A State Comptroller service survey ranked seven government bodies that maintain ongoing contact with the public. Israel Electric Corporation came first with a weighted score of 87.7 out of 100, improving from 81.1 last year, when it also led the ranking.
Behind it were the National Insurance Institute with 77.5 and Amidar with 76.4. At the bottom was the Population and Immigration Authority, which scored 63.3, a slight improvement from 59.2 a year earlier. The Ministry of Transport was next to last with 69.5. Unlike most of the organizations, which improved over the past year, its result deteriorated from 75.6 last year, which had been above average, to below average this year.
The score is based on several subcategories covering in-person service, telephone service and online service. In customer service centers, Israel Electric Corporation again ranked first, while Amidar finished last. Online, Israel Electric Corporation scored 96, while the Israel Tax Authority came last with 63.1. The article said the Tax Authority’s website is outdated and cumbersome, making even basic actions difficult for users without strong digital skills.
The sharpest decline was in the Transport Ministry’s call center, which fell from 86 last year to 56.8 this year, mainly because of long waiting times, which received a score of 0.4 out of 10. The Population and Immigration Authority also scored poorly in telephone service at 38.6, though that was an improvement from 31.4. In telephone service overall, Amidar ranked first and Israel Electric Corporation second.
State Comptroller and Public Complaints Commissioner Matanyahu Englman said, "Public servants must provide excellent, efficient and courteous service to every person." He said service at some bodies is still far from satisfactory, especially in call centers, and noted that the Population and Immigration Authority, the Transport Ministry, the Israel Tax Authority and the Israel Land Authority scored below average, with results ranging from 63 to 73. He added that the Transport Ministry must examine itself because of the decline in its call-center score, and said the office will continue monitoring public service because about one-third of the complaints it handles each year deal with this issue.
