3 July 2023
The European Patent Office (EPO) has published
the results of its biennial User Satisfaction Surveys (USS) for 2022/2023. The latest round of independent surveys indicates high
satisfaction levels with the EPO’s core services – search, examination and
opposition. Seven surveys were carried out between September 2022 and April
2023 by an independent external research company, covering the end-to-end
patent granting process (PGP) and our support services.
Close to 7 000 respondents participated, the highest number
since the surveys began. The surveys target users who have experience of the
relevant service during the last 12 months. As such, they provide valuable,
direct and up-to-date feedback on the satisfaction of our users with our key
services. Areas where improvement is needed will now be incorporated into the
EPO’s Quality Action Plan.
The importance of surveys
User
consultation is essential as it helps the EPO align its quality initiatives
with users’ needs. While qualitative feedback is gathered through channels such
as meetings with user associations and via our website, surveys provide
quantitative, anonymous feedback. They offer a representative view of
satisfaction levels across a broad spectrum of users.
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