Standards and performance
Throughout these pages, we have highlighted the standard of service you should receive from us (e.g. waiting times, telephone and letter response times etc). We monitor our performance against these standards. We display details of our performance in the Register Office waiting room. We also report each year to councillors on our performance.

Surveys on standards were carried out in 2005 and 2006. In both, we aimed to get views from users in order to determine whether the standards we set were at the appropriate level. The results are available to download below.

 Survey on 2007 Register Office standards
 Survey on 2006 Register Office standards
 Survey on 2005 Register Office standards

We are now carrying out a new survey. Please help us to review our performance standards.  Are they reasonable or do we need to change them?  You can download the survey below which can be returned to us at:

Register Office
Wandsworth Council
Town Hall
London
SW18 2PU

 Performance standards survey

Other surveys
A number of surveys relating to the Register Office were carried out in 2007. The report below provides an analysis relating to all our services.

 Survey of customer opinions on the Registrar's service

Various issues were raised as a result of the surveys. The following action plan states how we plan to deal with them.

 Action plan

 Annual quality and performance review for Register Office 2006/07

We continuously monitor our performance against the standards set by the Council to ensure that we always provide you with a high quality service.

1 January 2007 to 31 December 2007

Telephone response

Standard - answer telephone calls within 5 rings.
Performance - 93.1% of all telephone calls were answered within 5 rings.

Waiting times

Standard - to deal with 98% of callers within 30 minutes of them arriving at the Register Office.
Performance - 97.7% of all callers to the Register Office were seen within 30 minutes.

Standard - to deal with 90% of callers within 15 minutes of them arriving at the Register Office.
Performance - 91.8% of all callers to the Register Office were seen within 15 minutes.

New standard introduced in 2007- to deal with 55% of all customers seen within 10 minutes of them arriving at the Register Office.
Performance - 70.8% of all callers to the Register Office were seen withing 10 minutes.

Postal certificates

Standard - requests for postal certificates to be dealt with fully within 24 hours of receipt.
Performance - 100% of all requests for postal certificates were responded to within 24 hours.

Personal collection of certificates

Standard - provided you have given us sufficient details to trace the register entry we aim to supply you with the certificate within 30 minutes. We will let you know if it is not possible to trace the register entry within that time and will post the certificate to you if you cannot wait.
Performance - approximately 99% of personal requests for certificates within 30 minutes.

New standard introduced in 2007 - a produce a computer generated certificate  within 15 minutes.
Performance - approximately 99% of personal requests for computer generated certificated within 30 minutes.

Correspondence

Standard - our target response time is to reply in full within 7 calendar days. If this is not possible then our target is an acknowledgement within 7 calendar days followed by a full response within 14 calendar days.
Performance - 100% of all correspondence were dealt within the set timesacales.

Tributes and complaints

53 Written tributes received
1 Complaint received
12 Comment card tributes received 
0 Comment card complaints received

Inspection
The Registrar General, who heads the Office for National Statistics, has a team of inspectors who regularly monitor our work to ensure that it is accurate and complies with nationally prescribed procedures.

User satisfaction
The Register Office is always keen to find out what its customers think about the service they receive and how satisfied they are. Apart from our system of customer comment cards, we mount periodic surveys of our customers. We have been recording customer feedback since 1993 and a summary of the level of customer satisfaction over the years is set out below.

We asked you what you think and this is what you said:-

Our newly weds survey in 1993 was very encouraging:

• 93% of those who responded were very satisfied or satisfied with the overall arrangements for their wedding;
• 90% were satisfied with the marriage room; and 93% were satisfied with the waiting time to arrange their wedding.
• In 1996, we conducted a similar survey, with results showing even higher levels of satisfaction:
• 98% were satisfied or very satisfied with the overall arrangements for their wedding (compared to 93% in 1993);
• 93% felt the Registrar explained things clearly when arranging the wedding; and 98% of those who responded felt the written information and advice they received was easy to understand.

In 1996 we focused also on visitors to reception giving notice of marriage, registering a birth or requesting a certificate. These survey results were equally pleasing:

• overall satisfaction rates were between 97% and 99%;
• reception staff were overwhelmingly considered very courteous (87%), trying to be very helpful (86%) and very friendly (87%).

Between 1997 and 1999 we mounted a further programme of surveys embracing the same range of customers as in 1996. Again the results were very encouraging - being similar to 1996:

• overall satisfaction rates were 99%;
• reception staff were overwhelmingly considered very courteous (88%), trying to be very helpful (88%) and very friendly (87%); and 98% of our newly weds felt our staff had done their best to meet their wishes; and
• 99% of callers at reception considered our reception/waiting areas to be comfortable, a similar result to our 1996 survey.

In 2002 - We completed a further programme of similar surveys and again the results generally reflect the encouraging outcomes of the 1996 and 1997/99 exercises with:

• overall satisfaction rates being between 95% and 100%;
• reception staff again being overwhelmingly considered very courteous (90%), trying to be helpful (87%) and very friendly (88%);
• 96% of our newly weds feeling our staff had done their best to meet their wishes reflecting our aim to personalise each marriage ceremony to meet the Couple's desires unless precluded by law; and
• 97% of callers at reception considering our reception/waiting rooms to be comfortable.

In 2004-05 - Further surveys issued during the period 2004/05 again demonstrates an excellent quality of service provided by the Register Office:

• satisfaction rates:-
  • callers at reception 99%
  • issue of certificates 98%
  • weddings 95%
  • citizenship ceremonies 100%
• reception staff again being overwhelmingly considered very couteous (99%), trying to be helpful (99%) and very friendly (99%)

In 2006 - Surveys issued during 2006 again shows that the Register Office is maintaining it's standards

• satisfaction rates:-
  • callers at reception 99%
  • issue of certificates 89% excellent 11% very satisfied
     weddings 88% satisfied or very satisfied
  • citizenship ceremonies 100% satisfied or very satisfied
  • civil partnerships 98% satisfied or very satisfied
• reception staff:- 
  • very courteous (99%)
  • trying to be helpful (98%)
  • very friendly (99%)
  • informative (97%)

Latest customer response – Recent surveys issued in 2007 confirm our customer care focus

• satisfaction rates:-
  • issue of certificates 98% satisfied or very satisfied
  • weddings 94% satisfied or very satisfied
  • citizenship ceremonies 100% satisfied or very satisfied
  • civil partnerships 98% satisfied or very satisfied
  • death registrations 100% satisfied or very satisfied
  • birth registrations 100% satisfied or very satisfied
  • Nationality Checking Service 100% satisfied or very satisfied
  • Marriage and Civil Partnership notices 100% satisfied or very satisfied

Each of our latest round of surveys invited comments on the service received. A good response to this invitation was received - with the overwhelming majority paying tributes to our service standards. We will, however, be pursuing any negative comments or suggestions for improvement.

In addition to feedback received from these surveys and the focus groups mentioned , user satisfaction may also be gauged by the consistently very low level of complaints received . Unsolicited tributes and comment cards with complimentary messages are also further indications of customer satisfaction. (see above for our performance against standards and current level of complaints and tributes over the last six months)

Details of surveys together with tributes and complaints are reported annually to councillors. In addition, complaints are the subject of a separate annual report to councillors All of these reports are available to the press and public.

Thank you to all those customers of the service who took the time and trouble to give us their feedback.