Encrypted Link Addition Hopes to Increase Survey Response Rate
April 5, 2010 
2 Comments
Most of the focus on the recent April 1 DPS software update has been on the inclusion of PPM shipments, and the resulting increase in shipments that could be booked in DPS. However, the software update installed last Thursday contained another change that may also have a significant impact on the long term success of the DPS program. That change is the inclusion of the “encrypted link” to the Customer Satisfaction Survey (CSS), which allows a service member to take the survey without the need for an ETA user name and password. This will result in the functionality being substantially similar to the Interim Customer Satisfaction Survey (ICSS), which is the process used for TOPS shipments.
JPMO-HHGS and SDDC have focused on this software enhancement as the solution to many of the low response rate problems we have seen in DPS. Survey response rates in for the ICSS in TOPS has been consistently much higher than the rate for the CSS in DPS. According to the most recent WAR report, for the previous 12 months, the CSS response rate has been 12.52% compared to 25.66% for the ICSS. And in February 2010, the gap is even wider, with the CSS rate coming in at 16.87% versus 37.64% for the ICSS. If the DPS software change increases the CSS response rate to match the ICSS rate, it will be another step towards solving the statistical validity issue.
This change will not solve all of the problems with the CSS survey. Even with a response rate approaching forty percent, there will still likely be statistically invalid TSPs who will need median (or preferably mean) scores added to obtain statically validity. SDDC, the services, and TSPs will need to continue to seek ways to increase the response rate among the members. Some of the recent increase in response rate should be credited to TSPs undertaking time-consuming and expensive efforts to encourage the service member to complete the survey. These efforts are likely to find even more success now that the process to take the survey will be easier for the service member. As one TSP stated, “If the government will give us the encrypted link, the industry will solve their survey problem for them .” We will soon know whether that prediction will be true.
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Does DPS offer an incentive in order to increase response rates? Just curious.
Shawn, there is no incentive to complete the survey. The service member is “required” to complete it, but there is no punishment for not doing it, and no incentive given for completing it.