Social Security Experience Panels - appointments and local delivery: report

Before the appointment

Appointment confirmation

Once a client has booked their appointment, Social Security Scotland will send them a confirmation of their booking. Survey respondents were asked how they would like to receive this confirmation. The most popular method was by email (47 per cent), with text message and post also popular (26 per cent and 25 per cent respectively). The least popular options were by telephone (1 per cent) and social media (0 per cent).

Table 21: How would you like to receive your appointment confirmation? (n=539)

Method	%
Email	47
Post	25
Telephone	1
Text	26
Social media	0
No preference	2
Total	101

Respondents were also asked if they would still prefer to receive a digital confirmation alongside a post one. Almost three quarters of respondents said they would (74 per cent).

Table 22: If you received a post confirmation, would you want one by a digital method too? (n=542)

Duration	%
Yes	74
No	26
Total	100

Respondents were asked what information they would find useful in their appointment confirmation. Almost all respondents said they would find all of the suggested information useful.

Table 23: What information would you find useful to be included with your appointment confirmation? (n=522-542)

Information	Very useful or useful	Not that useful or not useful at all
Parking information	81	19
Building information	92	8
Public transport routes	80	20
Information about what will happen on the day	99	1
Information on how to change your appointment	99	1
Information on how to tell us your accessibility needs	92	8
What to bring to your appointment	100	0
If you should bring someone else to the appointment	96	4
Information about the meeting room and the equipment available inside it	85	15

Pre-appointment information

Focus group participants were also asked what types of information they would find useful prior to their appointment. Participants across most focus groups tended to suggest similar types of information, such as:

• Information on accessing and moving around the venue;
• Typical length of appointments;
• Information on travel expenses; and
• Information on how to change or cancel the appointment.

Some participants suggested the information should be personalised to their appointment, including information such as who they would be talking to, what documents they should bring and how to get to the venue from their home address.

Some participants suggested a pre-appointment information sheet was the best format to supply this information.

“I would like an information sheet that this is what we will cover […] without being hit with lots of information…”

A small number of participants also suggested that Social Security Scotland emphasise that bringing along a friend, family member or advocate to these meetings would be welcome, and reassure clients that this is something they could do.

“Know that you can take someone with you [to] be a second pair of eyes and ears…” 

Appointment reminders

Respondents were asked if they would like to receive a reminder of their appointment. Almost all respondents said they would (94 per cent).

Table 24: Would you like a reminder before your appointment? (n=546)

Response	%
Yes	94
No	6
Total	100

Most respondents wanted a text or email reminder, with around a third wanting a reminder by post (32 per cent) and less than a fifth by telephone (14 per cent) Respondents could tick multiple options.

Table 25: How would you like to receive your reminder? (n=511)

Channel	%
Text	69
Post	32
Email	57
Telephone	14

Most respondents wanted their reminder the day before the appointment (44 per cent), however just under a third wanted it two days before (32 per cent) and just over a third wanted it a week before (34 per cent). Less than one in ten respondents wanted a reminder on the day (9 per cent) or two weeks before the appointment (6 per cent).

Table 26: When would you like to receive your reminder? (n=511)

When	%
On the day of the appointment	9
The day before the appointment	44
Two days before the appointment	32
Three days before the appointment	17
A week before the appointment	34
Two weeks before the appointment	6

Changing appointments

In the future, Social Security Scotland wants to make sure that clients are able to easily change their appointments if needed. To determine the need for this service, respondents were asked if they would ever want to change or rearrange their appointment themselves. By ‘themselves’ we mean that they would do it using an automated system such as online or using an automated telephone menu.  

Seven in ten respondents said they would want the ability to cancel or change their appointment themselves (70 per cent) with three in ten saying they would prefer to ask Social Security Scotland staff to do this for them (30 per cent).

Table 27: Would you ever want to cancel or change your appointment yourself? (n=545)

Response	%
Yes	70
No – I’d want to ask Social Security Scotland staff to do this for me	30
Total	100

Respondents were asked what would be their preferred way to change or cancel an appointment. The most popular method was online, nearly two-thirds of respondents (65 per cent) would prefer to change or cancel an appointment that way. 

Table 28: Preferred way to change or cancel appointment (n=381)

Channel	%
Online	65
Use an automated phone system	17
Use an app	9
Another way	9

Respondents who said that they would prefer to change or cancel an appointment ‘another way’, were given a free text box to specify. The vast majority said that they would like to speak to someone over the phone. Other suggestions were post, text or a combination of different methods.