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ARCHIVED - Using External Service Delivery Key Performance Indicators
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MAF Category: Citizen-Focussed Service
Theme: Delay Measures
The obvious impact of delay in a phone service queue or while standing in line waiting for counter service does not have a direct parallel within the Internet Channel. While computer users accessing government services will experience various delays, in many cases these delays are attributed to client machine configurations, Internet congestion, or Internet service provider service degradation. The industry has approached measurement of Internet delay through the use of client computer resident programs that monitor page views in real time.
Unfortunately, due to abuse of these capabilities and warranted concern about invasive "spyware" programs, these technologies are neither popular nor prevalently used. Only Comscore's MediaMetrix provides an assessment similar to a Neilson Rating through the use of volunteers to install proprietary software that tracks actual Internet usage. Specific reports and custom research is available, at a price, from the company.
Usage Tip: The Last Page and Visit DurationIn most cases, the total time on a site is not accurately measured. Only the time between first page request and last page request is recorded. |
The working group has determined that Average Visit Duration might indicate a client's experience of delay. As take-up of more complex transactions continues to grow, this metric will reflect this shift from informational to transactional service.
Average Visit DurationDuration within measurement interval period Total Elapsed Seconds from Site Entry (any page) to Site
Exit |
A custom WebTrends report can be configured to provide information on visits, including visit duration. This can be organized by specific page, using any defined measurement interval. Figure 5-5 shows a sample report taken from WebTrends' product documentation.
Figure 5-5: Visit and Visit Duration Dashboard (WebTrends)
