Customer Satisfaction Research Report Volume I May 2004 N0626/RR/BJS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.  FOREWORD

A. Background

B. Purpose

C. Method

D.Completions

E. Challenges

II. Executive Summary

A. Web Visitor Survey

B. Customer Survey

III. General Summary: Web Site Visitor Survey

A. How First Learned About CCOHS Web Site

B.  Frequency of Visiting the CCOHS Web Site

C. Locating Information

D. Satisfaction With and Importance of Web Site Features

E. Overall Satisfaction with the Web Site

F. Suggested Improvements to the Web Site

G. Demographics of web site visitors

IV.General Summary: Customer Survey

A. Products or Services Used in Past Year

B. Recognition of Product or Service In Data File

C. Number of People in Organization Using or Benefiting from CCOHS Product/Service

D. Frequency of Use

E. Media/Format Used and Preferred

F. Rating of Product/Service Aspects and Need For Improvements

G. Satisfaction With and Importance Product/Service Attributes

H. Days to Receive and Acceptable Time to Receive

I. Dealing with CCOHS Service Staff

J. Number of Service Staff Dealt With and Acceptable Number

K. Number of Contacts and Acceptable Number

L. Satisfaction With and Importance Of Service Attributes

M. Errors Made in Provision of Products or Services

N. Getting What Was Needed

O. Using or Purchasing Again

P. Potential New Offerings

Q. Demographics of CCOHS Customers

V. Conclusions

A. Web Survey

B. Customer Survey

C. Comparisons with Other Satisfaction Surveys

Appendices

Appendix A - Web Survey Questionnaire
Appendix B - Customer Survey Questionnaire
Appendix C - Detailed Tables - UNDER SEPARATE COVER

A. Background

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS or the Centre) was created in 1978, by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Act, which mandates CCOHS to promote the fundamental right of Canadians to a healthy and safe working environment. CCOHS operates under a tripartite council that includes represen-tatives from business, labour and government.

CCOHS council fulfils the Centre's mandate by operating as "a source for unbiased technical information and expertise to support the efforts of governments, labour organizations, employers, and individual Canadians to improve workplace safety and health".^[1] CCOHS fulfils this mandate through a portfolio of free and priced products and services that draw upon a core collection of occupational safety and health information and the application of information management technologies. The key products and services offered by the Centre are the free Inquiries Service and web site and information products and services for which it charges.

B. Purpose

CCOHS wished to conduct a customer satisfaction survey of users of its Inquiries service, and subscribers to and users of its other products and services. The survey was designed to:

Measure client satisfaction.

Compare expectation or need versus to how they feel about the service received.

Identify service gaps.

Identify what users value in the service.

Identify direction for improvements.

In addition, CCOHS also wished to conduct a survey of visitors to their extensive web site.

The use of a web-based survey provided a self-completion mode with added flexibility of delivery: skip patterns are opaque to the respondent, as they are in a computerized telephone survey. In addition, a web survey is considered ideal for business users in that it provides for swift response and any-time-anywhere completion.

C. Method

a)   Modes

Two surveys were conducted as part of this assignment.

Web-site visitor survey: A pop-up survey of 603 visitors to the CCOHS/CCHST web site. The survey was available from February 13 to March 9, 2004. It should be kept in mind that this is a self-selecting sample.

Customer survey: An invitation to participate in an online survey was mailed to 3,736 customers from the CCOHS database. The invitation was mailed and not e-mailed due to the need to comply with federal privacy legislation, and because valid e-mail addresses were not available for some customers. The survey was available online from February 19 to March 26, 2004. A reminder card was mailed on March 8. Cards were returned from only 42 addresses.

b)   Sampling for the Customer Survey

CCOHS provided two Access data files for the survey. One file contained contact information for individuals who had used the Inquiries Service. The second file contained coded information of purchasers of products and other services (such as subscriptions). Records with incomplete mailing addresses were removed. The files were checked for duplicates, cleaned and a sample selected of Canadian and US clients. A language preference (English/French) was available in CCOHS's sample file.

The sample file identified four product/service types:

1.   Inquiries

2.   Web Services

3.   CD/DVD

4.   Publications

Approximately º of the selected sample was Inquiries clients.

Clients who purchased more than one type of product had more than one entry in the sample file. Our sampling department randomly selected a product for individuals with more than one.

The product names in the data file were used as provided, so there was a possibility that, in some instances, a French respondent could get an English product name, or vice versa. Product names were occasionally abbreviated and always capitalized in the original file, and thus appeared as such in the survey and the letter.

D. Completions

Web-site visitor survey: 603 visitors to the CCOHS/CCHST web site completed the survey over the course of the field period.

Customer survey: Completions were achieved with 549 respondents for a response rate pf 15%, which is quite typical for a customer survey in a self-completion mode but less than was anticipated given the level of involvement many customers have with CCOHS.

The distribution of respondents by jurisdiction is shown in Exhibit I-D below, using postal abbreviations for the jurisdictions. Canadian jurisdictions are shown in bold.

 

EXHIBIT I-D
Location of Respondents to CCOHS Customer Survey

Jurisdiction*	# Completes	% of total	Cumulative #	Cumulative %
AB	52	9.5%	52	9.5%
AZ	2	0.4%	54	9.8%
BC	50	9.1%	104	18.9%
CA	6	1.1%	110	20.0%
CO	1	0.2%	111	20.2%
CT	4	0.7%	115	20.9%
DC	1	0.2%	116	21.1%
DE	1	0.2%	117	21.3%
FL	2	0.4%	119	21.7%
GA	1	0.2%	120	21.9%
IA	1	0.2%	121	22.0%
ID	1	0.2%	122	22.2%
IL	2	0.4%	124	22.6%
IN	5	0.9%	129	23.5%
MA	2	0.4%	131	23.9%
MB	21	3.8%	152	27.7%
MD	4	0.7%	156	28.4%
MI	1	0.2%	157	28.6%
MN	1	0.2%	158	28.8%
MT	1	0.2%	159	29.0%
NB	10	1.8%	169	30.8%
ND	1	0.2%	170	31.0%
NJ	3	0.5%	173	31.5%
NL	9	1.6%	182	33.2%
NM	1	0.2%	183	33.3%
NS	25	4.6%	208	37.9%

EXHIBIT I-D CONT'D
Location of Respondents to CCOHS Customer Survey

Jurisdiction*	# Completes	% of total	Cumulative #	Cumulative %
NT	2	0.4%	210	38.3%
NU	2	0.4%	212	38.6%
NV	1	0.2%	213	38.8%
NY	3	0.5%	216	39.3%
OH	11	2.0%	227	41.3%
OK	2	0.4%	229	41.7%
ON	213	38.8%	442	80.5%
PA	5	0.9%	447	81.4%
PE	4	0.7%	451	82.1%
QC	58	10.6%	509	92.7%
SD	1	0.2%	510	92.9%
SK	24	4.4%	534	97.3%
TN	1	0.2%	535	97.4%
TX	2	0.4%	537	97.8%
VA	2	0.4%	539	98.2%
VT	2	0.4%	541	98.5%
WA	4	0.7%	545	99.3%
WI	2	0.4%	547	99.6%
YT	2	0.4%	549	100.0%

*Canadian jurisdictions in bold

E.  Challenges

A number of challenges arose during the design of the customer survey methodology. CCOHS did not have previous opt-in consent to e-mail their customers or Inquiries users for the purposes of conducting research. As well, a significant number of records did not have e-mail addresses.

To comply with Privacy legislation and to attempt to reach customers without e-mail addresses, a personalized letter was sent to a selected sample of potential respondents to the customer survey. This mixed mode methodology resulted in a somewhat lower completion rate than might have been expected with an all-electronic delivery, partially due to the extra effort required to turn from the written word to the computer and manually enter the web address for the survey. As well, it required a longer field period. However, our firm notes that many surveys involving client-supplied customer lists result in a response rate of between 10 and 15% regardless of mode.

 

 

A.  Web Visitor Survey

The CCOHS web site is unique in many ways, as it provides a great deal of technical information to a wide audience of varying levels of knowledge, much of it free or at low cost. Although predominantly designed for the needs of Canadian business and individuals, it is used by a worldwide audience to answer an astonishing variety of occupational health and safety queries.

Visitors mainly learn about the site via a search engine and, for half of respondents, it was their first visit to the site. Two-thirds of these first-time visitors indicate they are satisfied with the site, and satisfaction increases with more frequent visits. The majority indicates that they found the information they came to the site to seek, even though the site is structurally quite complex.

Visitors express a rather high level of satisfaction with how the site performed in all areas, however, areas where there is the most gap between satisfaction and importance are "ease of finding information" and "scope of information." Visitors would also like to see more free information provided. Overall, more than three-quarters of visitors express satisfaction with the site. Very few suggested improvements were offered.

B. Customer Survey

CCOHS customers represent a mix of organization types and sizes, but a typical customer would be someone in a safety role of a manufacturing company of medium to large size. Despite the sizes of the organizations, most indicate that from 1 to 10 people will use or benefit from a specific CCOHS product or service. Close of half (43%) of customers have used the free web services, such as OSH Answers and INCHEM, in the past year. There is room for expansion in awareness and use of the HS Canada internet mailing list and the Health and Safety Report newsletter.

A quarter of customers indicate the product or service is used once a month, although pay for use services are used more frequently. There is a growing preference for electronic media for provision of products. In product attributes, reliability and clarity are the most valued qualities, and coverage/comprehensiveness and currency (being up-to-date) are the qualities customers would most like to see improved.

While the majority of customers are either satisfied or very satisfied with all rated attributes of the product or service they received, they are most satisfied with usefulness and relevance, and least with cost and assistance provided for solving a problem. Gaps between perceived importance and performance for CCOHS product and service attributes are small (0.5 or less) and show that CCOHS is very close to meeting customer expectations for most of its offerings, including the important measure of time required to receive products and services. CCOHS meets its customers' expectations regarding the number of service staff and contacts required to obtain products and services.

Gaps in service attribute importance and performance are also small and there is a high level of customer satisfaction with the service provided by CCOHS staff on all measures. Very few errors are being made in provision of products and/or services. Close to three-quarters of customer report that, in the end, they got what they needed, and over 80% indicate they would purchase the product or service again.

A.  How First Learned About CCOHS Web Site

Respondents to the web site visitor survey started the survey with a closed-ended question about how they first heard about the CCOHS site. An "other specify" option was permitted. Internet search engines were used by 33% of visitors, general browsing on the Internet by 14%, and a teacher or professor or a link from another web site by 11% each. Referral from a coworker was selected by 11%, a government department or office by 8%, and CCOHS promotional materials by 5%.

Other mentions provided by respondents included having learned about the site while taking health and safety training, or through a union or professional association.

Exhibit III-A.1 below provides a graphical representation of findings displayed in more detail in Exhibit III-A.2

EXHIBIT III.A.1

Predictably, visitors from the United States and other counties are more reliant than Canadians on finding out about the site through search engines or web browsing, and less likely to have received referrals from coworkers or government departments, or from CCOHS promotional materials.

First-time visitors to the site are significantly more likely than other visitors to say they found the site through a search engine (43%). They are less likely to report referrals through co-workers (6%) or government departments (4%).

Those who indicate they had visited the site 10 or more times are least likely to report having located it through a search engine (15%) or browsing on the Internet (6%). They are far more likely than the average to report referral through a co-worker (23%) or a government department (12%). They are also the most likely visitors to have heard about the site through CCOHS promotional materials (12%).

Exhibit III.A.2 following shows results by region and by frequency of visits to the site.

Placement in search engines remains critical for CCOHS promotion. There may also be additional promotional opportunities available through government, health training delivery and professional organizations both inside and outside of Canada.

EXHIBIT III-A.2

How First Learned About CCOHS Web Site

		Total Visitors
				Location
		Total		Eastern Canada		Central Canada		Western Canada		US		Other
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(145) %		(143) %		(108) %		(92)* %		(115) %
How did you first learn about the CCOHS web site?
From an Internet search engine		33		28		18		32		49		44
Browsing on the Internet		14		9		11		15		21		17
A link on another web site		11		10		15		9		11		10
A teacher or professor		11		12		14		8		5		13
Someone I work with		11		10		16		15		7		4
A government department or office		8		11		10		8		3		4
CCOHS promotional materials		5		8		7		5		1		-
Health and safety training		3		5		3		3		-		1
Union of professional association		2		1		3		2		-		2
Other mentions		2		3		1		2		2		2

EXHIBIT III-A.2 (Cont'd)

How First Learned About CCOHS Web Site

		Total Visitors
				Site Visit Frequency
		Total		First Time		2 to 5		6 to 9		10 or more
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(288) %		(124) %		(48)** %		(132) %
How did you first learn about the CCOHS web site?
From an Internet search engine		33		43		30		27		15
Browsing on the Internet		14		17		15		13		6
A link on another web site		11		13		15		4		8
A teacher or professor		11		8		13		17		14
Someone I work with		11		6		9		4		23
A government department or office		8		4		11		13		12
CCOHS promotional materials		5		1		5		6		12
Health and safety training		3		3		1		2		3
Union of professional association		2		1		1		8		2
Other mentions		2		2		1		6		2

* Figures percentaged on a base of less than 100 should be interpreted with caution

** Figures percentaged on a base of less than 50 should be interpreted with extreme caution

Source: Web Site Visitors Survey Detailed Tables p. 1

B. Frequency of Visiting the CCOHS Web Site

That day's visit to the CCOHS web site was the first for 48% of visitors. Strikingly, 22% of visitors have been to the site 10 or more times. It is clear that, once discovered, the CCOHS site has sufficient information to attract many repeat visits. It was very likely to be the first visit for those from outside of Canada (74% US and 65% other countries).

Multiple visitors (10 or more visits) are most likely to be Canadian, with somewhat fewer being from Western Canada. The United States has the lowest incidence of 10+ visitors, with only 5%. See Exhibit III-B to see the breakdown of visit frequency by location.

 

EXHIBIT III-B

Frequency of Visits to CCOHS Web Site in Past Six Months

		Total Visitors
				Location
		Total		Eastern Canada		Central Canada		Western Canada		US		Other
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(145) %		(143) %		(108) %		(92)* %		(115) %
How many times have you visited the CCOHS Web Site in the past six months
Today was my first time on this web site		48		32		34		46		74		65
2 to 5 times		21		23		25		25		12		15
6 to 9 times		8		10		8		7		8		6
10 or more times		22		32		33		20		5		10

* Figures percentaged on a base of less than 100 should be interpreted with caution

Source: Web Site Visitors Survey Detailed Tables p. 2

C. Locating Information

The CCOHS web site follows federal government website "look and feel" requirements in terms of navigation and layout. However, it is a very busy site with a plethora of information available, and it might be expected that a considerable percentage of visitors may not be able to locate what they require. Of course, it must be recognized that no one web site will be able to fulfill every single visitor's complete information needs.

When asked if they have found on the CCOHS web site the information they are seeking, 57% of visitors say yes, and 40% have not yet located the needed information. Only 4% say no. Exhibit III-C shows the results to this question with breaks by region and number of visits to the site.

It should be noted that this measure provides only a snapshot of the status at the time the respondent chose to take the survey. Many will continue to search for information after participating in the survey; and some may not have been searching for something specific but merely investigating to see what the site had available. It should be noted that, in a subsequent question, ease of finding information is an issue for a significant number of visitors.

Visitors from Eastern and Central Canada (62% each) are most likely to say they had found the information they were seeking; US visitors are least likely (46%). However, US visitors remain optimistic, with 53% selecting "not yet" as compared to only 1% indicating "no." Foreign visitors (57%) are slightly more likely than Western Canadians (53%) to say they had found their required information.

As can be expected, the likelihood of finding the required information increases with number of visits to the site. Over twice as many 10-time-or-more visitors (83%) indicate they found the information they were seeking, compared to first time visitors (34%).

EXHIBIT III-C

Whether Visitors Found the Information Sought

		Total Visitors
				Location
		Total		Eastern Canada		Central Canada		Western Canada		US		Other
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(145) %		(143) %		(108) %		(92)* %		(115) %
Did you find the information you were looking for?
Yes		57		61		62		53		46		57
No		4		4		2		7		1		5
Not Yet		40		35		36		41		53		38

EXHIBIT III-C (Cont'd)

Whether Visitors Found the Information Sought

		Total Visitors
				Site Visit Frequency
		Total		First Time		2 to 5		6 to 9		10 or more
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(288) %		(124) %		(48)** %		(132) %
Did you find the information you were looking for?
Yes		57		34		73		79		83
No		4		5		2		4		2
Not Yet		40		60		24		17		14

* Figures percentaged on a base of less than 100 should be interpreted with caution

** Figures percentaged on a base of less than 50 should be interpreted with extreme caution

Source: Web Site Visitors Survey Detailed Tables p. 3

D. Satisfaction With and Importance of Web Site Features

1.   Satisfaction With Web Site Features

Visitors were asked to rate their level of satisfaction with 10 features of the web site, using a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 was "very dissatisfied" and 5 was "very satisfied." A "not applicable" option was also offered.

It should be noted that the average rating excludes any non response or "not applicable," but the satisfaction ratings are percentaged on all respondents to the question. This accounts for some apparent discrepancies, where "net satisfied" may seem lower than the average provided might suggest.

Visitors are most satisfied with the clarity of the wording (78% net satisfied), followed by the layout of the home page (70%), the scope of the information (69%) and the time required to navigate from page to page (68%). Lower levels of satisfaction are reported for ease of finding information (60%), the availability of free vs. paid information (61%) and the usefulness of links within the site (61%).

In general, satisfaction with web sites increases with the number of visits paid. This is both because those who are most likely to return are those who find what they need at the site, and because repeat visitors increase their familiarity with both the look and feel of the site and its offerings.

Western Canadians (who tend to be less frequent visitors of the site) generally express lower levels of satisfaction with web site features than visitors from other parts of Canada.

a)   Availability of free vs. paid information

Keeping in mind that most people would prefer not to have to pay for information, it appears that the CCOHS site strikes a reasonable balance in this area, with 61% of respondents expressing satisfaction with the availability of free vs. paid information. Those in Western Canada are least likely to be satisfied; still, 53% express some level of satisfaction. Eastern Canadians have the highest rate of satisfaction, at 68%.

Satisfaction with the availability of free vs. paid information increases with the number of times the site is visited, with 68% of those who have made 10 or more visits expressing satisfaction.

b)   Clarity of the wording

Over three-quarters of visitors (78%) are satisfied with the clarity of wording on the site. Those in eastern Canada are most satisfied, at 88%, and those in the US are least satisfied, at 68%. Satisfaction increases with repeat visits (95% of those visiting 10 or more times express some level of satisfaction with wording clarity).

c)   Layout of the home page

The CCOHS home page is very full of information, and it might be expected that some visitors would find it cluttered or confusing. However, 70% of visitors express some level of satisfaction with the home page layout. Those in Eastern and Central Canada are most satisfied (75% and 73% respectively), while those in Western Canada (69%), the US (64%) and other countries (65%) are less so. First-time users, however, express considerably less satisfaction (59%) than those visiting the site 6 or more times (83%).

d)   Time required to navigate from page to page

Internal navigation of the site is satisfactory for 68% of visitors, with those in Eastern Canada being more satisfied (74%) than those outside of Canada (64%). Again, those who pay multiple visits to the site are more satisfied than first-time users, with 77% of those visiting 6 times or more expressing some level of satisfaction, compared to 62% of first-timers.

e)   Ease of finding information

The ability of visitors to find the information they need is crucial to the success of the CCOHS web site. It appears there is room for improvement here. In total, 60% of visitors express some level of satisfaction with the ease of finding information on the site, with 38% satisfied and 22% very satisfied. However, 23% indicate they are neutral on this issue. A somewhat higher percentage of US visitors are satisfied with the ease of finding information (65%). First time visitors are least likely (53%) to be satisfied with the ease of finding information on the site.

f)     Scope of the information

CCOHS prides itself on the scope of the information it provides, and over two-thirds of web sites visitors agree. When asked their satisfaction with the scope of information provided, 69% express some level of satisfaction. Canadians are more likely to be satisfied than those from the US (62%) and elsewhere (60%). First time users are considerably less likely to say they are satisfied with the scope of information (58%) than multiple visitors (86% for those visiting 10 times or more).

g)   Usefulness of the links within the site

The CCOHS web site is quite complex, with some information requiring a number of links to access. Overall, 61% of visitors are satisfied with the usefulness of the links within the site. Those in Western Canada (58%), the US (53%) and elsewhere (57%) are somewhat less satisfied. Again, as expected, only half of first-time users express some level of satisfaction, compared to over three-quarters of multiple users (77% of those with 10 or more visits).

h)   Ease of use of the search engine

Visitors to busy sites rely on search engines to help locate the information they need. This is especially true for first-time users, who are less familiar with the site layout and organization than are repeat visitors.

Of total visitors to the site, 63% are satisfied with the ease of use of the search engine. Those in Eastern Canada are most satisfied (70%) while those in Western Canada are least satisfied (55%). First time users are less satisfied (54%) than multiple users (71% for those with between 2 and 9 visits, and 73% of those visiting 10 times or more).

i)     Relevance of the search results

Ease of use is only part of the story with search engines. The information they produce must be useful and relevant. When asked about this, 62% of visitors feel the search engine provides relevant results. This is fairly consistent regardless of location, although Western Canadians are somewhat less satisfied with response relevance (56%) and Eastern Canadians somewhat more satisfied (67%). As expected, first-time visitors are less satisfied, with 53%, compared with 75% of 10-or-more visit respondents.

j)     Usefulness of the help features/instructions

Respondents are less satisfied on the whole with the usefulness of help features and instructions on the site. Just over half (55%) indicate they are either somewhat or very satisfied with the help features. Central Canadians are most satisfied, at 60%, compared to 49% of Western Canadians. Satisfaction is uneven depending on number of visits to the site, with 50% of first time users being satisfied, a similar result to those visiting 6 to 9 times. However, those visiting two to 5 times (62%) and those visiting 10 or more times (61%) express more satisfaction with the help features and on-site instructions.

EXHIBIT III-D1

Satisfaction With Web Site Features

		Total Visitors
				Location
		Total		Eastern Canada		Central Canada		Western Canada		US		Other
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(145) %		(143) %		(108) %		(92)* %		(115) %
Satisfaction with Features of Web Site
Availability of free vs. paid information
Very dissatisfied (1)		4		4		1		3		4		6
Dissatisfied (2)		8		7		8		12		3		6
Neutral (3)		17		15		19		21		12		16
Satisfied (4)		32		37		29		32		26		31
Very satisfied (5)		29		31		32		20		36		28
Net satisfied (all respondents)		61		68		61		53		62		59
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.85		3.90		3.91		3.63		4.05		3.79
Clarity of the wording
Very dissatisfied (1)		3		3		1		1		2		6
Dissatisfied (2)		1		1		3		-		-		1
Neutral (3)		10		4		9		13		15		14
Satisfied (4)		43		48		47		52		29		36
Very satisfied (5)		35		40		35		27		39		34
Net satisfied (all respondents)		78		88		82		79		68		70
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.17		4.28		4.19		4.12		4.20		4.00
Layout of the home page
Very dissatisfied (1)		2		3		-		2		2		4
Dissatisfied (2)		5		4		4		7		2		4
Neutral (3)		15		11		18		15		15		16
Satisfied (4)		45		50		48		52		34		38
Very satisfied (5)		25		26		25		17		30		27
Net satisfied (all respondents)		70		75		73		69		64		65
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.93		3.96		3.99		3.80		4.05		3.88
Time required to navigate from page to page
Very dissatisfied (1)		3		3		-		2		3		7
Dissatisfied (2)		3		1		6		4		2		4
Neutral (3)		17		17		20		18		15		16
Satisfied (4)		44		50		46		52		32		36
Very satisfied (5)		25		23		24		17		33		28
Net satisfied (all respondents)		68		74		69		69		64		64
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.91		3.95		3.93		3.85		4.04		3.81

EXHIBIT III-D1 (Continued)

Satisfaction With Web Site Features

		Total Visitors
				Location
		Total		Eastern Canada		Central Canada		Western Canada		US		Other
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(145) %		(143) %		(108) %		(92)* %		(115) %
Satisfaction with Features of Web Site
Ease of finding information
Very dissatisfied (1)		3		3		1		2		2		5
Dissatisfied (2)		6		6		8		9		3		5
Neutral (3)		23		24		25		26		15		20
Satisfied (4)		38		43		37		41		30		35
Very satisfied (5)		22		17		23		15		35		24
Net satisfied (all respondents)		60		61		60		56		65		59
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.77		3.70		3.77		3.62		4.08		3.76
Scope of the information
Very dissatisfied (1)		3		3		-		3		2		5
Dissatisfied (2)		4		3		4		6		3		4
Neutral (3)		16		13		18		13		17		18
Satisfied (4)		41		50		48		42		28		30
Very satisfied (5)		28		25		25		28		34		30
Net satisfied (all respondents)		69		75		73		70		62		60
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.96		3.98		4.00		3.95		4.04		3.85
Usefulness of the links within the site
Very dissatisfied (1)		2		3		1		-		2		4
Dissatisfied (2)		2		1		1		4		-		4
Neutral (3)		20		17		21		20		23		18
Satisfied (4)		39		43		46		42		29		31
Very satisfied (5)		22		25		21		17		24		25
Net satisfied (all respondents)		61		68		67		58		53		57
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.91		3.96		3.92		3.87		3.93		3.84
Ease of use of the search engine
Very dissatisfied (1)		2		3		-		1		2		6
Dissatisfied (2)		3		1		4		5		3		2
Neutral (3)		17		13		20		21		13		16
Satisfied (4)		40		47		40		42		33		37
Very satisfied (5)		23		23		24		13		28		25
Net satisfied (all respondents)		63		70		64		55		61		62
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.92		4.00		3.95		3.75		4.03		3.86

EXHIBIT III-D1 (Continued)

Satisfaction With Web Site Features

		Total Visitors
				Location
		Total		Eastern Canada		Central Canada		Western Canada		US		Other
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(145) %		(143) %		(108) %		(92)* %		(115) %
Satisfaction with Features of Web Site
Relevance of the search results
Very dissatisfied (1)		3		4		-		2		2		5
Dissatisfied (2)		5		2		6		8		2		5
Neutral (3)		17		16		19		19		15		18
Satisfied (4)		39		44		41		39		35		31
Very satisfied (5)		23		23		22		17		28		27
Net satisfied (all respondents)		62		67		64		56		63		58
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.87		3.89		3.91		3.71		4.03		3.80
Usefulness of the help features/instructions
Very dissatisfied (1)		3		3		-		1		3		6
Dissatisfied (2)		2		1		4		3		1		2
Neutral (3)		21		22		21		27		14		22
Satisfied (4)		35		37		39		37		29		33
Very satisfied (5)		20		18		21		12		27		22
Net satisfied (all respondents)		55		55		60		49		57		55
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.83		3.79		3.92		3.71		4.01		3.74

EXHIBIT III-D1 (Continued)

Satisfaction With Web Site Features

		Total Visitors
				Site Visit Frequency
		Total		First Time		2 to 5		6 to 9		10 or more
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(288) %		(124) %		(48)** %		(132) %
Satisfaction with Features of Web Site
Availability of free vs. paid information
Very dissatisfied (1)		4		4		3		2		3
Dissatisfied (2)		8		4		10		15		12
Neutral (3)		17		19		15		15		15
Satisfied (4)		32		25		41		38		35
Very satisfied (5)		29		29		26		31		33
Net satisfied (all respondents)		61		54		67		69		68
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.85		3.91		3.81		3.81		3.85
Clarity of the wording
Very dissatisfied (1)		3		3		2		-		2
Dissatisfied (2)		1		1		2		-		-
Neutral (3)		10		14		9		13		3
Satisfied (4)		43		40		50		38		46
Very satisfied (5)		35		27		36		50		49
Net satisfied (all respondents)		78		67		86		88		95
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.17		4.02		4.19		4.38		4.42
Layout of the home page
Very dissatisfied (1)		2		3		2		-		1
Dissatisfied (2)		5		4		5		4		4
Neutral (3)		15		17		14		13		13
Satisfied (4)		45		36		50		65		55
Very satisfied (5)		25		24		27		19		27
Net satisfied (all respondents)		70		59		77		83		83
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.93		3.87		3.99		3.98		4.05
Time required to navigate from page to page
Very dissatisfied (1)		3		4		2		-		3
Dissatisfied (2)		3		4		3		4		2
Neutral (3)		17		15		19		19		18
Satisfied (4)		44		38		49		52		49
Very satisfied (5)		25		23		25		25		28
Net satisfied (all respondents)		68		62		74		77		77
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.91		3.88		3.95		3.98		3.98

EXHIBIT III-D1 (Continued)

Satisfaction With Web Site Features

		Total Visitors
				Site Visit Frequency
		Total		First Time		2 to 5		6 to 9		10 or more
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(288) %		(124) %		(48)** %		(132) %
Satisfaction with Features of Web Site
Ease of finding information
Very dissatisfied (1)		3		4		2		-		1
Dissatisfied (2)		6		7		6		4		5
Neutral (3)		23		21		23		23		26
Satisfied (4)		38		30		46		52		45
Very satisfied (5)		22		23		21		19		24
Net satisfied		60		53		67		71		68
Average (#)		3.77		3.72		3.81		3.87		3.85
Scope of the information
Very dissatisfied (1)		3		3		2		-		2
Dissatisfied (2)		4		4		3		4		3
Neutral (3)		16		18		17		17		9
Satisfied (4)		41		34		48		48		49
Very satisfied (5)		28		24		27		31		37
Net satisfied (all respondents)		69		58		75		79		86
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.96		3.86		3.98		4.06		4.18
Usefulness of the links within the site
Very dissatisfied (1)		2		2		2		-		1
Dissatisfied (2)		2		3		1		2		1
Neutral (3)		20		19		19		25		20
Satisfied (4)		39		33		44		38		49
Very satisfied (5)		22		18		26		29		28
Net satisfied (all respondents)		61		50		70		67		77
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.91		3.81		4.00		4.00		4.05
Ease of use of the search engine
Very dissatisfied (1)		2		2		2		-		2
Dissatisfied (2)		3		2		2		6		3
Neutral (3)		17		16		14		19		19
Satisfied (4)		40		34		51		42		44
Very satisfied (5)		23		20		20		29		29
Net satisfied (all respondents)		63		54		71		71		73
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.92		3.89		3.96		3.98		3.97

EXHIBIT III-D1 (Continued)

Satisfaction With Web Site Features

		Total Visitors
				Site Visit Frequency
		Total		First Time		2 to 5		6 to 9		10 or more
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(288) %		(124) %		(48)** %		(132) %
Satisfaction with Features of Web Site
Relevance of the search results
Very dissatisfied (1)		3		3		2		2		2
Dissatisfied (2)		5		5		2		6		6
Neutral (3)		17		18		20		15		14
Satisfied (4)		39		30		44		46		51
Very satisfied (5)		23		23		23		27		24
Net satisfied (all respondents)		62		53		67		73		75
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.87		3.84		3.89		3.93		3.94
Usefulness of the help features/instructions
Very dissatisfied (1)		3		4		2		-		1
Dissatisfied (2)		2		3		1		-		2
Neutral (3)		21		17		23		33		24
Satisfied (4)		35		30		44		40		39
Very satisfied (5)		20		20		19		13		23
Net satisfied (all respondents)		55		50		62		52		61
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.83		3.81		3.85		3.76		3.91

* Figures percentaged on a base of less than 100 should be interpreted with caution

** Figures percentaged on a base of less than 50 should be interpreted with extreme caution

Source: Web Site Visitors Survey Detailed Tables p. 4-13

2.   Importance of Web Site Features

Visitors rated the importance of each of 10 features of the web site, on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 was "very unimportant" and 5 was "very important."

It should be noted that importance scores are typically quite high. In some cases the visitor will be thinking about this specific site, in others they may be thinking about web sites in general or about other sites they may have visited recently.

The features of a web site that visitors feel to be most important are ease of finding information (84%), the scope of information available (83%) and the clarity of the wording (82%). Lower levels of importance are assigned to layout of the home page (65%), usefulness of the help features (67%), and usefulness of links within the site (68%).

In general, visitors located in Eastern Canada are more likely to rate features as important than visitors from other parts of Canada, other countries and the US. First time visitors are less likely to rate features as important than visitors who returned to the site several times.

a)   Availability of free vs. paid information

Of the 78% of respondents who feel the availability of free vs. paid information on a web site is important, the majority indicate it is very important. Eastern Canadians are most likely to indicate this (86%) compared to Western Canadians (82%), Central Canadians (75%), those in the US (79%) and other countries (68%). Repeat visitors are considerably more likely to indicate this feature is important (88% for those with 10 or more visits) than first time visitors (70%).

b)   Clarity of the wording

Clarity of wording is a feature that most visitors consider important, with 82% indicating some level of importance. Again, those in Eastern Canada (90%) and those visiting the site 10 or more times (98%) are most likely to indicate that clarity of wording is important.

c)   Layout of the home page

Of the 10 features being rated, layout of the home page proved to be least important to web site visitors. Still, close to two-thirds of visitors feel it to be either important or very important. Foreign visitors (57%) and first-time visitors (59%) are least likely to feel that layout of the home page is important.

d)   Time required to navigate from page to page

As computer system capacities increase and faster Internet connections become more affordable and commonplace, time required to load and move between pages becomes less of a critical issue. Still, three-quarters of visitors to the CCPHS web site indicate that time to navigate from page to page is important. Those who have visited the site 10 or more times (87%) and visitors from Eastern Canada (81%) are most likely to indicate navigation time as important; first time visitors are least likely (70%).

e)   Ease of finding information

This was judged by visitors to be the most important of the features presented, with 84% indicating some level of importance, and 57% indicating it is very important. Again, Eastern Canadians and those visiting 10 or more times are most likely to indicate it is important.

f)     Scope of the information

Scope of information is of importance to 83% of visitors, with 55% indicating it is very important. It is of somewhat less importance to foreign (76%) and first-time visitors (74%).

g)   Usefulness of the links within the site

This was one of the areas deemed to be of lesser importance by customers, however, over two-thirds still feel it is of at least some importance. At this stage in web page development, most sites of this nature have been carefully designed and many visitors can take for granted that links on sites will take them where they expect to go.

h)   Ease of use of the search engine and relevance of the search results

Search engines become key when sites are as information-packed and complex as the CCOHS site. Close to three-quarters of visitors feel ease of use of the search engine is of importance, and 79% indicate that the relevance of the search results obtained is important. Not surprisingly, a higher percentage of frequent site visitors rate relevance of search results as "very important."

i)     Usefulness of the help features/instructions

Because many web site users are becoming more savvy at negotiating sites, they rate usefulness of help features and instructions as being important to a lesser degree than other site features. Still, 67% feel this has some level of importance. Those who visit more often are more likely to feel this is important than do first-time visitors, who may be only "looking around" and not seriously seeking assistance.

EXHIBIT III-D2

Importance of Web Site Features

		Total Visitors
				Location
		Total		Eastern Canada		Central Canada		Western Canada		US		Other
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(145) %		(143) %		(108) %		(92)* %		(115) %
Importance of Features of Web Site
Availability of free vs. paid information
Very unimportant (1)		3		2		3		2		3		6
Unimportant (2)		1		-		1		-		-		2
Neutral (3)		10		7		13		9		5		14
Important (4)		27		31		22		35		21		23
Very important (5)		52		55		52		46		59		45
Net important (all respondents)		78		86		75		82		79		68
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.34		4.44		4.32		4.34		4.49		4.11
Clarity of the wording
Very unimportant (1)		2		1		3	2	2	33	3		3
Unimportant (2)		1		1		-		1		-		3
Neutral (3)		9		6		8		9		11		10
Important (4)		34		37		34		34		26		36
Very important (5)		48		52		48		47		51		40
Net important (all respondents)		82		90		82		82		77	76	76
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.33		4.43		4.35		4.33		4.33		4.18
Layout of the home page
Very unimportant (1)		3		2		2		2		2		5
Unimportant (2)		2		2		1		2		1		4
Neutral (3)		24		22		22		24		27		24
Important (4)		42		50		43		40		35		36
Very important (5)		23		21		25		26		26		21
Net important (all respondents)		65		71		67		66		61		57
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.87		3.88		3.94		3.92		3.89		3.69
Time required to navigate from page to page
Very unimportant (1)		2		1		1		2		2		4
Unimportant (2)		1		2		1		1		1		2
Neutral (3)		13		12		14		14		13		13
Important (4)		43		48		48		42		37		36
Very important (5)		33	32	32		29		34		38		36
Net important (all respondents)		76		81		76		76		75		71
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.12		4.12		4.10		4.14		4.18		4.10

EXHIBIT III-D2 (Cont'd)

Importance of Web Site Features

		Total Visitors
				Location
		Total		Eastern Canada		Central Canada		Western Canada		US		Other
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(145) %		(143) %		(108) %		(92)* %		(115) %
Importance of Features of Web Site
Ease of finding information
Very unimportant (1)		2		1		2		2		4		3
Unimportant (2)		1		1		1		-		-		3
Neutral (3)		6		4		7		7		8		7
Important (4)		27		27		27		27		27		27
Very important (5)		57		64		56		57		52		51
Net important (all respondents)		84		91		83		84		79		78
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.45		4.57		4.45		4.49		4.35		4.35
Scope of the information
Very unimportant (1)		3		2		2		2		3		4
Unimportant (2)		1		1		1		-		-		1
Neutral (3)		7		6		6		8		8		8
Important (4)		28		28		29		29		24		28
Very important (5)		55	61	61		55		55		57		48
Net important (all respondents)		83		88		84		83		80		76
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.42		4.48		4.45		4.44		4.43		4.28
Usefulness of the links within the site
Very unimportant (1)		2		2		1		2		2		4
Unimportant (2)		3		3		3		2		3		2
Neutral (3)		19		21		16		20		17		21
Important (4)		36		40		39		37		36		28
Very important (5)		32		31		32		31		33		35
Net important (all respondents)		68		71		71		68		69		63
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.01		3.98		4.06		4.01		4.02		4.00
Ease of use of the search engine
Very unimportant (1)		2		1		2		2		2		4
Unimportant (2)		2		2		1		3		2		4
Neutral (3)		15		17		13		15		16		13
Important (4)		39		46		40		39		33		36
Very important (5)		34		31		34		33		38		34
Net important (all respondents)		73		77		74		72		71		70
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.09		4.06		4.14		4.08		4.12		4.04

EXHIBIT III-D2 (Cont'd)

Importance of Web Site Features

		Total Visitors
				Location
		Total		Eastern Canada		Central Canada		Western Canada		US		Other
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(145) %		(143) %		(108) %		(92)* %		(115) %
Importance of Features of Web Site
Relevance of the search results
Very unimportant (1)		2		3		2		2		2		3
Unimportant (2)		2		-		2		2		2		3
Neutral (3)		9		11		6		8		10		11
Important (4)		30		31		29		32		30		26
Very important (5)		49		52		50		48		47		48
Net important (all respondents)		79		83		79		81		77		74
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.32		4.34		4.38		4.33		4.29		4.26
Usefulness of the help features/instructions
Very unimportant (1)		3		2		3		2		3		4
Unimportant (2)		2		2		1		5		1		3
Neutral (3)		20		26		15		17		23		20
Important (4)		35		39		36		35		34		30
Very important (5)		31		26		36		34		30		30
Net important (all respondents)		67		66		71		70		64		61
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.98		3.90		4.10		4.03		3.95		3.91

EXHIBIT III-D2 (Cont'd)

Importance of Web Site Features

		Total Visitors
				Site Visit Frequency
		Total		First Time		2 to 5		6 to 9		10 or more
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(288) %		(124) %		(48)** %		(132) %
Importance of Features of Web Site
Availability of free vs. paid information
Very unimportant (1)		3		4		3		2		2
Unimportant (2)		1		1		-		-		-
Neutral (3)		10		11		9		8		9
Important (4)		27		22		32		21		34
Very important (5)		52		48		52		69		54
Net important (all respondents)		78		70		84		90		88
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.34		4.28		4.34		4.54		4.41
Clarity of the wording
Very unimportant (1)		2		2		3		-		1
Unimportant (2)		1		1		1		2		1
Neutral (3)		9		10		12		8		1
Important (4)		34		31		35		31		42
Very important (5)		48		43		47		58		56
Net important (all respondents)		82		74		82		90		98
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.33		4.28		4.24		4.46		4.52
Layout of the home page
Very unimportant (1)		3		3		4		-		1
Unimportant (2)		2		3		2		2		1
Neutral (3)		24		23		28		23		21
Important (4)		42		34		42		54		55
Very important (5)		23		25		22		21		23
Net important (all respondents)		65		59		64		75		78
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.87		3.86		3.78		3.94		3.98
Time required to navigate from page to page
Very unimportant (1)		2		2		2		2		1
Unimportant (2)		1		2		2		-		1
Neutral (3)		13		13		15		15		11
Important (4)		43		37		52		44		50
Very important (5)		33		34		27		40		37
Net important (all respondents)		76		70		78		83		87
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.12		4.13		4.03		4.19		4.22

EXHIBIT III-D2 (Cont'd)

Importance of Web Site Features

		Total Visitors
				Site Visit Frequency
		Total		First Time		2 to 5		6 to 9		10 or more
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(288) %		(124) %		(48)** %		(132) %
Importance of Features of Web Site
Ease of finding information
Very unimportant (1)		2		2		2		-		1
Unimportant (2)		1		1		2		2		1
Neutral (3)		6		7		10		4		2
Important (4)		27		25		29		40		27
Very important (5)		57		52		55		54		71
Net important (all respondents)		84		77		84		94		97
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.45		4.41		4.36		4.46		4.65
Scope of the information
Very unimportant (1)		3		3		2		2		2
Unimportant (2)		1		-		1		2		-
Neutral (3)		7		9		10		4		-
Important (4)		28		26		29		35		29
Very important (5)		55		49		57		56		69
Net important (all respondents)		83		74		86		92		98
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.42		4.35		4.41		4.42		4.62
Usefulness of the links within the site
Very unimportant (1)		2		3		2		-		1
Unimportant (2)		3		2		2		8		2
Neutral (3)		19		19		18		27		17
Important (4)		36		30		43		31		48
Very important (5)		32		32		32		31		32
Net important (all respondents)		68		62		75		63		80
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.01		4.00		4.07		3.87		4.09
Ease of use of the search engine
Very unimportant (1)		2		2		2		-		2
Unimportant (2)		2		2		4		4		1
Neutral (3)		15		16		16		19		8
Important (4)		39		33		43		38		53
Very important (5)		34		34		31		38		36
Net important (all respondents)		73		67		73		75		89
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.09		4.08		4.02		4.11		4.21

EXHIBIT III-D2 (Cont'd)

Importance of Web Site Features

		Total Visitors
				Site Visit Frequency
		Total		First Time		2 to 5		6 to 9		10 or more
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(288) %		(124) %		(48)** %		(132) %
Importance of Features of Web Site
Relevance of the search results
Very unimportant (1)		2		2		2		2		2
Unimportant (2)		2		2		2		2		2
Neutral (3)		9		12		13		8		2
Important (4)		30		29		26		31		36
Very important (5)		49		43		52		54		59
Net important (all respondents)		79		72		78		86		95
Average (excludes not applicable)		4.32		4.25		4.31		4.36		4.50
Usefulness of the help features/instructions
Very unimportant (1)		3		3		2		-		2
Unimportant (2)		2		2		3		8		1
Neutral (3)		20		18		19		25		25
Important (4)		35		32		36		33		43
Very important (5)		31		32		34		31		27
Net important (all respondents)		67		64		69		65		71
Average (excludes not applicable)		3.98		4.02		4.01		3.89		3.94

* Figures percentaged on a base of less than 100 should be interpreted with caution

** Figures percentaged on a base of less than 50 should be interpreted with extreme caution

Source: Web Site Visitors Survey Detailed Tables p. 14-23

3.   GAP Analysis - Performance VS Importance of Various Features

To better understand the areas of strength and weakness in the CCOHS web visitor experience, we conducted a GAP analysis. The GAP score is calculated by subtracting the average importance score from the average performance score. Thus, a negative score indicates underperformance on that particular feature, whereas a positive score indicates overperformance.

The GAP analysis indicates if the web site is underperforming on any key visitor priorities. When gap scores are mostly negative, improvement efforts should be directed primarily at those features identified as being most important to visitors. Positive gap scores are not necessarily to be taken as a good thing, as it may indicate that too many resources are being directed to some areas deemed to be of lesser importance.

For this unique web site, comparisons with other sites are difficult to make. However, based on our experience, it is normal for respondents to rate most features as quite important, and it is difficult if not impossible for web sites to achieve satisfaction scores in the same range. However, the CCOHS site does in fact achieve very impressive performance scores. Most gaps are quite small. CCOHS is advised to concentrate on the four areas where the gaps are largest (0.45 or greater). Exhibit III-D3.1 shows the gaps for the web site attributes in priority of their importance.

The largest gap is between the rated performance and importance of what visitors consider the most important of the 10 features discussed: ease of finding information. As mentioned earlier, the CCOHS web site content is extensive and it can be expected that some visitors may find it challenging to locate the information they seek. Even though some related features have higher satisfaction ratings (layout of the home page, ease of use of the search engine, usefulness of the links within the site), it appears there is considerable room for improvement in guiding visitors through the site to the information they seek.

There is a smaller but nonetheless notable gap for the second most important feature, scope of the information on the site.

For the third most important feature, clarity of the wording, the performance of the CCOHS site is closer to the rated importance.

The only feature for which the site received a slightly higher performance ranking than its importance was layout of the home page. The CCOHS web site is therefore not overperforming in any of these areas.

EXHIBIT III-D3.1

Web Site Attribute GAP Analysis

		Satisfaction		Importance		GAP
Priority	Web Site Attribute	Index		Index
1	Ease of finding information	3.77		4.45		-0.68
2	Scope of the information	3.96		4.42		-0.46
3	Clarity of the wording	4.17		4.33		-0.16
4	Availability of free versus paid information	3.85		4.34		-0.49
5	Relevance of the search results	3.87		4.32		-0.45
6	Time required to navigate from page to page	3.91		4.12		-0.21
7	Ease of use of the search engine	3.92		4.09		-0.17
8	Usefulness of the links within the site	3.91		4.01		-0.10
9	Usefulness of the help features and instructions	3.83		3.98		-0.15
10	Layout of the home page	3.93		3.87		0.06

Exhibit III-D3.2 is a graphical representation of the gap analysis described above. Anything above the X axis indicates a positive gap (overperforming) and anything below the gap indicates underperforming. Attributes appearing closest to the X axis indicate small gaps, where performance is close to importance for that attribute.

Attributes to the right of the Y axis are deemed more important that those to the left. The attributes of greatest concern are the ones that appear furthest away from the X axis in either the upper left or lower right quadrants. In the upper left would appear any attributes deemed less important where the web site is overperforming, thus potentially wasting effort and resources. This is not an area of concern for CCOHS. In the lower right are the more important attributes where the web site is underperforming. In the case of the CCOHS web site, you can see that "ease of finding information" is the most important aspect and has the greatest gap.

When identifying areas for improvement or investment, it is generally of lesser concern if the site is overperforming on the most important attributes (upper right quadrant) or under-performing on the less important attributes (lower left quadrant). The CCOHS web site is only slightly underperforming on the less important attributes (showing small gaps, closer to the X axis).

EXHIBIT III-D3.2
Web Site Attribute GAP Analysis

E.  Overall Satisfaction with the Web Site

Over three quarters of visitors to the CCOHS web site indicate they are satisfied with the site (77%). Eleven per cent claim to be neutral about it. Only 6% express dissatisfaction, with 4% indicating they are very dissatisfied.

As mentioned before, the CCOHS web site is quite unique in the enormous array of technical information it conveys and the huge variety of clients it serves. Although it is difficult in the absence of meaningful benchmarks to make strict comparisons with satisfaction results for other web sites, we can state that to have three-quarters of visitors satisfied is a very positive result.

As was the case when discussing satisfaction with various site features, visitors from Eastern Canada tend to be more satisfied (84%) than those from Central Canada (80%) or Western Canada (76%), US (73%) or foreign visitors (70%). Also falling into line with previously reported results, first time visitors are less satisfied overall with the site (65%) than the average, and much less so than multiple visitors. Those who visit the site the most often are, not surprisingly, the most satisfied with it, at 93%.

 

EXHIBIT III-E

Overall Satisfaction with the CCOHS Web Site

		Total Visitors
				Location
		Total		Eastern Canada		Central Canada		Western Canada		US		Other
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(145) %		(143) %		(108) %		(92)* %		(115) %
Overall Satisfaction with CCOHS Web Site
Very dissatisfied (1)		4		4		1		4		1		7
Dissatisfied (2)		3		1		2		4		2		4
Neutral (3)		11		9		11		13		9		11
Satisfied (4)		44		47		44		54		35		40
Very satisfied (5)		33		37		36		22		38		30
Net satisfied		77		84		80		76		73		70
Average (#)		4.07		4.13		4.17		3.90		4.26		3.91

EXHIBIT III-E (Cont'd)

Overall Satisfaction with the CCOHS Web Site

		Total Visitors
				Site Visit Frequency
		Total		First Time		2 to 5		6 to 9		10 or more
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(288) %		(124) %		(48)** %		(132) %
Overall Satisfaction
Very dissatisfied (1)		4		4		2		4		3
Dissatisfied (2)		3		4		1		2		2
Neutral (3)		11		15		11		6		2
Satisfied (4)		44		41		48		42		49
Very satisfied (5)		33		24		37		46		44
Net satisfied		77		65		86		88		93
Average (#)		4.07		3.89		4.18		4.23		4.30

* Figures percentaged on a base of less than 100 should be interpreted with caution

** Figures percentaged on a base of less than 50 should be interpreted with extreme caution

Source: Web Site Visitors Survey Detailed Tables p. 24

F.  Suggested Improvements to the Web Site

Twenty-four per cent of visitors believe the web site needs no improvement. Fifty-four percent offered no opinion (stated "don't know"), which is not unexpected given that it was the first visit to the site for many. Suggestions or comments were provided by 22%. This is quite typical of web site surveys, where few respondents will necessarily have given much thought to possible improvements to the site, or be willing to invest the time to delineate these.

First-time visitors were most likely to say "don't know" (61%), which is not surprising, but were not less likely to say the site needs no improvement (23%, compared to 23% of those visiting 10 or more times).

Suggestions for improvement included the following:

More information - 6%

Free information/free services/site/resources - 3%

Better layout/too cluttered/busy - 2%

Better/easier search options -2%

User friendly/easier to use - 2%

Updated information - 2%

Information more relevant - 1%

G.Demographics of web site visitors

Respondents to the web site satisfaction survey were asked a number of demographics questions to assist in classifying their responses.

1.   Main Role in Organization

We asked respondents to indicate their main role in their organization. A list of 11 possible roles was provided, along with an "other specify" option.

"Safety" was selected by 35% of respondents and "executive/management" by 11%, with other roles receiving less than 10% of mentions.

Roles provided by those indicating "other" included student, education/training and health.

2.   Type of Organization

A list of types of organizations was provided, along with an "other specify" option. Manufacturing (22%) and government (16%) were the most frequently cited types, followed by Service Sector and Education (12% each) and Health Care Facilities (9%).

3.   Location

Respondents were asked their location, with options provided being Eastern Canada, Central Canada, Western Canada, USA and Other. Almost half of respondents came from Eastern or Central Canada (24% each). Western Canada was the location of 18%, the US 15%, and "Other" was selected by 19%.

4.   Entry into Draw

We asked respondents if they wished to be entered into the draw for a free year's subscription to a database service. Entry into the draw involved the provision of, at minimum, an e-mail address. A slim majority of respondents (59%) indicated they wished to be entered into the draw.

5.   Participation In Future Research

Respondents were asked if they would be willing to participate in further research to improve the CCOHS web site, and that this research could involve either focus groups or future surveys. Just under half (42%) of respondents agreed to participate in future research.

EXHIBIT III-F

Demographics of Web Site Visitors

		Total Visitors
				Location
		Total		Eastern Canada		Central Canada		Western Canada		US		Other
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(145) %		(143) %		(108) %		(92)* %		(115) %
Main Role in Organization
Safety		35		37		39		33		25		36
Executive/management		11		12		11		3		14		13
Production/operations		8		10		7		11		4		4
Medical		8		7		7		4		9		11
Engineering		5		5		4		9		2		6
Student		5		4		4		2		7		7
Industrial hygiene		4		4		4		5		4		4
Chemistry/science/research		4		2		3		5		8		3
Regulatory compliance		3		3		2		2		9		1
Education/training		3		3		3		3		-		4
Health		3		1		4		5		1		2
Library		2		2		1		3		3		1
Type of Organization
Manufacturer/goods/production		22		19		27		19		27		16
Government		16		20		19		19		13		9
Service sector		12		15		11		11		13		10
Education		12		6		8		10		13		23
Hospital/health care facility		9		9		9		7		11		10
Consulting/marketing		6		6		4		10		4		6
Other not-for-profit/association		5		5		7		7		5		2
Health and safety organization		5		6		2		3		-		12
Student		3		5		3		-		3		4
Construction		2		1		1		3		1		2

EXHIBIT III-F (Cont'd)

Demographics of Web Site Visitors

		Total Visitors
				Site Visit Frequency
		Total		First Time		2 to 5		6 to 9		10 or more
Base = (Actual)		(603) %		(288) %		(124) %		(48)** %		(132) %
Main Role in Organization
Safety		35		23		37		31		57
Executive/management		11		12		13		13		5
Production/operations		8		10		8		6		2
Medical		8		9		6		10		5
Engineering		5		8		4		2		2
Student		5		8		3		2		1
Industrial hygiene		4		2		2		8		9
Chemistry/science/research		4		5		4		2		2
Regulatory compliance		3		3		3		6		2
Education/training		3		2		2		6		3
Health		3		1		2		4		5
Library		2		2		3		2		-
Type of Organization
Manufacturer/goods/production		22		18		24		10		30
Government		16		11		20		19		23
Service sector		12		14		13		10		11
Education		12		14		10		21		6
Hospital/health care facility		9		10		9		8		8
Consulting/marketing		6		7		4		6		5
Other not-for-profit/association		5		7		7		2		1
Health and safety organization		5		4		4		10		5
Student		3		5		2		4		1
Construction		2		1		2		4		1

* Figures percentaged on a base of less than 100 should be interpreted with caution

** Figures percentaged on a base of less than 50 should be interpreted with extreme caution

Source: Web Site Visitors Survey Detailed Tables p.26-27, 28-29