Mystery shoppers testing the quality of customer service at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency found difficulty in getting connected. Half of callers to the driver enquiry line took up to three attempts to get through, with some callers trying between five and 20 times to get connected. A close look at performance targets showed that customers may be confused about what standards they can expect. The target set by the Secretary of State for issue of a driving licence is between nine and eleven days (depending on the type of licence) but its Charter Standard for issuing a driving licence is three weeks.The quality audit was carried out by a Public Services Productivity Panel team from HM Treasury headed Andrew Foster, Controller of the Audit Commission. This is the first report to be published by the Panel. The team also looked at quality in the Driving Standards Agency and the Highways Agency where they found that one third of callers enquiring about roadworks received inadequate information.
With over 300 award winners local councils have 41% of the total awards made today. Health has 22%, education 12% and central government 11%. The majority of third time winners also come from the local government category. To win a Charter Mark, which is awarded for three years, organisations must demonstrate that they meet ten criteria which include working with other providers and giving user satisfaction.The Charter Mark scheme was extended last year to include companies under contract to public bodies and voluntary sector organisations receiving public funds. To complement this broadening of the scheme ICL sponsored the awards ceremony and Help the Aged, Age Concern and Save the Children Fund sponsored awards. ICL also presented the ‘ICL IT Innovation Award’ of 75,000 pounds to Gateshead Council Libraries Services for demonstrating the most innovative use of IT.