Good service delivery on Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius is a priority for SZW. The research bureau Linkels & Partners conducted a survey in the first half of this year, commissioned by the RCN unit SZW, to find out how citizens experience the services. The survey offers many starting points to improve service delivery.

The RCN unit SZW is committed to safe, healthy and fair working conditions and pays out social insurance on behalf of the ministry to contribute to the security of existence for the elderly, parents and people who are temporarily unable to work or are in a financial emergency situation. The service is constantly evolving. For instance, the RCN unit SZW implemented the corona emergency support package from 2020, digitalized the process of reporting sick and applying for loss of wages in 2021 and recently started implementing the temporary scheme for parents of children requiring intensive care. SZW would like to know from its customers how its services are perceived, which is why the research firm Linkels & Partners conducted a qualitative study into the organisation’s customer experience on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.

The survey revealed important points of attention and issues where things could and should be better. For instance, accessibility by phone and e-mail could be improved and, partly due to the housing situation, customers do not always feel safe to speak freely about personal matters. Also, some customers expect more empathy from staff and find it tedious if they have to repeat their story to another staff member. A conclusion of the researchers is also that no signals have emerged from the customers indicating very serious shortcomings or improper practices by the unit.

In terms of customer experience in the implementation of specific instruments, the unit scores well on labor-related issues. AOV recipients on the islands are also generally positive about the service experience. On service delivery in the areas of underemployment and loss of wages, clients are more critical.

Follow-up

The results of the survey will be discussed in detail with employees during team days in December. Partly based on this, a concrete action and improvement plan will be made, taking into account what is feasible in the short and longer term. A complaints officer recently started at the RCN unit SZW. In addition, some employees have started a customer orientation training, others will follow next year.

The full survey (in Dutch) can be viewed here. Customers who have questions in response to the survey or about SZW’s services can email info.szw@rijksdienstcn.com.

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