CRA 2008 Web Site Business User Survey

Prepared for the:
Public Affairs Branch
Canada Revenue Agency
FINAL REPORT
March 2009
POR# 046-08
Contract #46558-090960-001-CY

Prepared by:
Phoenix Strategic Perspectives Inc.

Le rapport complet en français sera fourni sur demande.

To request a full copy of this report, please contact Library and Archives Canada at:
613-996-5115 or 1-866-578-7777 or www.collectionscanada.ca

Media Enquiries:
Media Relations
Canada Revenue Agency
4th Floor 555 MacKenzie Avenue
Ottawa ON K1A 0L5
media.relations@cra-arc.gc.ca

Executive Summary

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) commissioned Phoenix SPI to conduct research related to the business portion of the CRA Web site. The main purpose was to obtain
up-to-date information on visitors who come to the agency’s Web site for business reasons and to collect tracking data about business users’ Awareness of, Use of, and Satisfaction with offerings for business on the CRA Web site.

Methodology
A mixed-mode methodology[Footnote 1] was used, consisting of a telephone and online survey. The telephone interviews were completed between January 22nd and February 9th, 2009 with 401 representatives of small businesses and 400 third-party intermediaries that had visited the CRA Web site for business purposes since January 1st, 2008. The findings for each audience can be considered to be accurate to within +/‑ 5%, 19 times out of 20. The online survey was completed by 1,198 visitors of the CRA Web site from January 26th to 27th, 2009. Visitors accessed the survey through links strategically placed on business pages of the CRA Web site. The extent to which the results can be projected to the full population of CRA Web site visitors cannot be determined with precision due to sampling issues related to Web site surveys. The data, however, do offer an excellent ‘snapshot’ of Web site visitors that can be used by the CRA as directional information.

The results of the telephone survey are presented in the main body of the executive summary, with the results of the online survey presented in shaded boxes. Where percentages are reported in parentheses, they are done so first for small business representatives followed by third-party intermediaries. Changes over time are included only where there is a difference of at least +/-5% or where the difference is indicative of a larger trend in the data.

Awareness & Use of Web Site Information and Services
The vast majority (91%) visited the CRA Web site for business purposes more than once since January 1st, 2008. In terms of reasons for accessing the CRA Web site, business users were more likely to do so to obtain information than to conduct online transactions. Visitors’ Awareness and Use of the different types of business information and services available on the CRA Web site varied considerably. Among both audiences, awareness was highest for finding a form or publication (87%, 98%) and lowest for subscribing to RSS feeds (12% each). With the exception of RSS feeds, moreover, intermediaries, reported higher levels of awareness across all information and services. The most significant differences in awareness were regarding information about registered charities (30%, 72%), getting deferred income plan information (19%, 49%), registering for a Business Number (BN) (48%, 77%), and using the ‘Online Requests for Business’ service (33%, 61%), with Awareness considerably higher for intermediaries.

Generally, small business users were less likely to be aware of the CRA Web site’s information and services than they had been in 2006. Specifically, awareness was less widespread in terms of subscribing to the electronic mailing service (from 54% to 39%), registering for a BN (from 58% to 48%) and a formal dispute (from 32% to 21%), using the online request service (from 41% to 33%), finding a form or publication (from 93% to 87% in 2008), and getting information for charities (from 36% to 30%). Awareness among intermediaries has changed relatively little since 2006, with the following exceptions: there has been an increase in those aware that deferred income plan information can be found on the CRA Web site (from 39% to 49% in 2008), and a decrease in those aware of electronic mailing service subscriptions (from 65% to 53%) and the availability of information for charities (from 77% to 72%).

As expected, and as was the case in the 2006 Survey, Use of information and services tended to be lower than Awareness. The most notable variations between Use and Awareness were evident for filing a return and getting GST/HST or payroll remittance information. This, too, is consistent with the 2006 Survey findings. Focusing on the levels of use among those aware of each service, intermediaries stood out as being more likely to use all of them. Differences between the groups were most pronounced in terms of subscribing to the electronic mailing services (50% vs. 20%), obtaining business tax information (81% vs. 55%), registering for a BN (56% vs. 33%), obtaining information for charities (51% vs. 30%), and using the ‘Online Requests for Business’ (47% vs. 27%). The only activities attempted by a majority of visitors by both audiences were finding a form or publication (86%, 95%) and getting business tax information (55%, 81%).

Satisfaction with CRA Web site Information and Services
Satisfaction with the various information and services available on the CRA Web site varied significantly, but the majority of visitors were satisfied with most activities they tried to do on the site. Intermediaries, however, were more likely to express satisfaction with most of these than were small business representatives. The exceptions – representatives of small businesses were more apt to be satisfied with the process to obtain information on deferred income plans (100%, 69%), subscribe to an RSS feed (86%, 67%), and use the ‘Online Requests for Business’ (84%, 72%).

For both audiences, satisfaction increased considerably when it came to obtaining deferred income plan information (100% vs. 36% for small businesses, 69% vs. 52% for intermediaries). Beyond this, over time, satisfaction levels decreased among small businesses in many areas, while they changed very little among intermediaries. Small business representatives were noticeably less likely to be satisfied with the process required to obtain business tax information, subscribe to the electronic mailing service, file T2/T4 or GST/HST returns, register for a BN, and obtain GST/HST and payroll remittance information. Turning to intermediaries, compared to the 2006 Survey, satisfaction levels were higher in 2008 for registering for a BN and using the ‘Online requests for Business’ service.

Overall Ratings of CRA Web Site
Strong majorities of small business (81%) and intermediary (84%) respondents expressed satisfaction with the CRA Web site overall when using it for business purposes. This represented a slight increase from the 2006 results (compare to 74%, 80%), due in large part to a greater proportion of respondents being "very satisfied". The high level of satisfaction was underscored by the fact that most surveyed visitors successfully used the CRA Web site, finding or completing most or all of what they tried to find or do at the site.

Not only were visitors satisfied with the CRA Web site overall, nearly two-thirds of respondents also offered positive assessments of all of the site’s attributes. In particular, ratings of the CRA Web site’s information content were highest. Specifically, respondents were most likely to agree that the CRA Web site’s information was up-to-date (86%, 87%), the site had all the information needed (81%, 83%), and the information was easy to understand (77%, 83%). Ease of finding the information (65%, 64%) received the least positive assessments. Assessments of the CRA Web site’s attributes were much the same as they were in the 2006 Survey, although small businesses tended to offer slightly more positive ratings this year. The only exception to this finding was a significant and positive change among both audiences in terms of the number of visitors that now felt the time taken to complete tasks was appropriate (from 55% to 68% for small businesses, from 59% to 69% for intermediaries).

Drivers of Satisfaction
To add texture to the survey results, a regression analysis was undertaken with selected findings from the survey to help determine the drivers of overall satisfaction with the CRA Web site. Overall, the ability to find the information sought was, by far, the strongest predictor of satisfaction with the CRA Web site for both audiences. Specifically, for small businesses, the analysis indicates that there are three significant predictors of overall satisfaction with the CRA Web site. They are ease of finding what was sought, satisfaction with the range or variety of search methods, and agreement that the CRA Web site has the information needed. Among intermediaries, the key drivers of satisfaction are ease of finding what was sought, agreement that the amount of time taken to find information or complete tasks is appropriate, and ascribing higher importance to the CRA Web site as a service channel.

Multi-Channel Use
The CRA Web site was widely seen as an important service channel, identified as important by majorities in both audiences (88% each). For small businesses, this was clearly the service channel most likely to be seen as important, while for intermediaries it was a close second behind the telephone (74%, 90%). Following this was regular mail (57%, 70%), and in-person visits (24%, 25%). It is noteworthy that the perceived importance of the CRA site has increased noticeably since 2006, from 76% to 88% among small businesses and 81% to 88% among intermediaries. Asked which service channel was most important, telephone (31%, 50%) and the CRA Web site (51%, 36%) led the way, with small business representatives selecting the CRA Web site over phone and intermediaries the phone over the CRA Web site.

Not surprisingly, aside from the CRA Web site, the telephone was used by the greatest proportion of respondents in their dealings with the CRA for business reasons – 70% of small businesses and 97% of intermediaries. Compared to intermediaries, small business representatives were less likely to have used multiple channels to deal with the CRA, while intermediaries were more likely to use each of the contact methods available. Since 2006, small business representatives were less likely to contact the CRA via regular mail (from 59% in 2006 to 49%), and intermediaries were less likely to do so in-person (from 36% to 27%). Few respondents (regardless of audience) call the CRA around the same time that they use the CRA Web site and even fewer made such calls in 2008 compared to 2006.

Conclusions
Satisfaction with the CRA Web site overall, and in relation to the specific activities that can be done on the site, continues to be widespread. Improvements to the usability of the CRA Web site, moreover, have not gone unnoticed among business users. In 2006, the findings suggested that the CRA might want to take steps to improve the CRA Web site’s overall usability to ensure that information can be easily found by visitors. In 2008, the proportion of Web site visitors that think the time needed to complete tasks on the site is appropriate has increased significantly.

The research also suggests that small businesses and intermediaries use the site in different ways and have different priorities when doing so. For instance, intermediaries are much more likely to use all of the search methods available and to be aware of, and to use, more of the CRA Web site’s information and service offerings. Along with these behavioural differences, intermediaries tended to offer more favourable ratings of the CRA Web site – that is, they were more likely to be satisfied with the process of using the site’s resources and to hold more positive perceptions of the site. Since 2006, intermediaries’ perceptions have remained positive, and in some areas, have become more favourable. Small business representatives, on the other hand, exhibited greater variation in terms of their behaviour and perceptions over time. Considerable increases in satisfaction in some areas were met with lower levels of satisfaction in other areas.

In conclusion, then, overall satisfaction with the CRA Web site remains strong and fairly widespread among business users. Positive ratings notwithstanding, the findings suggest that there continues to be room for improvement. Recall that those who encountered difficulties using the CRA Web site, or who were dissatisfied with the site, tended to highlight problems related to finding or accessing information on the site. Moreover, the ability to find the information sought on the CRA Web site was the strongest driver of overall satisfaction with the site for both audiences. Further efforts to improve the CRA Web site’s usability can be expected to have a positive impact on overall satisfaction with the site.

Footnotes

[Footnote 1]

The telephone survey provided reliable data for the CRA’s Use and Satisfaction measures among its principal business audiences – small businesses and third-party intermediaries (i.e. accountants, tax preparation firms, etc.) – and the online Web site survey provided a profile of visitors to business sections of the Web site.

[Footnote 2]

Where percentages are reported in this manner, they are done so first for small business representatives followed by third-party intermediaries.

Date modified:

2009-07-28