Summary of Survey for Satisfaction
Indices for Bahrain eGovernment
Program
June 2009
eGovernment Authority
Kingdom of Bahrain
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 4
3.0 AWARENESS AND USAGE OF VARIOUS CHANNELS OF E SERVICES ......................... 10
4.0 AWARENESS OF PORTAL ADRESS AND TOLL FREE NUMBER .................................... 11
5.0 AWARENESS AND USAGE OF SERVICES BY MINISTRY ................................................ 12
6.0 SATISFACTION LEVELS....................................................................................................... 16
7.0 RECOMMENDING TO OTHERS .......................................................................................... 20
8.0 GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION INDEX (GTI) ............................................................ 21
9.0 PERCEPTION: WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT EGOV INITIATIVES .................................. 25
10.0 CHANNELS USERS ........................................................................................................... 27
11.0 CHANNELS USEFULNESS AND SATISFACTION ........................................................... 29
12.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................... 30
2
Preface
As part of the requirements of the Bahrain e-government strategy, the e-Government Authority (eGA),
has appointed Nielsen, a leading international research company, to conduct an independent survey for
satisfaction indices for Bahrain’s eGovernment Program. Nielsen conducted a comprehensive survey
during April & May 2009 to measure customer satisfaction, transformation to e-government, and the
impact of e-government on the public. The survey also sought to assess citizens' awareness of egovernment services, the most important e-services they use, their evaluation of the services offered,
the obstacles and problems that prevent them from using these services, and the extent of their general
satisfaction with e-government services.
This summary report is an extract from Nielsen’s Survey Report. This document has been prepared by
eGovernment Authority with an intention to present the results and findings of the survey in simple
terms for better understanding to the general public.
3
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Background
Bahrain’s eGovernment Strategy has been designed with a customer centric approach. In order to
enhance customer satisfaction, a Customer Charter and a Grievance Redressal System has been
developed / being developed for all public interfacing ministries/services. As part of the monitoring and
evaluation framework, a customer satisfaction index (CSI) and a government transformation index (GTI)
have been developed. These indices would use mechanisms such as Feedback / suggestion,
eConsultation, survey etc. Customer Survey is one of the most effective mechanisms chosen by the
Kingdom to assess customer satisfaction with government services. eGovernment Strategy mandates
comprehensive reviews to be conducted to take corrective measures wherever satisfaction rating falls
below 50% of all customers. The Strategy has set a target to achieve an 80% customer satisfaction rate
by 2010.
To address the needs of the Strategy, the eGovernment Authority appointed independent research
companies to conduct surveys. The first survey was conducted in 2008 and based on the results, actions
were undertaken to address the findings of the surveys. The second round of surveys were conducted in
May 2009. The details of these two surveys are mentioned briefly in the following sections.
Customer Satisfaction Survey- 2008
The survey conducted in 2008 with an objective to identify the level of citizen's awareness and usage of
the services on the eGovernment National Portal. The key results of this survey were:
1. Awareness of eGovernment Services:
a. 25% of respondents are familiar that the government provides some services through
the Internet.
b. Smart Card appointment and the CPR (Central Population Registry) appointment are
popular eServices. (37% of the respondents who are aware of the services of egovernment are aware of these.).
c. The media hoardings/banners are the largest source for respondents to know about
the e-government services (27% of the respondents who are aware of the services of egovernment).
2. Usage of eGovernment Services:
a. 7% of the respondents had used eServices available on the National Portal. Out of the
remaining who did not use eServices, 60% did not use due to lack of familiarity with the
site address of the Portal.
b. Half of the respondents (56%) who use eServices use them primarily to complete the
work more quickly.
3. The general index of consumer satisfaction was 67%.
Takeaways from Baseline Survey
Based on the Baseline Survey results, eGA undertook multiple initiatives to improve customer awareness
and experience. The major initiatives were:
1.
It was realized that the portal address needs to be something which easier to recall. The eGA
announced and unveiled a new simplified portal address www.bahrain.bh in November 3rd
2008 as a result of a customer survey study which revealed the difficulty of memorizing the
previous address. The eGovernment Portal is a ‘one stop shop Portal ‘and is the key service
delivery channel for individuals, business, tourist and government, which integrates and
provides all types of services ranging from informational to transactional ,under one single
umbrella.
4
2.
3.
4.
5.
eGovernment Authority conducted various road show activities to encourage the usage of the
portal and to raise people’s awareness of the benefits of using such services and the impact it
will have on their lives by showcasing the services in relation to various ministries and entities.
Road shows included summer awareness campaigns, were the public were targeted at shopping
malls and were attracted by raffle draws to encourage the usage of the portal. Road shows in
ministries, schools, universities and other associations were also conducted. eNewsletters and
eMagaiznes are a rich source of information that are produced by the eGovernment Authority
to educate the public on eGA activities and other e Governments.
Being in line with the latest marketing trends of social media plays, the eGovernment Authority
interacted directly with its audience of different age groups through interactive tools like
“Facebook” , “YouTube” , and even has its own personal blog.
The focus on below the line , above the line and e marketing campaigns to not only promote
the portal but encourage the increase of transactions created.
To make the public lives simpler ,a common service centre was created to enable all citizens to
easily conduct their transactions with limited effort.
The Marketing activities are moving forward from showcasing the eGA in local and international events,
workshops and seminars that highlight the Kingdom of Bahrain as an ICT hub.
About the Customer Satisfaction Survey- H1 2009
Through a competitive bidding process, Nielsen, a renowned marketing research firm specializing in
conducting field surveys has been appointed by eGA. The objective of the survey is to assess the
awareness and reach of the eGovernment programme amongst its customers and to determine
satisfaction of , as well as the impact on stakeholders and users of services offered by the eGovernment
programme. Additionally the survey measures Channel Satisfaction Levels, which is determined based on
a targeted set of population who are registered users of the specific channels - the National Portal, the
National Contact Centre, the Common Service Centres, and the Mobile Portal.
The National Portal channel has been in existence since 2007 and extensive awareness campaigns have
been undertaken for this channel. Other channels such as Mobile Portal, Common Service Centres have
been launched recently in May 2009. The marketing & awareness programmes for Contact Centre,
Mobile Portal and Common Service Centres are currently being implemented to promote these channels
in addition to the National Portal.
Target Segment and Research Methodology
Stakeholder assessment was done to understand the components of Customer Satisfaction Index and
Government Transformation Index. Brain storming sessions and discussions with stakeholders gave
inputs in finalizing the questionnaire and the parameters which are to be measured. Quantitative
research methodology was adopted for conducting interviews amongst the target segments mentioned
below:
 Residents (Face to face interviews)
 Business customers (Face to face interviews)
 Government Employees (Face to face interviews)
 Channel user – Portal and Toll free users (Telephonic Interviews)
Sampling and Sample Distribution
 700 Random Sample – Representative of the Bahraini population
 500 Booster Sample - Representative among the users of eGovernment services
 200 Business customers
5
 300 Government Employees
 400 Call centre users
 400 Portal /internet users
The interviews were carried out from April 15, 2009 to May 10, 2009.
Comparaison of Customer Satisfaction Survey 2009 vis-à-vis Survey 2008
1. The customer satisfaction has risen to 85% for residents, 84% for businesses and 79% for
government.
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2008
2009
Individuals
2.
Businesses
Awareness of eServices: The awareness of eServices has risen to 74% for individuals, 98% for
businesses and 99% for government.
120%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
3.
2008
2009
Usage of eServices: The use of eServices was found to be at 40% in year 2009 for individuals, 94%
for businesses and 75% for government.
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
2008
2009
Individuals
Businesses
6
4.
Awareness of the site address of National Portal: Based on the recommendations of 2008 Survey,
the site address was changed, and the result of that change was a steep rise from 25% in 2008 to
80% in 2009 in the awareness levels amongst the individuals.
The key results and findings of Survey 2009 are elaborated in the following sections of the report.
7
2.0 AWARENESS AND USAGE OF EGOVERNMENT SERVICES

Usage of eServices has improved dramatically.
Exhibit 1 : Awareness and Usage of e-government services
Awareness and Usage of e-government services
Used in last one year
Aware of egov services
40%
Residents
74%
94%
Business
98%
75%
Govt. Employees
99%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Resident Segment Base : All Respondents (700) - Random
Business Segment Base: All Respondents (200)
Govt employees Segment Base: All Respondents (300)
Residents Segment
 74% of the residents in Bahrain are aware of the e-Government programme. Awareness is
relatively high in those respondents who have the facility of internet connection and those
belong to the Northern Governorate, and those with higher education (University).
 Service usage has increased dramatically from 7% in the previous survey to 40% in the current
survey for residents.
 Around 34% respondents are aware, but have not used the e-Government services. Non users
belong to a higher age group, mostly women, those with no internet facility, the less educated
and from come from low social stautus.
 Lack of adequate information on eServices, lack of appropriate IT infrastructure and lack of
knowledge as reasons for low usage, hence capacity building and facilitating easy access to
computer , as well as creating further awareness on commonly used services could encourage
the residents to use eServices.
 Communication could be targeted to the non users, informing them about the benefits of eGovernment services and how they can help in day to day activities by using e Services.
8
Business Segment
 Overall 94% of the respondents were found to be aware of other alternate methods of
approaching the government authorities other than visiting the location in person. The business
customers belonging to small industries are relatively less aware. Almost all (94%) business
persons have used the eGovernment services.
 Usage of services by Business segment has jumped from 43% last year to 94% in the current
survey.
Government Employee Segment
 All government employees are aware of eGovernment services. Those belonging to the general
administrative staff reported awareness levels of 83%.
 75% of government employees reported to have used one or more services. The non users
mostly belong to the technical staff (almost 50%).
9
3.0 AWARENESS AND USAGE OF VARIOUS CHANNELS OF
ESERVICES

Awareness and usage of the National Portal is high
Exhibit 2: Awareness and Usage of various channels of e-government services
Awareness and Usage on various channels of e services
Residents
National
Government
Portal
Toll Free
Contact
Number
Business
85%
93%
96%
83%
90%
93%
64%
66%
33%
74%
30%
55%
Mobile
1
Portal
Government
31%
19%
Resident Segment Base :
All those who are aware of
e-initiative (519) – Random
All those who used the eservices last year (283) –
Random
22%
Business Segment Base:
All those who are aware of
e-initiative (196)
All those who used the eservices last year (188)
48%
37%
20%
Govt employees Segment Base:
All those who are aware of
e-initiatives (296)
All those who used the eservices last year (222)
(Multiple Response)


Almost 7 in 10 respondents are aware of the toll free contact number, and almost half of them
have used the toll free contact number. However in the government segment the percentage is
relatively higher than residents and businesses, as the toll free number is still in its initial stages.
Half of the residents are aware of the Mobile portal. Mobile portal awareness in Business and
Government segments is relatively less as compared to the residents segment. The usage of
Mobile portal is about 20% across all three segments.
1
Mobile Portal was launched in May 2009. Marketing & awareness creation programmes for Mobile Portal and
Contact Centre are being undertaken.
10
4.0 AWARENESS OF PORTAL ADRESS AND TOLL FREE NUMBER

Majority of the respondents could recall the portal address.
Exhibit 3: Awareness of the portal address
Awareness on Portal Address
(Bahrain.bh)
Exhibit 4: Awareness of toll free number
Awareness on toll free number
2
(800080001)
Correct Recall
Correct Recall
Old Website Recall
Wrong Recall
Wrong Recall
Don't Know
Don't Know
Residents
62%
Business
Government
61%
74%
18% 17%
30%
6%
18% 8%
Resident Segment Base: All Respondents who are
aware of the website as a channel (962) – Random
+Booster
Business Segment Base: All Respondents who are
aware of the website as a channels (185)
Govt. Employees Segment Base: All respondents
aware of the national government portal (284)
29% 7%
28% 2%
22% 3%
63%
67%
76%
Resident Segment Base: All Respondents who are
aware of the call centre as a channel (602) –
Random +Booster
Business Segment Base: All Respondents who are
aware of the call centre as a channel (130)
Govt. Employees Segment Base : All Respondents
who are aware of the call centre as a channel (284)

The new portal address (www.bahrain.bh) was launched in November 2008. It is very positive to
note that within this duration more than three fourth of the respondents who are aware of e
initiative could remember the portal address.

Toll free number was recalled correctly by more than one fourth of the respondents.
2
Marketing & awareness creation programmes for Contact Centre (Toll Free Number) is being undertaken to
promote the usage of this channel.
11
5.0 AWARENESS AND USAGE OF SERVICES BY MINISTRY

Out of the 79 services online at the time of the survey, 29 were more frequently used than the
others.
Exhibit 5: Awareness and Usage of Services (in last one year) through e-channels
Awareness and Usage of e-government services (Residents)
Aware of egov services
Used in last one year
Electricity and Water Authority
40%
59% 69%
67%
Central Informatics Organisation
Ministry of Interior
34%
Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Education
Bahrain Post
Ministry of Municipality Affairs & …
Ministry Of Works
Department of Legal Affairs
Ministry Of Industry and Commerce
Ministry of Housing
Bahrain Center for Studies & Research
39%
15%
Civil Aviation Affairs
University of Bahrain
46%
10%
Ministry of Health
7%
76%
24%31%
27%
24%
3%
10%17%
3% 14%
1% 11%
4%10%
2%8%
4%
1%
3%
1%
Resident Segment Base : All Respondents (700) - Random
Residents Segment





Out of the above mentioned ministry residents, Electricity and Water Authority hold the top
position. This could be due to the fact that residents interact with this authority more
frequently. This is followed by services offered by the Central Informatics Organization( CIO)
During the survey period there were 79 eServices available on the National Portal out of
which 29 were more frequently used by the residents.
A large proportion of the respondents were either not aware of the existence of the other
49 services or the services were not applicable to them.
Smart Card appointment, paying electricity & water bills, flight information, paying traffic
contravention, electricity and outage complaints and re vehicle registration were the most
commonly used services across all set of respondents.
Since females are relatively low users of eServices, communication could be targeted to
inform them about the benefits of e-Government services and how they can help in day to
day activities by using these e Services.
12


Almost half of the non user respondents do not have adequate information on e Services
and most of them also do not know how to operate / use internet. Moreover, almost one
third said they ‘do not deal with government body’ and analysis by demographic profile
show that around 69% of them belong to a 45 and more age group. Further, most of them
are women and non Bahrainis.
A small portion of the people do not know how to operate computer /internet especially
with the older generation where proficiency levels on using a computer is less ,as they have
been accustomed to performing the tasks manually.
13

It is encouraging to note that services designed particularly for business segment are being
acknowledged by them
Exhibit 6: Awareness and Usage of Services (in last one year) through e-channels
Awareness and Usage of e-government services (Business Segment)
Aware of egov services
Used in last one year
Ministry of Interior
64%
Ministry Of Industry and Commerce
42%
Ministry of Municipality Affairs & Agriculture
29%
Ministry of Labour
29%
14%
Electricity and Water Authority
35%
12%
27%
Department of Legal Affairs
22%
Bahrain Post
22%
27%
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
18%
Ministry of Housing
5%
3%
0%
28%
18%
0%
Ministry Of Works
Ministry of Finance
24%
11%
General Organization for Social Insurance
Ministry of Education
41%
33%
9%
Tenders Board
62%
34%
18%
Ministry of Health
76%
13%
15%
5%
`
Business Segment Base: All Respondents (200)
Business Segment



Usage of services offered by the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Industry and
commerce was found to be high. Out of the top 5 most knowledgable of services, 4 are
related to e-Visa - applying for e-Visa, checking the status for e visa and services related to
e-Visa sponsor ships are namely a few.
During the survey it was pointed out those availing services through e channels had
limitations. During our discussions with stakeholders ,it was reported that e Visa was issued
with some restrictions as compared to normal visa. For example the duration of stay on e
Visa was much less.
Lack of knowledge and awareness about many other relevant services lead to the non
usage of these services.
14

Sustained efforts are needed to boost the awareness level of e-Government services within the
ministries.
Exhibit 7: Awareness of services
Awareness of e-government services (Govt. Employee Segment)
Aware of egov services
Ministry of Interior
Electricity and Water Authority
Central Informatics Organisation
Civil Aviation Affairs
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Municipality Affairs & Agriculture
Ministry Of Industry and Commerce
Ministry Of Works
Department of Legal Affairs
Ministry of Housing
Bahrain Post
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Tenders Board
University of Bahrain
Ministry of Finance
Bahrain Center for Studies & Research
General Organization for Social Insurance
81%
77%
72%
42%
40%
34%
26%
23%
22%
22%
15%
15%
14%
13%
13%
12%
7%
5%
4%
Base : All respondents-300
Government Employee Segment


Top of mind recall was payment of electric and water bills ,followed by payment of traffic
fines and smartcards. More than half of the proportion of the employees surveyed were
not able recall beyond these three services.
It should noted that in spite of some of the popular services like the renewal of commercial
license and applying for e-visa being extensively used by the business community and the
same being provided by the government department/ministries, many of them are not
aware of such services which are being provided by their own ministries or even those
offered by other ministries.
15
6.0 SATISFACTION LEVELS


Resident and Business segments are highly satisfied group among the three segments,
whereas government segment is comparatively less satisfied group.
Grievance redressal systems within Government offices need to be improved.
Exhibit 8: Overall Satisfaction Index
Overall Satisfaction Index
85%
Residents
84%
Business
79%
Government
Resident Segment Base : Those used e services (782)-Random +Booster
Business Segment Base: Those used e services (188)
Govt employees Segment Base: Those used e services (247)


The overall satisfaction index calculated for Residents is 85, for Business 84 and for Government,
it is 79.
A common pattern in residents and business segments are of lower satisfaction ratings for
complaint registration system, time taken to address the complaint and outcome of the
redressal system.
16
Exhibit 9: Satisfaction ratings of services
Satisfaction ratings of services (top2 box score in %)
50
60
70
80
90
100 110
1
1
Services in Arabic and English
2
User friendly
2
3
Comprehensive guideline to use the facility
3
4
Safety and security of interface
4
5
6
Range of services offered
5
Time taken to execute the services
6
7
Saving travel time to location
7
8
Saving number of visits to avail the service
8
9
10
Final delivery in line with expectation
Cost saved as compared to on location
9
11
Fee given for availing the service
11
12
Reliability of information
12
13
Comprehensiveness of the information
14
Relevant and useful information/ service
14
15
Complaint registration system
15
16
Time taken to address the complaint
16
17
Outcome of the redressal system
17
Residents
Business
10
13
Government
Resident Segment Base : Those used e services (782)-Random +Booster
Business Segment Base: Those used e services (188)
Govt employees Segment Base: Those used e services (247)
* Attribute 6,7,8,15,16 and 17 not asked to Govt. employees

On the whole, residents seem to be satisfied by the services offered through e-Government
initiatives. They are most satisfied with the languages services are offered in, i.e. Arabic and
English. This is followed by the services being user friendly.

There are however, areas that need improvement, like outcome of redressal system has been
rated low at 65% and residents also feel that time taken to address the complaint is long, time
taken should be reduced as this can be an important factor in making residents decision on if
they should opt for eservices or pay a visit to the location in order to have work done on time.

After comparison between all the three categories under consideration, it is seen that the
business segment is most satisfied as compared to the other two. Saving time to travel to the
location is the highest rated factor for business segment (97%) since time management is
important for businesses.

Within the government employees segment, the only high rated factor were services offered in
Arabic and English (94%), after which the following satisfaction rating droped down to 81% for
time taken to execute the services as compared to on location execution.
17
Exhibit 10: Satisfaction by Ministry (top2 box score in %) (Residents)
Satisfaction by Ministry (top2 box score in %)
(Residents segment)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
Services in Arabic and English
User friendly
Comprehensive guideline to use the
facility
Safety and security of interface
Range of services offered
Time taken to execute the services
Saving travel time to location
Saving number of visits to avail the
service
Final delivery in line with
expectation
Cost saved as compared to on
location execution of service
Fee given for availing the service
Reliability of information
Comprehensiveness of the
information
Relevant and useful information/
service
Complaint registration system
Time taken to address the complaint
Outcome of the redressal system
1
94%
2
94%
3
88%
4
91%
5
88%
6
90%
7
90%
8
88%
9
87%
10
88%
11
82%
12
90%
13
87%
14
89%
15
78%
16
75%
17
69%
Resident Segment Base : Those used e services (782)-Random +Booster
Satisfaction levels across 4 relevant Ministries is considered. The above satisfaction figures are an average over the 4 ministries.

Residents seem to be satisfied by the Ministry-wise services offered through e-Government
initiatives. They are mostly satisfied with the language services which are offered in, i.e. Arabic
and English. This is followed by the services being user friendly.
18
Exhibit 11: Satisfaction by Ministry (top2 box score in %) (Business)
Satisfaction by Ministry (top2 box score in %)
(Business segment)
1
Services in Arabic and English
1
95%
2
User friendly
2
96%
3
Comprehensive guideline to use the facility
3
94%
4
Safety and security of interface
4
95%
5
6
Range of services offered
Time taken to execute the services
5
96%
6
94%
7
Saving travel time to location
7
8
Saving number of visits to avail the service
8
94%
9
10
Final delivery in line with expectation
Cost saved as compared to on location cution of
service
9
93%
10
93%
97%
11
Fee given for availing the service
11
92%
12
Reliability of information
12
95%
13
Comprehensiveness of the information
13
93%
14
Relevant and useful information/ service
14
94%
15
Complaint registration system
16
17
15
80%
Time taken to address the complaint
16
79%
Outcome of the redressal system
17
80%
Business Segment Base : Those used e services (188)
Satisfaction levels across 5 relevant Ministries is considered. The above satisfaction figures are an average over the 5 ministries.

Businesses seem highly satisfied by the Ministry-wise services offered through e-Government
initiatives. On most of the parameters the satisfaction has been higher than 90%.
19
7.0 RECOMMENDING TO OTHERS

Most of the respondents across all three segments would recommend the eServices to
others.
Exhibit 12: Recommendation of E-Gov services
Recommendation of E-Gov services
96%
Residents
97%
Business
98%
Government
Resident Segment Base : All Respondents (700) - Random
Business Segment Base: All Respondents (200)
Govt employees Segment Base: All Respondents (300)
High proportion of respondents in all target segments are willing to recommend eServices to others.
20
8.0 GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION INDEX (GTI)

GTI is more than 60% amongst all the target segments.
Exhibit 13: Govt. Transformation Index
GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION INDEX (GTI)
70%
74%
62%
59%
Residents
Business
Government (*Based on 13 common attributes)
Government (*Based on 28 attributes)
Resident Segment Base : Those used e services (782)-Random +Booster
Business Segment Base: Those used e services (188)
Govt employees Segment Base: Those used e services (247)




Government Transformation Index attempts to measure consumers’ perception on the extent of
changes/impact eServices has brought in the government functioning. Consumers feedback was
measured on a 5 point scale, where 5 corresponds to ‘made very positive impact ‘and 1
corresponds to ‘made very negative impact’.
Government Transformation index based on 13 attributes (common across all 3 segments) was
calculated at 70 amongst resident customers, while 74 for business segment and 62 for
government segment. On 28 attributes (more specific to government employees) this index as
59.
Business segment has got higher ratings than other two segments, however business segment
secures either low or equal to the other two segments on two attributes; Easiness of making a
complaint and Feedback regarding a complaint.
Government segment got the least scores on two attributes; PPP models established for delivery
of services and on the number of services delivered by PPP operators.
21
Exhibit 14: Perception about Government Transformation – 13 common attributes
Figures below are top 2 Box Figures Coded “It has made a very positive impact/Made some positive impact
Perception about Government Transformation
35
1
Efficiency of services delivery
1
Integrated services to customers
2
3
Speed in execution
3
4
Availability of information
5
Number of common services centres
6
Multiplicity of choice in terms of channels
7
Availability of portal with all information
2
45
55
65
75
85
95
4
5
Residents
6
7
8
Reduction of redundant information
Business
8
9
Ability to find the right organisation
10
Easiness of making a complaint
11
Feedback regarding a complaint
12
Status tracking mechanism
13
Timeliness of delivery of services
9
10
Government
11
12
13
Resident Segment Base : Those used e services (782)-Random+Booster
Business Segment Base: Those used e services (188)
Govt employees Segment Base: Those used e services (247)
22
Exhibit 15: Perception about Government Transformation (By Government Employees)- 28 attributes
Figures below are top 2 Box Figures Coded “It has made a very positive impact/Made some positive impact
Perception about Government Transformation
By Government Employees
Government
35
Efficiency of services delivery
2
Increase in number of transactions handled
3
Reduction in pending/backlog cases
3
4
Integrated services to customers
4
5
Speed in execution
5
6
Availability of information
6
7
Number of common services centres
7
8
9
Multiplicity of choice in terms of channels
8
Availability of portal (website) with all rmation
9
10
Accuracy of reports
10
11
Relevant services provided to customers
11
12
13
Reduction of redundant information
12
Ability to find the right organisation to deal with
13
14
Increase in the awareness of the initiatives
14
15
16
Increase in the ICT usage of the officials
15
Number of trained officials to provide e services
16
17
Redressal of grievances
17
18
Easiness of making a complaint
18
19
Feedback regarding a complaint
19
20
Presence of audit trail activities
20
21
Status tracking mechanism
21
22
Ability to identify the owner of an activity
22
23
24
Extent of data digitization of manual records
23
Process reforms through computerized system
24
25
26
Timeliness of delivery of services
25
Availability of MIS reports for decision making
26
PPP models established for delivery of services
28
Number of services delivered by PPP operators
55
65
75
85
95
1
1
27
45
2
27
28
Govt employees Segment Base: Those used e services (247)



Majority of respondents feel that the efficiency of the delivery has improved in the past two
years.
Complaint mechanism and status tracking mechanism have low rating by all the three segments
Further analysis of the data by gender, nationality and SEC do not reveal significant variation in
findings, but it’s worth noting that compared to citizens of Bahrain, less proportion of expatriate
residents perceive that the system has made any reduction in redundant information. This could
23




be due to the fact that residents who are not ‘local’ have to go through longer process and need
to have adequate documents and proofs for availing the services.
More proportion of males, Bahrainis and those belonging to SEC C1 and C2 do not agree that it’s
easy to find the right type of organization with which they want to deal with. This could infer
that people are not clear of the role and functions of certain organizations/departments they
wish to interact with.
Furthermore, almost half of the males and Bahraini respondents feel that under the eGovernment system it’s not easy to make a complaint or get a feedback on the complaint made.
It may be added, that this aspect of the e-Government needs close attention since all
stakeholders covered under the survey have highlighted this as main area of concern.
The companies surveyed have given positive feedback based on their experiences. Time saving
and cost saving are considered as key advantages of e-initiative, in addition , it is also found to
be a convenient method to reach government bodies. However, when it comes to other aspects
like convenient to use and availability of services required, not all agree to the same. This implies
that either the companies are not equipped to use eServices or do not have the right resources
to use the same.
There could be a possibility that a few services deemed necessary are either not available on line
or consumer are not aware of the availability of services.
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9.0 PERCEPTION: WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT EGOV INITIATIVES


Bahraini Nationals are in higher agreement to the core benefits of eGovernment
initiatives.
Residents and Business segments shown almost similar ratings. Government segment
however shows less rating.
Exhibit 16: Agreement and Disagreement on Given Image Attributes (2 box scores)
What people think about eGov initiatives
Residents
Business
Government
Helps me a lot in terms of time saving
67%
78%
Helps me a lot in terms of costs saving
Its more convenient
Covers all the services which I need,
Not complicated and can be used by the different profiles
of the population
My work becomes easier with the e-services initiative
My work becomes more interesting with the e-service
initiative
I feel I provide better quality with this initiative
Resident Segment Base : Those used e services (782)-Random+Booster
Business Segment Base: Those used e services (188)
Govt employees Segment Base: Those used e services (247)
25
74%
68%
40%
56%
43%
76%
83%
72%
78%
72%
75%
Is participative and understand consumer needs
I was given all the necessary material and infrastructure
71%
66%
36%
Provides innovative solutions
34%
32%
35%
36%
37%
90%
85%
94%
56%
I can easily find information about how to use the e-gov
services
I was given all the necessary training within the new
initiative
91%
96%
Residents and Business Segment
 Most of the residents perceive the eServices as time saving, cost saving and convenient which
are the core advantages of e-Initiatives. Thus it is good to see that this aspect is being recognized
by the majority of residents and emphasis on these attributes should continue to be maintained.
 About 2 in 3 residents perceive the services as providing innovative solutions, being participative
and understanding consumer needs, as well as covering all the services which residents need.
 Residents of Capital Manama, Muharraq and the Southern Governorate reported relatively low
ratings on these attributes. Some of the residents have more expectations from this initiative
and in order to meet their expectations, it is important to probe further on these aspects during
the next survey.
 Three in five residents perceive that government is bureaucratic and authoritative. NonBahrainis agree relatively more to the aforementioned points as compared to Bahraini
Nationals. This particular aspect is very common across many countries in the region since the
element of ‘outsider’ is always present among the expat community and is reluctant to express
freely.
Government Segment
 All attributes have very low ratings with the exception of time saving.
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10.0 CHANNELS USERS

85% and above respondents could easily find Portal address and Toll Free number.
Exhibit 17: Ease of finding toll free number (contact centre)/ website address
Ease of finding the toll free number/web site address
Very easy
I had to look for it but
found it with a some
effort
91%
85%
Portal
Toll free no.
15%
9%
Base: All Respondents (400)

It was seen that as compared to the toll free number, respondents had more difficulty searching
for the National Portal address (9% vs. 15%).
27

On an average, more than 93% respondents felt satisfied and their expectations met
while performing transactions on the National Portal.
Exhibit 18: Key Attributes of Transaction
Transaction – Key attributes
National Portal
Call Center
The transaction was simple
94%
94%
The steps to follow was clear
90%
93%
The final output/feed-back you got was what you were
expecting
97%
83%
There was no problem in the service you were delivered
at the end
93%
87%
You had effective follow-up /confirmation after the
transaction
95%
78%
You felt that the transaction was secure
96%
84%
It was easy to find what you wanted
92%
91%
You were able to complete all the transaction and all
what you need in the website without having to visit any
location
97%
84%
The website has a wide range of services and I do not
need any other service to be included
91%
91%
Base: All Respondents (400)

It can be seen that National Portal has been rated higher than call centre for most of the
attributes defined; one reason for this could be that while browsing respondents could find
exactly what they were looking for rather than explaining to the call centre, their requirement or
need.

As far as the key attributes of transaction are concerned, higher number of respondents were of
the opinion that the transaction was simple (94%). This shows that generally, the services are
thought of to be hassle free and simple as compared to other means. Call centre was rated
higher when asked about ‘steps to follow were clear’ (93% vs. 90%), this could be because
talking to a call centre agent doesn’t require one to browse through the steps for reaching to
have a query addressed.
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11.0 CHANNELS USEFULNESS AND SATISFACTION




More than 92% respondents felt the National Portal and Call Centre channels are important
and necessary.
More than 83% respondents were satisfied with National Portal and Call Centre channels.
As far as usefulness of call centre is concerned, almost 97% of the respondents rate it on higher
side. 31% think it to be an important channel and 66% think that it is necessary and they would
always need it.
The satisfaction level of the National Portal needs to be increased because there is room for
improvement, steps need to be simpler, interface needs to be inviting and user friendly (simple)
so that users are satisfied with its usage.
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12.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The study provides an understanding of the awareness, usage and satisfaction with e-Initiatives
implemented for residents, businesses and government employees. Almost three fourth of the residents
interact with government entities, though the frequency of interaction could vary depending on the
need. For businesses, almost all interact with government entities, though the frequency of interaction
could vary depending on the need.
Awareness on alternate channels in approaching the government departments is fairly high but the
usage is low in residents and high among businesses. The usage of range of eServices used by residents
and businesses was found to be very limited. Knowledge and usage of e-initiative in government is
moderately high however, not all are aware of the services that are being offered through eServices.
Usage for personal use as well for official use is high but yet lot needs to be learnt for further
improvement in delivery of services.
The analysis revealed that the citizen’s higher perception of usefulness and ease of use of eServices
directly enhanced their satisfaction and partial adoption of e-government. This was similar for businesses
but the level of adoption of e-government existed implicitly. In order to further enhance effective
adoption of eServices, widespread awareness and usage, following recommendations could be
considered:
Awareness







Widespread and attractive awareness campaigns should be conducted, targeting potential users
properly to inform them about the real benefits they would gain. Customers who seek
convenience of not traveling to the physical location and still getting in touch with the
government should be targeted as well.
Residents using/used services could take lead in propagating the benefits of eServices. For the
business segment, large business companies could take the lead in doing the same.
Overall resident females, who are relatively low users of eServices, could be targeted to inform
them about the benefits of eServices and how they can get help in day to day activities by using
eServices.
Portal use and penetration should be utilized for residents for further awareness creation about
contact centre and other recently launched channels such as the Mobile Portal and Common
Service Centre.
Radio should be targeted optimally as a source of communication since it is one of the popular
media channels across all segments of population among residents.
Department wise orientation for new as well as old employees needs to be done for the
government segment to assure enough information dissemination about new initiatives.
For the government segment, awareness campaigns can be boosted for the department’s
services availability through different channels during department meetings/ general assembly,
as the more frequently they hear about them, the more familiar they are with these services.
Service Improvement and Refinement


Focus should be on grievance redressal system. Work needs to be done towards faster
compliant addressing system and giving a better outcome on the complaint redressal. For better
satisfaction results, it is to be ensured that the final delivery is in line with the expectations of
the resident and business customers.
For the government segment, top priority should be to focus on improving whatever activities
30
have been initiated, for instance, continued training for employees to ensure thorough
knowledge on the services and the efficiency for not just giving fast service but high quality
service.
Need Assessment


Used services should be updated or improved in line with the requirements, since a high number
of people are aware of these services; there is a likelihood to convert these from awareness to
usage for both residents and businesses.
There is a need to focus on monitoring the existing activities and initiatives by monitoring
satisfaction for each service availed by the government segment to ensure that initial levels of
satisfaction are maintained, sustained or improved and these satisfaction results should be
shared with the respective departments so that further improvement action points can be
planned and executed.
Capacity Building





Around 34% resident respondents are aware but have not used the eServices. The data shows
that non users belong to a higher age group, mostly women, those not having internet facility,
less educated and from low SEC. Thus, efforts should be focused on involving these sub set of
residents by using eFacility since e-Infrastructure and low knowledge on using computer and
internet could be the possible hindrances towards using e-Facilities. With some capacity building
these respondents could use the Kiosk and common service centres channels.
Capacity building of HR or administration staff amongst businesses should be done to encourage
usage of eServices.
The use of eServices should be incentivized by providing subsidized or free internet connections
to encourage usage of computers and internet among businesses.
Many employees who have been working for many years without computers etc and are more
comfortable with the regular non e-channel methods, may find it difficult to cope with the
sudden replacement of the regular method with new initiative, thus such employees may find it
difficult to meet the expectation of the system. Therefore, it is important that adequate training
on eServices /channels is imported in a simple and gradual way.
In addition to the above, computer literacy training program should be provided for those
employees who work manually for the long period. It will help them to adapt the use of
eServices.
31