Social Security client and experience panels research: effects of the coronavirus pandemic on communication preferences – visual summary

Getting in touch with Social Security Scotland before, during and the after the pandemic

Most respondentssaid they preferred a mix of contact methods for getting in touch for different reasons. Only a small number said they would use the same method for any reason.

Across all reasons for getting in touch, around four in ten (40 per cent) of survey respondents preferred telephone. This was true before, during and after the pandemic.

Around one in ten (10 per cent)preferred meeting in person across the six reasons for getting in touch. This stayed about the same before and after the pandemic. There was a slight decrease during the pandemic.

Across all reasons, around 15 per cent of respondents said they preferred post. This remained roughly the same before, during and after the pandemic.

Before, during and after the pandemic, around half of respondents said they wanted to make an application using an online form.

During and after the pandemic, around a fifth (20 per cent) of respondents said they would get in touch via web chat.

Around a quarter (17 per cent) said they preferred to receive updates about the progress of an application via text message (SMS).

Around 5 per cent of respondents said video call would be their preferred method after the pandemic.

Only around 1 per cent of respondents indicated a preference for social media for advice and information, progress updates or urgent situations.