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Dissatisfaction with delivery times was expressed in 20% of responses to the 1993 Service Evaluation Questionnaire. Therefore we conducted a survey in September/October 1994 to determine delivery time for loans and photocopies from Canberra to our clients interstate. The purpose was to identify any problem areas and to find out if there is anything we can do to improve this important component of our total service to clients.
We consider that the ideal delivery time would be two days, with three acceptable, but we have little control over our delivery services, which are Australia Post for photocopies and Comet for loans.
Number sent Number returned
Loans 458 429
Photocopies 1154 1002
The figures of the number of days refer to working days and therefore Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays are not counted.
Fast Track loans and photocopies were included in the survey, but there were insufficient numbers to include them in the final calculations.
By the end of the second day, an average of 50% of loans had been received (ranging from 70% in the NT to 27% in SA) and 58% of photocopies (ranging from 66% in QLD to 55% in NSW and SA). By the end of the third day, the numbers had risen to 79% of loans and 85% of photocopies.
Delivery of loans began in all capitals except Brisbane on the first day after despatch, although only 2 were delivered in Adelaide (or 6% of Adelaide's loan items): this compared to 23 (26%) in Sydney and 15 (24%) in Melbourne. Loans to country NSW and VIC lagged behind their capitals until the fifth day. Delivery was most efficient to country QLD (all 28 delivered in 3 days), but it took 6 days for all to be delivered to Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin and Adelaide metropolitan areas.
Delivery of photocopies was marginally better to country areas, although that may have to do with the size of institutions, which may be bigger and more complex in the metropolitan areas.
We consider that the delivery of loans to the Adelaide and Brisbane metropolitan areas is the most disturbing feature which has emerged from this survey. In both Adelaide and Brisbane, by the third working day, only 58% had been received, whereas in all other capitals 87% or more had been delivered. It is interesting to note also that the receipt of loans overall takes longer than the receipt of photocopies until the fifth day when 96% of both types had been received.
This survey has indicated that 82% of all items were delivered within 3 days and 92.5% within 4. Our November 1994 Processing Time survey indicated that 87.5% of all requests were processed within 4 days. Therefore over 85% of all standard requests should reach your library within 7-8 working days of our receipt of your request.
[FIGURE 1] and [FIGURE 2]
Please contact Ian Morris, tel: (02) 6262 1269, fax: (02) 6273 2719, E-mail: imorris@nla.gov.au, if you would like more details or a copy of the full report of the survey.
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