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Town of REPORT TO FINANCE AND
ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE |
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TO: |
Mayor and
Members of Council |
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FROM: |
John Livey Chief
Administrative Officer |
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PREPARED BY: |
Rick Dominico Manager,
Corporate Quality Department |
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DATE OF MEETING: |
2004-11-22 |
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SUBJECT: |
Results of
2004 Citizen Satisfaction Survey |
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RECOMMENDATION:
That the report “Results of 2004 Citizen Satisfaction Survey” be received.
PURPOSE:
To provide highlights of the results
of the Citizen Satisfaction Survey which was conducted by OraclePoll Research in September and October of 2004.
BACKGROUND
The Management Model provides the framework for how this organization operates. The successful application of the practices contained in the Model contributes to our corporate goal of organizational excellence. The Management Model was established at the beginning of the QSQP initiative and is outlined as follows:
The Management Model includes 5 main sections (Leadership Practices, People Related Practices, Process improvements, Information Use & Quality Tools, and Community & Customer Focus), with specific practices listed for each section. It is important to note that all of the main sections and their practices are linked to the Customer and Community Focus section, the cornerstone of the framework. A sixth area describes the outcomes of applying the practices of the 5 main sections and is called the Business Results (Customer Satisfaction, Staff Motivation & Satisfaction, Financial Performance, and Operational Excellence).
A key component of the Model is the measurement of
satisfaction.
The Staff Satisfaction Survey has been
administered every two years since 1998. Our most recent survey was completed
in the early summer and improvement projects have been identified and initiated
in each department across the organization.
Over 15 specific service surveys have been
completed since 1998, with the majority of them occurring in the Recreation and
Culture Department.
The practice of conducting a Town-wide
citizen satisfaction survey the first year of a new term of Council was
initiated in the fall of 2001. Environics Research
was commissioned in 2001 to administer a Town-wide citizens
survey as part of the Engage 21st Century Markham Markham
OraclePoll Research was
commissioned to conduct a citizen satisfaction survey for 2004. Random
telephone interviews were conducted with residents 18 years of age and older
between September 10th and
DISCUSSION
The highlights of the 2004 Citizen Satisfaction Survey are summarized in the following sections. Comprehensive results by question, including ward-by-ward and other demographic variables, are available for further review but are too extensive for attachment to this report.
Overall Ratings
Overall, residents continue to be quite satisfied about the
delivery of municipal services in the Town of
For example:
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for residents who used a
· there was a 97% satisfaction rate with users of our library services
· there was a 100% satisfaction rate with users of firefighting services over the past year
The survey also identified low levels of
dissatisfaction for specific Town services. The overall rating of
dissatisfaction for 31 service areas was less than 10% on average. By contrast,
the average rating in 2001 was just under 20%. The 2004 results show a
significant decrease in dissatisfaction for our services. For example, when
asked about the quality of life they experience in
Most Important Issues
The top issue, (expressed by 34% of the respondents) was traffic/road congestion/transportation. Second, and much further down the list, was over-development or the Town expanding too quickly (10% of respondents). The remaining top of mind issues were at 6% or less and included garbage collection, rapid growth, transit, crime, environment, roads and hydro lines. By contrast, 20% of respondents in 2001 felt that value for their tax dollar was of high priority, followed closely by protecting the environment (17%) and improving transportation (16%).
Specific Service Area Satisfaction Ratings
Results for 2004 are very positive (see Appendix A). An increase in overall satisfaction can be seen in almost every service area relative to 2001 ratings. Combined with the reduced dissatisfaction levels as mentioned above, the results demonstrate that the Town is headed in the right direction to providing quality services that meet, if not exceed, the expectations of our citizens.
It is important to note, the value of using specific service satisfaction surveys as part of our customer satisfaction measurement program. For example, in recent years specific surveys have been used in Recreation Programs and at the Theatre. Overall satisfaction scores are very close to the scores received in this general citizen’s satisfaction survey for each of these service areas and are very good (all in the 80+%).
It is difficult to determine if improvements are necessary and where they should be made by looking at this positive overall score by itself. The benefit of the specific service survey is that the results provide a detailed look at key service attributes that collectively make up the overall satisfaction score. This is where a high overall satisfaction score must be seen as an overall indicator only. As an example, fitness members were very satisfied overall (82%), but were not as happy with the size of the facility and the layout of the workout space. For continued member satisfaction and enrollment, solutions must be developed and implemented for those areas identified by the more in-depth survey. This process provides the manager with a clear direction for effective improvements that can be built in to the annual business planning process.
Contact with Town Staff
Citizens were asked to rate the quality of their interactions with staff over the previous 12 months. Ratings improved in each category over the 2001 survey results. Staff rated highest in the following:
· courtesy (95% satisfied)
· knowledge (90% satisfied)
· providing accurate and dependable service (88% satisfied).
Rated somewhat lower but still significantly higher than the 2001 levels were:
· ease of getting to the right staff (86% satisfied)
· services delivered in a timely fashion (85% satisfied)
· staff going the extra mile (74% satisfied)
Levels of dissatisfaction decreased for each of the categories in this section, with the largest decrease seen in ‘easily find the right staff’ responses (32% dissatisfied in 2001 vs 12% in 2004) and ‘staff going the extra mile’ responses (33% dissatisfied in 2001 vs 19% in 2004). Continued migration of first contact for key services to the Contact Centre will help to improve in the area of finding the right staff.
Service Areas Requiring Further Investigation
While overall satisfaction is very positive, there are a few areas that require further investigation. When comparing percentage of respondents that were ‘very satisfied’ from 2001 to 2004, garbage collection and recycling, methods of tax payments, promotion of the Town for employment and parks maintenance show a decline of between 10 and 13%.
While overall satisfaction scores for these areas were still very positive, the decreases in ‘very satisfied’ responses are potential indicators that remedial measures may be appropriate to reverse the negative trend. A specific survey for these service areas will be very helpful to determine what attributes of the services require improvement and further work.
SUMMARY
Results of our 2004 Citizen Satisfaction Survey confirm the Town’s focus on providing high quality services for our residents. Overall satisfaction with the Town is high. Levels of dissatisfaction for specific services are generally quite low and have decreased over time. Key attributes of citizen interactions with staff are rated significantly better than in 2001. All are very positive indicators of our approach to providing quality service.
Improvement areas have been identified and solutions will be developed and implemented. While levels of dissatisfaction have decreased and are generally low, there are some service areas that require specific actions to decrease this level even further. Areas have been identified where levels of ‘very satisfied’ responses have decreased somewhat since 2001. They too will require further review and solutions developed and implemented. Specific Service Surveys will be used where appropriate to identify the attributes of the service that require the most attention.
The comprehensive set of results gained through this type of survey will be available and utilized for a wide range of future Town projects for many months to come.
FINANCIAL
CONSIDERATIONS:
No financial implications are to be considered in this
report.
APPENDIX:
Appendix A : Highlights of the 2004 Staff Satisfaction Survey
Results
___________________________ ________________________
Rick Dominico John Livey
Manager, Corporate Quality Chief Administrative Officer