RPID Customer Satisfaction Survey to Inform the Futures Programme

4 Online Services

Summary

1. Force of habit and dislike of the internet or computers were respondents' main barriers to the use of online services. But respondents were generally positive about ways in which RPID could encourage more customers to take up online services.

2. Among those who currently use online services, issues were similar to general areas of dissatisfaction: information which was both difficult to find and unclear, finding forms difficult to complete, and having problems with the quantity and clarity of guidance for completing forms.

4.1 Respondents who had submitted their SAF online were asked if they agreed or disagreed with three statements regarding their experience of using the Rural Payments Online (RPO) system. Overall, respondents' views of the RPO system were positive, as can be seen in figure 4.1. Seventy-eight per cent of online SAF applicants agreed that information provided on RPO is accurate (3% disagreed); 67% agreed that RPO looks and feels well designed (10% disagreed); however, only 57% disagreed that they have difficulty navigating RPO (18% agreed).

Figure 4.1: Views on aspects of the Rural Payments Online system

4.2 Online applicants who are satisfied with RPID were more likely than overall to agree that information is accurate (83% compared with 78%). While online SAF applicants who are dissatisfied with RPID were more likely than overall to disagree (12% compared with 3% overall) that the information provided on RPO is accurate.

4.3 Respondents in the South Eastern region (77%), those satisfied with RPID (76%), and farmers (72%) were more likely than overall to agree that RPO looks and feels well designed; while those dissatisfied with RPID (39%), agents (33%), other rural businesses (21%), and those in the Southern region (25%) were more likely to disagree, compared with 10% overall.

4.4 While just under a fifth (18%) of online SAF applicants agreed that they have difficulty navigating RPO, those who are dissatisfied with RPID were, with 33% agreeing that it is difficult to navigate, almost twice as likely to report this. Young farmers (78%), respondents in the 25-40 age group (70%), those in Grampian (68%), and users who are satisfied with RPID (66%) were more likely than overall to agree that RPO is easy to navigate.

4.5 Those who submitted a paper SAF were asked why they did not make an online submission. Two in five cited habit or preferring to do things in person or on paper, while 28% said that they did not like using computers or the internet. Seventeen per cent mentioned that they had no internet access, while 14% reported that they find websites or online applications difficult to use. Overall results are shown in figure 4.2 below.

Figure 4.2: Reasons for choosing not to submit a SAF online

"Taking the forms in means that if there are any issues we have a query about we can speak to staff and get the answer there and then. Online would not give that opportunity."

"The rules change every year i.e. eligible land. When I submit in person I can take digital pictures of tracks or features and ask if they are eligible. SAF staff welcome this chance to help me. Staff will have checked over 100 forms before. I go in always on the last day and by then they are alert to issues."

"The less I do online the better. I prefer people to machines."

4.6 Overall, there were few significant differences between subgroups. Respondents in the 65+ age group were more likely than overall to say that they had no internet access (27% versus 13%), that they do not like using the internet or computers (26% compared with 19%), or that they do not use the internet for work (15% versus 7%). Those in the Southern region (23%) and crofters (17%) were more likely than overall to report that they had no internet access, and crofters, reflecting the lack of internet access, were also more likely than overall to say that they do not use the internet for work (13%).

4.7 Not surprisingly, telephone respondents were more likely than online respondents to cite dislike of the internet or computers (28% compared with 3%), no internet access (17% versus 4%), or not using the internet for work (11% compared with 1%).

4.8 Paper SAF applicants who use the internet for work and/or personal use were asked how useful they would find three services which could potentially encourage people to complete an online SAF application. As figure 4.3 shows, respondents' views were mainly positive, although opinion was divided in terms of having a facility for customers to access the online application system at their local office.

Figure 4.3: Services which could encourage use of the online SAF system

4.9 Respondents in the Argyll & Western Isles region, those in the 65+ age group (both 54%), crofters (47%) and those who are satisfied with RPID (42%) were more likely than overall (37%) to say that providing better guidance online would be very useful. However, telephone respondents were more likely than online respondents and overall to think that this would not be at all useful (14% compared with 5% and 10% respectively).

4.10 Those in Argyll & Western Isles region were also more likely than overall to think that sessions at local RPID offices with staff showing how to use the online application system would be very useful (60% versus 37% overall), while those in the Central region were more likely to think this would be not very useful (24%, compared with 14% overall).

4.11 Opinion was divided over the option to access the online application system at local RPID offices. Those aged over 65 and female respondents were more likely than overall to feel that such a service would be useful (59% and 58% respectively, compared with 46%); while 51% of those aged 41-65 felt that it would not be useful, compared with 46% overall. Respondents to the telephone survey were more likely than online respondents to feel that this would be useful (52% compared with 39%).

4.12 Respondents who use the internet for work or personal use were asked how useful they would find four potential new services which RPID and its partners could offer online. The majority of respondents felt that each potential service would be useful, as can be seen in figure 4.4 below.

Figure 4.4: Possible new online services

4.13 More than four in five said that the ability to update their contact details online would be a good potential new service, while one in ten thought this would not be useful. Agents (92%), those in the Argyll & Western Isles region (91%), and respondents who submitted an online SAF (85%), non-RPO users who use the internet (85%), and those satisfied with RPID (85%) were all more likely than overall to think that this would be useful. Respondents who are dissatisfied with RPID (19%), online RPO users (14%), paper SAF applicants (14%) and respondents in the Central region (14%) were all more likely than overall to feel that this would not be a useful service.

4.14 Seventy-eight per cent of respondents said they thought it would be useful to be able to store and access written correspondence received from RPID and its partners online; 13% said this would not be useful. Online SAF applicants and non-RPO users who use the internet (both 82%) were more likely than overall to see this as a useful service. Respondents in the Argyll & Western Isles region (22%) and RPO users who use the internet (17%) were more likely than overall to regard this as not useful.

4.15 Two-thirds of respondents felt that the ability to change their bank details online would be a useful potential service, with 19% saying that this would not be useful. Those in the 25-40 age group (78%), online SAF applicants (74%), non-RPO users who use the internet (74%), and crofters (73%) were all more likely than overall to find this useful. Those who are dissatisfied with RPID (29%), RPO users who use the internet (27%) and paper SAF applicants (27%) were more likely than overall to say that this would not be useful.

4.16 Just over half of respondents (52%) said that they would find the ability to update agent mandate details useful, while 13% found this not useful. 29% said that this feature would not apply to them. Agents (92%), other rural businesses (80%), and respondents in the Grampian region (63%) were all more likely than overall to say that this would be a useful service.

4.17 All respondents who use the internet (n=921) were also asked about their views on the usefulness of three online land mapping tools. As figure 4.5 shows, opinion was generally positive towards these possible new services.

Figure 4.5: Possible online land mapping tools

4.18 Nine in ten said that the ability to review maps online would be a useful service, while 5% felt it was not useful. Agents were more likely than overall to find this feature useful (97%, with 80% saying that it would be very useful), as were online SAF applicants (93%). Farmers over the age of 40 (17%) and paper SAF applicants (11%) were more likely than overall to say this would not be useful.

4.19 Eighty-five per cent of respondents said that the ability to propose changes to boundaries and features online would be useful, with 8% saying it was not useful. Again, agents (95%) and online SAF applicants (88%) were more likely than overall to feel that this service would be useful, and paper SAF applicants and female respondents (both 14%) more likely than overall to feel that this would not be useful. These percentages for paper customers suggest there is a relative small hard core of people who are unlikely to be drawn by any online services.

4.20 Just over two-thirds (69%) of respondents thought that the ability to store other types of land data online would be useful, while 16% held the opposite view. Respondents who did not submit a SAF application (86%) and agents (80%) were more likely than overall to feel that this would be useful, while those in the South Eastern region (25%) and paper SAF applicants (21%) were more likely than overall to say that this would not be useful.

Key points

4.21 The main 'barrier' to online submission of SAFs was force of habit or a preference for using a paper method, followed by dislike of the internet or computers. While RPID cannot necessarily change people's attitudes towards modern technology, respondents were asked about ways in which RPID could facilitate higher usage of the RPO system. The provision of better guidance on how to use the online application system was thought to be useful by two thirds of respondents, as was the possibility of coaching sessions from staff at local offices. Therefore these would seem to be reasonable avenues by which RPID can help its customers to move from paper to online submissions.

4.22 Those respondents who already use the RPO system were positive about the look and feel of the site and its navigability, and felt that information provided on the RPO site was accurate. Respondents were also positive about the range of potential new services which RPID could offer in future. The option which received the most negative views concerned the ability to change bank details online, which could possibly be driven by concerns over information security. Respondents were also positive about potential online land mapping tools.

4.23 Although customers aged over 65 years and those who had submitted a paper SAF were more likely to think that potential new services would not be useful, even among these groups, a majority felt that such new services would be useful. This suggests that these services have the potential to both improve services for existing online users and act as a further incentive to draw non-users towards the online service.

4.24 However, around a third of those aged 65-and-over said that they have no internet access and/or do not like the internet or computers. Access through local offices (and the support that this might also provide) would help to address the fundamental problem of internet access. It may still be more difficult for RPID to convince such customers to access online services but it seems likely that for many of these older customers, responsibility for the day-to-day running of the business will inevitably pass to younger family or staff members.