As many will remember, the Anguilla Social Security Board completed an important measurement phase of its strategic plan in the last several months. With the gracious participation of individual contributors/beneficiaries, employers, institutional stakeholders, and the input of the Social Security staff in a combination of Balanced Scorecard surveys – they were poised for customer-driven changes throughout the organization.

Social Security Director and staff

In all, 465 individual, employer and institutional participants were asked to rate their satisfaction with Social Security overall performance, in addition to internal staff members. The most dramatic contrast in the results came between the individual contributors’ ratings and those of their employers and community leaders. Approximately one in ten individual contributors (13%) was Very Satisfied, and a quarter (28%) were specifically Dissatisfied with Social Security service and support to them and the community. Nearly three to four times as many employers and institutional stakeholders (38 and 45%) were Very Satisfied – and just one in twenty (5 to 6%) were Dissatisfied. These differences indicate a continued need for clear communications and outreach to the public, especially in regard to apparent confusion about benefits and how the insurance role of Social Security differs from a personal savings account.

It should be noted that these ratings also mean that from 72 to 95% of the survey participants were either Satisfied or Very Satisfied. However, the emphasis is on the VERY satisfied ratings, because only completely satisfied “customers” are considered “loyal” – and in this case, most likely to be supportive of making contributions and wanting to build confidence in others about the importance of a strong and well-managed Social Security institution for Anguilla.

In the absence of direct comparisons to “competitors” due to the nature of the Social Security Board, these results pose unique challenges for benchmarking in this community. The most recent benchmarks were established in the 2007 Anguilla Chamber of Commerce Business Survey. Specifically, 182 business leaders were 18% Very Satisfied and 14% Dissatisfied with Social Security in that same assessment.
Given the results in the most recent survey, Social Security has demonstrated significant improvements among the business leaders when the employers and institutional stakeholders’ results are compared to the 2007 results: That is, an improvement of some 20 percent in satisfaction, moving up from 18% to 40% if the two groups are combined – and down 8% from 14% dissatisfaction to 6%, combined. However, if compared by including individual contributors, who were not surveyed for the Chamber in 2007, satisfaction would remain unchanged at 18% Very Satisfied, and dissatisfaction would have nearly doubled from 14 to 25%, underscoring the urgency of the need to enhance communications with individual contributors.

Pauleta Bryson and Director, Timothy Hodge

Following a presentation of the results to the Board of Directors in the first quarter, the staff of the Social Security Board met on May 25 at Paradise Cove to read every comment and develop a host of recommended actions to build on strengths and improve their service to the public based on the findings in their surveys. Every member of management and staff was in attendance, as the opinions of the various stakeholders were viewed as sufficiently important to suspend service in order to dedicate an entire business day to “listen” to all who participated in the surveys during a structured workshop. The workshop began with a comprehensive results presentation and was facilitated by Melinda Goddard, principal of ClienTell Consulting, LLC, who assisted the Social Security Board in the development and analysis of its surveys. At the close of the workshop, staff members who had been mentioned most frequently during the survey process were also recognized with certificates for outstanding service quality. Pauleta Bryson was mentioned for excellence most often, and several others received well-deserved praise from 30 to 74% of the participants from across the four respective surveys.

In keeping with such customer-focused activities, one can already see some actions taken to improve the experience of visiting the Social Security office in The Valley. The office has undergone some impressive changes, from a welcoming automatic door to a delightfully air conditioned and redecorated lobby and new reception desk as you enter. The receptionist can help employees, employers, and beneficiaries alike to guide them to the person best able to assist them upon entering. While waiting is rarely necessary, there are also more chairs for the public, and a newly designed cashiers’ area is complemented by an attractive alcove, where the Devonish sculpture is elegantly displayed.

While the changes to the lobby will help welcome all who come to conduct their business, the real business of Social Security is to help ensure the financial security of the society with integrity and sound financial management. Through such efforts, “Social Security will soon be increasing some of its benefits,” said Social Security Director, Timothy A. Hodge, MBA. “We are here to serve the community, and we are all committed to providing the utmost coverage to all beneficiaries within the fiscal capabilities of the fund. We have listened to those who felt some adjustments were needed in our surveys, and we look forward to some important announcements about improved benefits in the coming weeks.”

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