These guidelines assist social security institutions to:

• Measure service performance against published standards;
• Use feedback from participants to improve the product development life cycle;
• Measure the impact of quality initiatives in terms of both effectiveness and efficiency;
• Publish performance results, including when targets are not achieved;
• Use data and information predictively and reflectively and adjust practice accordingly.

They focus on four fundamental aspects of service quality.

• Consulting and engaging with participants as an integral part of service design. It is now common for service delivery organizations to actively engage with customers and stakeholders to improve the quality of their goods and services. This includes setting and managing expectations of quality and service performance. This is particularly relevant to social security institutions as they deal with people at vulnerable moments in their lives.

The traditional approach to service delivery treats people as passive recipients within a centralized system. Today’s citizen-centred approach gives participants a voice (e.g. through satisfaction surveys – but this is a “lag activity”). An emerging trend, co-design, involves participants in each stage of the production process – it is a “lead activity”. Involving people in programme design mitigates the risk that they will assess a product or service as being of poor quality, and assists in managing people’s expectations.

• Embedding quality throughout the process of product development. Engineering principles lie at the heart of quality management and have proven to be effective in administrative settings. As in the manufacturing sector, social security products pass through a product development life cycle from conception (policy intent) to final delivery (a payment or service). Social security institutions should develop a structured approach to product development which incorporates and measures service quality at each stage of the design and production process.
• Addressing the service fundamentals. Treating people with respect, dignity and courtesy is fundamental to excellent service delivery. Social security institutions should work to a set of operating principles based on social norms and regularly monitor service performance against measurable targets for improvement. Addressing the service fundamentals is not enough, however; institutions truly committed to service quality will consider all seven guidelines for service quality.
• Measurement and feedback. Most social security organizations measure and report on their activities, but this means looking backwards at what has already happened. Institutions should be proficient at using information to predict the future and plan accordingly. Resource planning will then be based on expected demand for services.
• Developing a service culture. Quality service is highly dependent on the commitment and competence of the staff delivering the service. Staff should receive regular training in the skills and capabilities required to deliver quality service. An organization with appropriately skilled staff is more aware of the importance of service quality in achieving its strategic objectives.