1. Petteri Baer, Regional Adviser, UNECE
Why is it important to assess the state of USER RELATIONS in a Global Assessment?
EFTA-Eurostat-UNECE Seminar on Global Assessments Yalta, Ukraine 23 – 25 September 2009
Petteri Baer, Regional Adviser, UNECE

2. Good user relations are important, because…
Only used statistical information is useful information
Statistics is mainly not produced for the archives
If statistics does not serve as a tool for decision making and helping to understand on-going phenomena, it has failed its core function

3. Basic statistics - an infrastructure of modern society
Basic statistical information is a tool for safeguarding democracy
In order to participate in decisions of society, citizens should have access to basic information on structures, development
Statistics serves decision making
This infrastructural service of basic statistical information, often generates demand for more sophisticated and customized statistical information on additional topics and phenomena
More labour- and/or investment-intensive statistical services and service products are usually chargeable

4. In a world with growing information overflow a tough question is:
Will Official Statistical Agencies in the future have the role of a key provider of
correct, objective, non-partial, non-biased, understandable, comparable and easily accessible information, relevant to stakeholder and user needs?
Or will they degenerate into
under-funded producers of historical data,
having a limited role as a background source for users mainly in public administration and in institutions of economic and social history?

5. User relations are of strategic importance
The question of the development of services, development of modern service products,
the questions on marketing and dissemination of statistical information
Both are questions of a strategic importance for any National Statistical Agency.
They are not just side functions or minor activities.
They are questions about the future of any statistical agency.

6. Proactive is the magic word
Statistical agencies need a well balanced, proactively communicative and professionally led and administered comprehensive approach to the development of their information services
The information services are, together with the data collection and production of statistical information, one of the CORE FUNCTIONS of any statistical agency
Reference is made to the
Fundamental Principles of the UN
The Generic Statistical Business Process Model, developed by the UNECE and Eurostat

7. The importance of user friendly Database services
Statistical agencies produce quite a lot of statistical information
Different users have different aspects of interest, they want information
By industries, By enterprise sizes
By regions
Comparisons over different time periods
International comparisons
And numerous other aspects…
PC-Axis, PX-Web… User friendly services!

8. In the East European, Caucasus and Central Asian countries
…the top layer of the state administration is usually well served with statistical information
President’s office
Ministries
Central Bank
But what about other stakeholders?
District and local administrations needs?

9. The media is our partner
In disseminating the main results of all your agency’s hard work on statistics
In making problematic issues known
Help the media to be well informed!

10. Relations with the business community – difficult but rewarding
The business community is a much broader target group than often believed
Banks
Insurance companies
Big corporations
Medium sized enterprises
Chambers of commerce
Branch organizations
Employers organizations
Foreign companies
Etc.

11. The research community – aspects for building good relations
Co-operation in methodological development
Recruitment of new statistical professionals
Promoting the use of statistical information in general
Continuous pressure for providing good metadata
Finding ways for a broader use of microdata without violating confidentiality

12. Other important stakeholders and users of a statistical information
Libraries
Educational institutions
International organizations
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
Trade unions
Social issues
Environmental issues
Information brokers
Information service agencies
Business intelligence systems
Knowledge managements systems

13. More and more statistical publication takes place on the internet…
This is a very positive development
Availability and accessibility of official statistics has grown substantially
In the beginning of the year 2008
>500 Million internet hosts in the world!
This also increases pressure on timeliness

14. But note: – There are traps on the way!
Just putting your information on your web site does not automatically mean it is utilized
Even though your web information is utilized, it does not mean that your most important users make use of it

15. Traps on the way, continued
All potential users
These guys are real users
Heavy user
You may cover only a tiny share of your potential users - but not recognize it!

16. Traps on the way, continued
Counting the popularity of your web site by “hits” may deceive you because
a substantial part of the “fabulous growth” comes from search engines checking if you have any new information

17. Very often you do not really know, who your users are, when you provide services on the internet

18. The importance of good contact information
User lists
Existing customers and contacts
Regular and heavy users of economical statistics
Contact directories
Feedback contacts
 Contact / Customer database
 Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

19. For good user interaction at least a Customer Database is needed
For contacting
For surveys on satisfaction or dissatisfaction
For presenting new targeted services
For other forms of interaction

20. Customer Database Customer service Customers Development projects
Functions Information providers Information users
Customer service
Customers
Development projects
Customer intelligence
Contact intelligence
Lead
intelligence
Mana- gement
Customer
database
Campaign intelligence
Product development
Information retrievals
Project
intelligence
Quote intelligence
Adminis- tration
Marketing
Sales
Project
groups

21. Statistical agencies profit much from active and critical feedback (1)
Having more feedback will help us to develop our services
Interaction with critical customers will help us in having a positive pressure on performing better

22. Statistical agencies profit much from active and critical feedback (2)
A demanding customer is like a grain of sand within the mussel. It doesn’t feel good but the result may be a beautiful pearl!
Thank you for your attention!

23. Building Relationships with Users as a Strategic Concept
Attachment An example of the benefits of having both chargeable and non-chargeable statistical services
Building Relationships with Users as a Strategic Concept

24. Systematic customer contact building has given good results in Statistics Finland
More than individual internet users monthly (with a population of 5 Million)
principal customers, customers, contact persons accumulated in the CRM system
1% customers bring 60% of the income
~ 50 customers were in 2004 nominated to be strategic or key customers of Statistics Finland
Customers have several ways of being in contact
Many customers are in contact with the NSO in a number of different roles

25. Responsibilities of customer care in Statistics Finland
Centralised: customer process customer database
1. Central government
2. Local government
3. Corporations and enterprises
4. Research Institutions
5. Educational Institutions
6. Others
Responsibility for c-database
Resp. for cus- tomer portfolio
Resp. for customer
Strategic customers organisations
Key customers organisations

26. Number of customers according to Segments in Statistics Finland, End of 2005
Corporations and enterprises
Educational Institutions
Local Government Bodies
Organisations
Foreign customers
Central Government
Libraries
Research Institutions
Others
Without segment value (in 2005)
13 466
2 344
2 258
1 464
802
681
657
520 35
1 433

27. Different users prefer different services

28. It helps to analyse the customer structures and developments
Customer Relationship Management Systems used in modern organizations are useful because…
The entire organisation benefits from the information the system provides
It helps to analyse the customer structures and developments
Direct- and telemarketing campaigns are much more effective
Helps to monitor the success (or non-success) of different relation building activities taken
Provides a good basis for customer surveys and customer relations

29. Main steps in organising CRM-work
...to organise customer
segment teams and nominate
the people
in charge of relations with customers
to define main customer groups
to list strategic and key customers
to analyse needs of strategic and key customers
to set goals for taking care of the customer relationships
to develop ways of measuring the results of interaction with customers