushed for building corporate imagos • It has also highlighted the often very different approaches different departments/divisions/units may have on ways of publishing data • Sometimes these differences are reflected on the web site of the NSO!

17. Following elements are usually found on a NSO`s web site • Statistical releases, Press releases • Statistics by topics and subject matters; • Key figures; • Calculators • Frequency of baby names service • Contact us / Feedback / Privacy statement • Search / Site map / Help • Links to other national and international statistical agencies • What’s new (on our web site)?

18. Other possibilities for service development on the web • Statistics by popular themes and topics • First visit service for new visitors • Services made available by user group • Notifying special days with statistical information materials • Links to relevant Wikipedia pages • Use of new web tools, Internet 2 • Service pages with top actual themes: What’s hot?

19. 6 7 8 9 10 No errors in basic data Delivery on time Delays are reported Data supplied in desired form Comparability of data Customer is taken into consideration Friendly staff Finding the right persons Accessibility of staff Data delivered with speed Data up-to-date Information about the data/service Data meets demand Tailored data value for money Further processing of data sufficient 6 7 8 9 10 User needs are specific – not “general” • All user needs are specific • Their satisfaction should be developed in communication and cooperation with the users • For this categorization and contacts are needed

20. One way to categorize users • Central administration • Local administration • Corporations and enterprises • Educational institutions and public libraries • Research institutions • Organizations • Media

21. Lithuania’s impressive Statistical literacy plan • Promoting statistical literacy among users • Targets: All main user categories • When? During 2008 – 2012 • Special attention to educational institutions and businesses

22. Concept of Statistical literacy in Statistics Lithuania

23. Tools assisting work for better satisfaction of user needs • Customer databases • Information on regular and heavy users • Customer Relationship Management system • For good and systenmatic follow-up and planning of interaction with regular and heavy users • Example NSO:s: Canada, Finland, Estonia • Business Intelligence systems

24. But – that’s already another story • Thank you for your attention • Remember: • Only used statistics is useful statistics • Final question – who will have the responsibility for systematic satisfaction of user needs? A learningCustomerRelationship