Over 90% of SIA licence applicants “satisfied with the process”

Satisfaction among employers is also at an impressive 89%, having increased from 85% the year before. These improvements demonstrate the positive progress made by the SIA since it revised its customer contact strategy in 2022.

The main drivers behind the high levels of satisfaction among individuals include the application process being simple and straightforward to manage, the fact that licensing decisions are consistent, fair and made within the expected timescales and also that applicants are given clear instructions on what they need to do next to progress their application.

Continuous improvement

The positive feedback is the result of continuous improvement across the SIA’s licensing processes and the management of customer contact, including initiatives launched as part of the revised contact strategy to enhance the customer experience. These initiatives include the launch of a series of guidance videos to walk customers through the application process and address the main reasons for contact, which have since been streamed thousands of times.  

Employers noted the low effort required on their part, as well as the clear information the SIA provides to support the application process, as the key factors contributing to their high level of satisfaction.

This reflects the continued success of the SIA’s Business Support team, which was redesigned in 2022 as part of the revised contact strategy. The redesign has allowed the team to build strong engagement with businesses, providing proactive and reactive support in managing licensing-related queries.

Favourable opinion of the SIA among individuals increased in line with satisfaction levels, rising to 91% from 88% in 2023.

Incredibly encouraging  

Iestyn David, the SIA’s head of licensing and service delivery, commented: “It’s incredibly encouraging to witness customer satisfaction increase once again among both individuals and employers from the already high levels of satisfaction stated in last year’s survey.”

David added: “This demonstrates the success of our contact strategy initiatives and ongoing work to improve the customer experience in addition to the licensing journey. We’re proud of all the hard work the team has put in over the last year, particularly so in the context of the record application volumes we’ve been managing. It’s great to see this recognised in such positive feedback from our customers.”

The latest survey was conducted in January this year to measure the SIA’s performance in 2024. It involved 703 interviews with individuals who had recently applied for an SIA licence and 95 interviews with employers who had recently submitted applications on behalf of their employees.

*Read a more detailed summary of the full survey findings online