The results of an independent study of the work of the Pension Fund of Ukraine’s service centres were presented in Kyiv. The initiative was implemented by the Right to Protection Charitable Foundation with the support of UNHCR and in partnership with the Ministry of Social Policy. The aim of the study was to assess the quality of service provided to citizens at PFU service centres in terms of accessibility, staff professionalism and ease of use of both offline and online services.
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Quality of service: most customers are satisfied
The study covered 84 service centres of the Pension Fund in 13 regions of Ukraine and Kyiv. Over 300 respondents from 113 settlements shared their impressions of their visits to the centres. As a result, 95% of respondents said they were satisfied with the services they received, either completely or partially. The average service rating was 4.19 out of 5.
Visitors particularly appreciated the level of consultation provided, giving it a score of 4.25. At the same time, respondents rated their overall impression of the visit at 3.95. More than 40% of customers gave the highest score for the quality of consultation, and 30% for the overall experience of visiting the centre.
Professionalism of staff — one of the strongest points
Respondents noted the high qualifications of service centre employees. They gave the highest ratings to the clarity of explanations (4.3 points), willingness to help (4.3) and attentiveness to customer needs (4.25). Compared to other institutions, such as administrative service centres or local authorities, the level of service at the PFU proved to be competitive and even higher in terms of certain criteria.
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Focus on accessibility
One of the key aspects of the study was to check the inclusiveness of service centres. In 93% of institutions, at least one barrier-free element was recorded. Most often these were ramps (83%), staff call buttons (77%), and information materials in Braille (73%). A number of branches employ specialists who can assist people with disabilities or those with limited mobility.
At the same time, the study points to the need for further improvement of the barrier-free environment, particularly in small towns and villages.
Online services: high potential, but low level of trust
A separate part of the study was devoted to the work of the Pension Fund’s online services. It turned out that more than 42% of customers do not use them or do not trust digital service channels. Another 37% admitted that they do not know how to use electronic services on their own.
At the same time, those who used the PFU’s online platforms were generally satisfied. 73% of respondents gave the accuracy of electronic services a score of 4 or 5. Similar ratings were given for the speed of application processing (60%) and the convenience of submitting documents (66%).
These results indicate the need to improve the digital literacy of the population, as well as to improve the usability of the Fund’s electronic services.
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Position of the government and international partners
According to Social Policy Minister Oksana Zholnovich, updating the Pension Fund as a service institution is a priority. She emphasised that the ministry is focusing on improving the quality of services and bringing them closer to citizens, particularly in digital format.
Galina Tretyakova, chair of the parliamentary committee on social policy, emphasised the importance of extraterritoriality of service — when services can be obtained regardless of the place of registration. According to her, 83% of PFU clients are completely satisfied with the quality of services.
PFU Board Chairman Yevhen Kapinus noted that the Fund is not only modernising its work in stationary institutions, but also actively visiting communities to be closer to people.
UNHCR representative Lidiya Kuzmenko emphasised that it is important to take into account the specifics of the regions and develop partnerships with communities so that services are not just formal, but meet real needs. President of the Right to Protection Charitable Foundation Oleksandr Galkin called the study the result of a year’s work aimed at improving the social protection system in Ukraine.
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