Appendix A: Survey Questionnaire

INTR1 [0,0]
Hello, may I speak to &&ACNAME?

-IF PERSON IS AVAILABLE, CONTINUE.

-IF NOT AVAILABLE, ARRANGE CALL-BACK OR GET NEW NUMBER WHERE PERSON CAN BE REACHED. IF NECESSARY, EXPLAIN PURPOSE OF PHONE CALL. SAY "I'M CALLING ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA TO ASK SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE QUALITY OF SERVICE PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT" IF ASKED HOW WE GOT THE PERSON'S NAME, INFORM THEM IT WAS DRAWN FROM A RANDOM SAMPLE OF CANADIANS WHO MAY HAVE RECEIVED SERVICE FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA.

Reference Contact info: NAME, TITLE:

INTRO
Hello, my name is _______________. I’m calling on behalf of EKOS, a Canadian public opinion research company. We’re conducting a survey for the federal government department of Western Economic Diversification Canada to ask some questions about the quality of service it provides to its clients.
 Your participation in the research is completely voluntary and your decision on whether or not to participate will not affect any dealings you may have with the Government of Canada. By answering these questions, you will help the government improve the service it provides to clients. The information you provide will be used for research purposes only and will be administered in accordance with the applicable privacy laws. Would you be willing to take part in this survey? We can do it now, or is there a better time?

Reference Contact info: NAME, TITLE:

Yes, now 1
Yes, call later (arrange time) 2
Refuse (Thank and terminate) 3  ->THNK3

PRIV [0,0]
This call may be recorded for quality control or training purposes.

PQ1 [0,0]
For the remainder of this survey we will refer to the Department of Western Economic Diversification by its acronym, "WD".

Q1
During the past year, have you contacted WD to obtain information or service, including applying for grants related to a government program?
Yes (CONTINUE) 1
No (THANK AND TERMINATE INTERVIEW) 2  ->THNK2

Q2 [1,4]
Over the past year, was the majority of your interaction with WD...

READ LIST; Select all that apply
In person 1
Phone 2
Email 3
Other (specify) 77 B
DK/NR 99 BX

Q3
Please estimate how many times you were in contact with WD over the past year.
0 to 10 1
11 to 20 2
21 or greater 3
DK/NR 9   

Q4
Please tell me which of the following best describes your type of organization

University, college and/or research organization (identify the sector)  1
Industry association (identify the sector)  2
Community organization 3
Government department and/or agency 4
Business service organization (identify the sector)  5
Special/targeted group organization (identify the sector)  6
Arts and culture, eg. art gallery, museum 7 I
Non-profit organization, unspecific 8 I
Environmental/conservation organization 9 I
Other (specify) 77
DK/NR 99

Q41BOX
University, college and/or research organization identified

Education, academic, unspecific, eg. university of BC, university of Alberta, colleges 02 I  
Primary industry, eg. agriculture, forestry 03 I  
Research, unspecific 04 I  
Science and technology, general 05 I  
Economic research, economic development 06 I  
Research into public policy 07 I  
Medical research 08 I  

Q42BOX
Industry association identified

Manufacturing 02 I  
Construction 03 I  
Information technology 04 I  
Accommodation and food service activities 05 I  
Arts and entertainment 06 I  
Exports 07 I  
Agriculture 08 I  
Energy, forestry, and mining 09 I  
Non-profit 10 I  

Q45BOX
Business service organization identified

Business services to women 02 I  
Business services to first nations communities, aboriginals 03 I  
Business/community development, economic development 04 I  
Finance and accounting 05 I  
Technology, general 06 I  

Q46BOX
Special/targeted group organization identified

Aboriginal support services 02 I  
Economic development 03 I  
Non-profit 04 I  
Neo-Canadian and cultural support services 05 I  
Infrastructure projects 06 I

Q5
 And which of the following industrial sectors best describes your organization?

READ LIST
Natural resources 1   
Value-added processing 2   
Manufacturing 3   
Service and professional 4   
Retail and distribution 5   
Advanced technology 6   
Environmental 7   
Other (specify) 77 B  
DK/NR 99 B  
Arts, culture and recreation, eg. museum, gallery, tourism 08 I  
Community, economic development, business development, general 09 I  
Government, eg. municipal government 10 I  
Education and research, eg. university 11 I  
Agriculture 12 I  
Community, social services organizations, eg. youth, low-income Canadians 13 I  
First nations organizations 14 I  
Health, medicine-related organization, includes life sciences 15 I 

PQ2 [0,0]
I’m now going to ask you some questions about the service you received from WD. Please focus on the service you received, not on government programs themselves.
Thinking about the service you received during the past year, please tell me how much you agree or disagree with the following statements, using a 5-point scale where ‘1’ means strongly disagree, ‘5’ means strongly agree, and ‘3’ means neither agree nor disagree. If something does not apply to you, please just say so.
IF RESPONDENT WAS IN CONTACT WITH WD FOR MULTIPLE PROJECTS, ASSESSMENTS SHOULD BE BASED ON THE OVERALL SERVICE RECEIVED.

Q6
I was treated fairly
Agree/Disagree with...(regarding SERVICE received from WD)
1.Strongly disagree 1   
2 2   
3.Neither agree nor disagree 3   
4 4   
5.Strongly agree 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q7
I was informed of everything I had to do to get the service
Agree/Disagree with...(regarding SERVICE received from WD)
1.Strongly disagree 1   
2 2   
3.Neither agree nor disagree 3   
4 4   
5.Strongly agree 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q8
I received complete information
Agree/Disagree with...(regarding SERVICE received from WD)
1.Strongly disagree 1   
2 2   
3.Neither agree nor disagree 3   
4 4   
5.Strongly agree 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q9
Staff went the extra mile to make sure I got what I needed
Agree/Disagree with...(regarding SERVICE received from WD)
1.Strongly disagree 1   
2 2   
3.Neither agree nor disagree 3   
4 4   
5.Strongly agree 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q10
Staff were knowledgeable and competent
Agree/Disagree with...(regarding SERVICE received from WD)
1.Strongly disagree 1   
2 2   
3.Neither agree nor disagree 3   
4 4   
5.Strongly agree 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q11
 Staff were courteous
Agree/Disagree with...(regarding SERVICE received from WD)
1.Strongly disagree 1   
2 2   
3.Neither agree nor disagree 3   
4 4   
5.Strongly agree 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q12
 If... Q2.EQ.2
 I was able to get through to a WD official without difficulty
Agree/Disagree with...(regarding SERVICE received from WD)
1.Strongly disagree 1   
2 2   
3.Neither agree nor disagree 3   
4 4   
5.Strongly agree 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q13
If... Q2.EQ.1
I was able to obtain an appointment with a WD official in a reasonable amount of time
Agree/Disagree with...(regarding SERVICE received from WD)
1.Strongly disagree 1   
2 2   
3.Neither agree nor disagree 3   
4 4   
5.Strongly agree 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q14
 You were satisfied with the amount of time it took to get the service
Agree/Disagree with...(regarding SERVICE received from WD)
1.Strongly disagree 1   
2 2   
3.Neither agree nor disagree 3   
4 4   
5.Strongly agree 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q15
You were satisfied with the accessibility of the service
Agree/Disagree with...(regarding SERVICE received from WD)
1.Strongly disagree 1   
2 2   
3.Neither agree nor disagree 3   
4 4   
5.Strongly agree 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q16
You were satisfied with the overall quality of service delivery
Agree/Disagree with...(regarding SERVICE received from WD)
1.Strongly disagree 1   
2 2   
3.Neither agree nor disagree 3   
4 4   
5.Strongly agree 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

PQ3 [0,0]
Now thinking of the same list, please tell me how IMPORTANT each of the following service aspects were to you.
Please use a 5-point scale where ‘1’ means not at all important, ‘5’ means very important, and ‘3’ means moderately important. If something does not apply to you, please just say so.
IF RESPONDENT WAS IN CONTACT WITH WD FOR MULTIPLE PROJECTS, ASSESSMENTS SHOULD BE BASED ON THE OVERALL SERVICE RECEIVED.

Q17
I was treated fairly
How IMPORTANT was... (aspect of SERVICE received from WD)
1.Not at all important 1   
2 2   
3.Moderately important 3   
4 4   
5.Very important 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q18
I was informed of everything I had to do to get the service
How IMPORTANT was... (aspect of SERVICE received from WD)
1.Not at all important 1   
2 2   
3.Moderately important 3   
4 4   
5.Very important 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q19
I received complete information
How IMPORTANT was... (aspect of SERVICE received from WD)
1.Not at all important 1   
2 2   
3.Moderately important 3   
4 4   
5.Very important 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q20
Staff went the extra mile to make sure I got what I needed
How IMPORTANT was... (aspect of SERVICE received from WD)
1.Not at all important 1   
2 2   
3.Moderately important 3   
4 4   
5.Very important 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q21
Staff were knowledgeable and competent
How IMPORTANT was... (aspect of SERVICE received from WD)
1.Not at all important 1   
2 2   
3.Moderately important 3   
4 4   
5.Very important 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q22
Staff were courteous
How IMPORTANT was... (aspect of SERVICE received from WD)
1.Not at all important 1   
2 2   
3.Moderately important 3   
4 4   
5.Very important 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q23
If... Q2.EQ.2
I was able to get through to a WD official without difficulty
How IMPORTANT was... (aspect of SERVICE received from WD)
1.Not at all important 1   
2 2   
3.Moderately important 3   
4 4   
5.Very important 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q24
 If... Q2.EQ.1
 I was able to obtain an appointment with a WD official in a reasonable amount of time
How IMPORTANT was... (aspect of SERVICE received from WD)
1.Not at all important 1   
2 2   
3.Moderately important 3   
4 4   
5.Very important 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q25
You were satisfied with the amount of time it took to get the service
How IMPORTANT was... (aspect of SERVICE received from WD)
1.Not at all important 1   
2 2   
3.Moderately important 3   
4 4   
5.Very important 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q26
You were satisfied with the accessibility of the service
How IMPORTANT was... (aspect of SERVICE received from WD)
1.Not at all important 1   
2 2   
3.Moderately important 3   
4 4   
5.Very important 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9   

Q27
You were satisfied with the overall quality of service delivery

How IMPORTANT was... (aspect of SERVICE received from WD)
1.Not at all important 1   
2 2   
3.Moderately important 3   
4 4   
5.Very important 5   
Does not apply 8   
DK/NR 9

Q28
In the end, did you get what you needed?

READ OPTIONS

• Yes 1
• No 2
• You got part of what you needed 3
• (DO NOT READ) DK/NR 9   

Q29
Based on your own experience with WD, which aspects of service delivery most need improvement?

• Bureaucratic application process, eg. takes too long, many layers of approval, slow response/approval time, excessive paper burden, applications unclear 01 I 
• Communication, providing information, timely information, availability of info., eg. program promotion, criteria, eligibility, application/reporting requirements, updates, consistent/clear information 02 I 
• Coordination/consistency/communication at government level, eg. consistent policies/priorities, information exchange 03 I 
• Access to knowledgeable/competent staff/appropriate contact people, to decision makers, eg. program knowledge, client needs 04 I 
• Funding process, eg. invoice system unrealistic, excessive financial reporting, access to funding too slow 05 I 
• Program flexibility, diversity, general, eg. in areas funded, eligibility, regulation, deadlines, funding options, program requirements 06 I 
• Regional or local focus, eg. authority to local staff, funding at local level 07 I
• Staff levels, ability to serve clients, eg. for expedient service, returning calls, client support 08 I
• Response 77
• DK/NR 99

Q30
And based on your own experience with WD, which aspects of service delivery are particularly strong?

• Access to funding, funding process generally, eg. expedient, claims process, application process 01 I
• Flexibility, creativity, problem-solving, cooperative approach, eg. willing to meet unique needs of organizations 02 I
• Staff willing to help, supportive, interested/concerned, committed, proactive, eg. in finding funding sources 03 I
• Staff knowledge, understanding, competent, able to help, eg. program knowledge, knowledge of organization/community 04 I
• Customer relations, general, eg. friendly staff, interpersonal skills, good relationship with staff, helpful generally 05 I
• Accessibility/availability of staff, eg. in person, on the phone, locally 06 I
• Client communication, eg. follow-ups, maintaining contact, providing/explaining information, timely responses, returning phone calls 07 I
• Willingness to be open and honest, fairness, accountability 08 I
• WD's mandate, vision, generally, eg. supporting communities/non-profits/economic development, supporting projects/project goals 09 I
• Efficient program administration, eg. in processing applications 10 I
• Response 77
• DK/NR 99

Q31
Do you have any other suggestions or comments on how this service was delivered?

• Reporting process, paper-work involved in process, eg. excessive amount, bureaucratic, needs clarification, inconsistent requirements 01 I
• Problems with staff, improvement needed, eg. lack of knowledge, turnover results in staff unfamiliarity, short-staffed, slow to respond, inaccessible   02 I
• Bureaucracy of application/approval process, eg. long delays, slow response, layers of approval 03 I
• WD to be more supportive, to better meet community/organization needs, more flexibility, eg. program options, additional programs 04 I
• Lack of clarity, lack of consistency, more information needed, eg. WD's focus/goals/priorities, available programs, processes/procedures, on WD generally 05 I
• Satisfied with WD, with service generally, eg. efficiency 06 I
• Satisfied with WD staff, general, eg. friendly, willing to help, professional, knowledgeable, good relationship, committed, supportive 07 I
• Satisfied with staff accessibility, willingness to communicate, eg. by phone, in-person, quick to respond 08 I
• WD a valuable government department, eg. vision, insight, benefit to communities/organizations, supportive 09 I
• Dissatisfied with funding, funding structure/process needs improvement, eg. project reimbursement, more-long-term funding needed 10 I
• Response 77
• DK/NR 99

THNK
That completes the survey. Thank you very much. Your participation is appreciated.

• Completion 1 D