Istat Contact Centre System for Online Statistical Data Requests

1. Istat Cont@ct Centre Web System for treatment of the on-line statistical data requests DWG 7/8 May 2008 V. Tiberi - A. Cardacino

2. Present access to Istat’s services via e-mail: a large number of addresses E-mail addresses of other Istat Offices Communication office comunica@istat.itufficiostampa@istat.it Website management webmaster@istat.it Students and accademics Binariodieci@istat.it ilvaloredeidati@istat.it Microdata processing laboratory adele@istat.it Regional information centres 19 E-mail addresses • E-mail addresses of • Dissemination Directorate Offices • Dissemination data centreinfo@istat.it • Customized and sample collection of microdata requests • richieste.dati@istat.it • European Statistical User SupportESDS@istat.itLibrarybiblio@istat.itPublication sales and subscriptions • marketing@istat.it

3. Problems with the current system Often users direct their requests to many or all addresses using the“ undisclosed recipients“ option, in the hope of obtaining a faster or more complete reply. The answers provided, usually at different times, may not be harmonised. In addition to a waste of resources (more structures involved in the treatment of the same request) the current system does not allow the monitoring of requests received by Istat, due to the lack of a single database of users and answers.

4. Repetitivness of requests: a problem under study The improper use of the e-mail tool, due to its simplicity and affordability, has led many institutions to replace e-mail addresses with a web-form on line The system allows the elimination of repetitive and spam messages and the constant monitoring of the various types of requests, which can be used for the analysis of customer satisfaction

5. A further development: the knowledge database Many countries who take part in the European Statistical System already have an on line form for the reception of requests Eurostat has presented a new computerized system for processing requests, which should replace the current organization, based on the simple compilation of the special form (one for each Member State) The system will allow, in addition, to setting up a single database, quality control of the replies aimed at greater standardisation of these (knowledge database).The users can also follow at any time the status of their request (transparency of the service)

6. The Istat Cont@ct Centre System Web system for the collection and processing of requests for online statistical data includes: Front office internet subsystem for the formulation of the requests for data required by the registered web users (Cont@ct Centre) and unregistered requests for easy requests (Info Istat) Back office intranet subsystem (Contact office) for the treatment of requests and for the management of the FAQs by the relevant employees The workflow on which is based the functioning of both subsystems is connected by an automated e-mail dispatch between the different actors of the system for the various stages of the treatment of the requests.

7. Characteristics of the Cont@ct Office subsystem (Back-office) • The staff involved in the treatment of requests within the subsystem are classified in organisational structures to which requests are addressed according to their type and special selections by the web users. • The actors operating in the subsystems Cont@ct Office are as follows: • Administrator (takes care of the management system e.g. the creation and editing utilities and the creation and modification of organizational areas where the operators are classified) • Sector Manager-Responsible (assignment, submission, treatment and tracking of the requests directed to a single sector) • Operator Plus (can deal with all the requirements of their sector without the • intervention of the manager) • Operator (processing of the requests assigned to them)

8. Advantages of the Istat Contact Center system Single access point for the formulation of requests for required statistical data from web users: simpler for end users and less dispersive for treating operators Operators no longer contactable directly by end users via personal e-mail Standardization in the formulation and treatment of requests (creation, wherever possible of reply / pattern models) Possibility of tracking requests during their lifecycleTransparency in the management of requests with the opportunity for end users to access at any time to their requests portfolio and view the status of treatment Possibility to classify registered users and request types

9. Technical characteristics of the Istat Cont@ct System Category: Web based information system made up of the internet front-end and an intranet back-office Application Development environment: PHP ver. 5.1.2 RDBMS: Oracle ver. 9.1.2 Data Security: Encryption of passwords by the cryptography protocol md5 (passwords are not decipherable, therefore only known by the end user); User sessions are managed at the server side (not using cookies) Using the https protocol for encryption of data between client and server (SSL) Istat responsible: Mr. Alessio Cardacino E-mail: alcardac@istat.it