As a diagnostic tool

The CRC can provide citizens and governments with qualitative and quantitative information about prevailing standards and gaps in service delivery. It also measures the level of public awareness about citizens' rights and responsibilities. Thus, the CRC

• is a powerful tool when the monitoring of services is weak
• provides a comparative picture about the quality of services and
• compares feedback across locations/demographic groups to identify segments where service provision is significantly weak.

As an accountability tool

The CRC reveals areas where the institutions responsible for service provision have not achieved mandated or expected service standards.

• Findings can be used to identify and demand specific improvements in services.
• Officials can be stimulated to work towards addressing specific issues.

As a benchmarking tool

The CRC, if conducted periodically, can track changes in service quality over time.

• Comparison of findings across CRCs will reveal improvements or worsening in service delivery.
• Conduct CRCs before and after introducing a new program/policy to measure its impact.

To reveal hidden costs

Citizen feedback can expose extra costs beyond mandated fees while using public services. The CRC, thus

• conveys information regarding the proportion of the population who pay bribes (either demanded or freely given) and the size of these payments and
• estimates the amount of private resources spent to compensate for poor service provision.

CRCs are a powerful tool when used as part of a local or regional plan to improve services. Institutions undertaking a program to improve services could use CRCs to determine whether the changes taking place are necessary and to evaluate the impact of these changes.