Citizen Satisfaction Survey Report

Transcription

1 1 Citizen Satisfaction Survey Report Background In the spring of 2011, The City of Grande Prairie conducted its biennial Citizen Satisfaction Survey. Partnering with Ipsos Reid Research, an in-depth questionnaire was created to measure the City s performance and develop an understanding of citizen expectations, views and satisfaction level with City services, programs and the value for their tax dollar. The survey contained interviews with 400 Grande Prairie residents age 18 and older. The selection of interviewee was random, and results were weighted to ensure that the age and gender distribution of interviewees reflects that of the City as of the 2006 census. Where possible, results were compared to those from Key Results The Citizen Satisfaction Survey shows that, overall, citizens see Grande Prairie as having a bright future and are proud to live in the city. An overwhelming majority or 92% of residents rate the quality of life in the City of Grande Prairie as good. These results are on par with Improving from 2009, 19% responded that they feel quality of life in Grande Prairie has worsened; the majority believe it to be unchanged or improved. The survey also reveals that 80% of the residents are satisfied with the overall level and quality of services, on par with 2009 responses. Citizens are less satisfied with the speed of service from the City, as well as a few specific services including snow removal, infrastructure services and affordable housing. In this report, we focus on several issues with City services revealed by the Citizen Satisfaction Survey. We will outline action steps to improve the services, and also establish measures to evaluate our efforts to improve. Issues Land use, planning, and development What people said 41% of the residents are unsatisfied with land use and planning in the City Households with children are more likely to be unsatisfied 40% of the residents do not think the City does a good job managing development and growth 48% of the residents do not think the City keeps citizens informed about growth plans

2 2 Young people (18-34) are less likely than older groups to agree that the City keeps citizens informed about how it plans to deal with growth. City s Action Plan Schedule monthly information additions to the city website, social media, and/or newspaper about development in the City Public newsletter mail out to all city residents Train and support staff to provide accurate and consistent information to customers Development Services Legislative Services Economic Development Marketing and Communications There are monthly updates on the City website, social media and other news media about development in the City At least one newsletter is created and mailed out to all City residents in 2012 Fewer customers complaints and enquiries compared to previous year Safety & Security 24% of GP residents do not think that Grande Prairie is a place where residents feel safe and secure Renters are more than twice as likely as homeowners to disagree that Grande Prairie is a safe place Mobilize the community to help prevent crimes by encouraging and facilitating the creation of Neighbourhood Safety Teams, help creating Neighbourhood Safety Plans, and support communities to implement their safety plans Establish relevant Crime Prevention Committees Educate the public on the services provided by the RCMP and Grande Prairie Enforcement Services Increase police service by opening a new location at the Multiplex

3 3 RCMP Crime Prevention Significant progress towards establishing a minimum of three new Neighbourhood Safety Teams within a year Relevant Crime Prevention Committees are established A new RCMP office is established at the Multiplex Affordable Housing 41% of the residents are not very satisfied or not at all satisfied with Affordable Housing Renters and young people (18-34) are the two groups most likely to be unsatisfied with Affordable Housing Continue facilitate and support the two affordable housing projects in progress, CAIRN on the Boulevard and Odyssey House Second Stage. Community Social Development The CAIRN project is on track to be completed in 2013 The Odyssey House Second Stage project progresses as planned Infrastructure Services 69% of the residents are unsatisfied with the City s infrastructure services Young people (18-34) are more likely to be unsatisfied with Grande Prairie s infrastructure services than older groups. Those who have lived in Grande Prairie for less than five years are more likely than long-time residents to be unsatisfied with City infrastructure Services. Provide timely responses to all customer enquiries and concerns

4 4 Conduct a citizen survey to understand residents opinions and needs regarding City infrastructure Create a Communications Plan for Winter Snow and Ice Control to ensure that the public is informed about snow and ice removal procedures and progress Conduct annual review of all maintenance programs so they meet the ever-changing needs and priorities of a growing community Engineering Services Transportation Services Marketing and Communications A Communications Plan for Winter Snow and Ice Control is completed and implemented A well-informed public and fewer enquiries during the winter season compared to previous year Significant progress towards the completion of an in-depth survey about residents opinions and needs regarding City infrastructure Transit Services 34% of Grande Prairie s residents are not satisfied with the City s transit services Improve route design, scheduling, and customer satisfaction by: o Enhance the monitoring of route data o Gather feedback from customers via social media resources o Research technologies that provide real-time, automated information at major customer gathering centres (i.e. Downtown terminal, GPRC, Prairie Mall, etc.) Transit Ridership and revenue increase from the previous year Improved rides to cost ratio from previous year City Information & Communication

5 5 50% of the residents say they receive too little information, while 48% say they have just the right amount of information Communicate City information to residents using all available media by: o Publish a semi-annual City Matters Newsletter o Create regular weekly website Spotlight items and news releases o Create social media posts daily Marketing & Communications Number of spot light items and news releases on the website average to one per business day Web readership increases by 15% City Accessibility and Response Rate 32% of the residents do not think City staff are easy to get a hold of when needed Citizens living alone are more likely to think that City staff are hard to get a hold of compared to those in a household of 2 or more people. 44% of the residents do not think the City responds quickly to requests and concerns Check website and social media sites frequently to see if there are new comments and concerns, and respond accordingly Create innovative interactive service request system Complete the Social Media Guideline which will outline clearly when a response can be expected from City staff after residents submit a question or comment on social media. All departments that interact with customers The Social Media Guidelines are created and implemented. General Customer Service

6 6 43% of Grande Prairie s residents do not think the quality of service from the City is consistently high Homeowners are more likely than renters to disagree that the quality of service from the City is consistently high Households with high income (annual income >$75,000) are more likely than groups with lower income to disagree that the quality of service form the City is consistently high. (This income group is 72% of the people surveyed.) When asked to rate the value people feel they receive from their property tax dollars using a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 represents very poor value and 10 represents very good value, the median answer was 5.2 Review and implement recommendations made by the Leadership Institute focusing on the three themes of: o Positive attitude: employees approach a service opportunity with flexibility and a desire to help o Creative thinking: employees provide service in a creative, open-minded atmosphere o Exceptional service: acknowledging and creating partnership with our customers The newly formed Exceptional Service Group will continue to plan activities and initiatives to implement the three theme areas pointed out by the Leadership Institute. Continue to hold customer service workshops for City staff such as the WOW symposium for Multiplex staff Explore the possibility of creating a Customer Service Institute that will help City staff learn more skills to improve their serivce Departments to conduct customer surveys in order to evaluate their performance. All departments Exceptional Service Group City Manager s Office Improving customer service will be an ongoing process and our effort will be measured in the next Citizen Satisfaction Survey Conclusions Improving customer service will be a priority for the City in the next two years. We hope to make comprehensive improvement across all areas of services considered lacking by residents and to see the

7 residents recognize our improvement in the next Customer Satisfaction Survey. The action steps and outcome measures outlined in this document will be help departments work towards the ultimate goal of better results on the next Customer Satisfaction Survey and monitor the progress along the way. 7

8 1 Citizen Satisfaction Survey Report Background In the spring of 2011, The City of Grande Prairie conducted its biennial Citizen Satisfaction Survey. Partnering with Ipsos Reid Research, an in-depth questionnaire was created to measure the City s performance and develop an understanding of citizen expectations, views and satisfaction level with City services, programs and the value for their tax dollar. The survey contained interviews with 400 Grande Prairie residents age 18 and older. The selection of interviewee was random, and results were weighted to ensure that the age and gender distribution of interviewees reflects that of the City as of the 2006 census. Where possible, results were compared to those from Key Results The Citizen Satisfaction Survey shows that, overall, citizens see Grande Prairie as having a bright future and are proud to live in the city. An overwhelming majority or 92% of residents rate the quality of life in the City of Grande Prairie as good. These results are on par with Improving from 2009, 19% responded that they feel quality of life in Grande Prairie has worsened; the majority believe it to be unchanged or improved. The survey also reveals that 80% of the residents are satisfied with the overall level and quality of services, on par with 2009 responses. Citizens are less satisfied with the speed of service from the City, as well as a few specific services including snow removal, infrastructure services and affordable housing. In this report, we focus on several issues with City services revealed by the Citizen Satisfaction Survey. We will outline action steps to improve the services, and also establish measures to evaluate our efforts to improve. Issues Land use, planning, and development What people said 41% of the residents are unsatisfied with land use and planning in the City Households with children are more likely to be unsatisfied 40% of the residents do not think the City does a good job managing development and growth 48% of the residents do not think the City keeps citizens informed about growth plans

9 2 Young people (18-34) are less likely than older groups to agree that the City keeps citizens informed about how it plans to deal with growth. City s Action Plan Schedule monthly information additions to the city website, social media, and/or newspaper about development in the City Public newsletter mail out to all city residents Train and support staff to provide accurate and consistent information to customers Development Services Legislative Services Economic Development Marketing and Communications There are monthly updates on the City website, social media and other news media about development in the City At least one newsletter is created and mailed out to all City residents in 2012 Fewer customers complaints and enquiries compared to previous year Safety & Security 24% of GP residents do not think that Grande Prairie is a place where residents feel safe and secure Renters are more than twice as likely as homeowners to disagree that Grande Prairie is a safe place Mobilize the community to help prevent crimes by encouraging and facilitating the creation of Neighbourhood Safety Teams, help creating Neighbourhood Safety Plans, and support communities to implement their safety plans Establish relevant Crime Prevention Committees Educate the public on the services provided by the RCMP and Grande Prairie Enforcement Services Increase police service by opening a new location at the Multiplex

10 3 RCMP Crime Prevention Significant progress towards establishing a minimum of three new Neighbourhood Safety Teams within a year Relevant Crime Prevention Committees are established A new RCMP office is established at the Multiplex Affordable Housing 41% of the residents are not very satisfied or not at all satisfied with Affordable Housing Renters and young people (18-34) are the two groups most likely to be unsatisfied with Affordable Housing Continue facilitate and support the two affordable housing projects in progress, CAIRN on the Boulevard and Odyssey House Second Stage. Community Social Development The CAIRN project is on track to be completed in 2013 The Odyssey House Second Stage project progresses as planned Infrastructure Services 69% of the residents are unsatisfied with the City s infrastructure services Young people (18-34) are more likely to be unsatisfied with Grande Prairie s infrastructure services than older groups. Those who have lived in Grande Prairie for less than five years are more likely than long-time residents to be unsatisfied with City infrastructure Services. Provide timely responses to all customer enquiries and concerns

11 4 Conduct a citizen survey to understand residents opinions and needs regarding City infrastructure Create a Communications Plan for Winter Snow and Ice Control to ensure that the public is informed about snow and ice removal procedures and progress Conduct annual review of all maintenance programs so they meet the ever-changing needs and priorities of a growing community Engineering Services Transportation Services Marketing and Communications A Communications Plan for Winter Snow and Ice Control is completed and implemented A well-informed public and fewer enquiries during the winter season compared to previous year Significant progress towards the completion of an in-depth survey about residents opinions and needs regarding City infrastructure Transit Services 34% of Grande Prairie s residents are not satisfied with the City s transit services Improve route design, scheduling, and customer satisfaction by: o Enhance the monitoring of route data o Gather feedback from customers via social media resources o Research technologies that provide real-time, automated information at major customer gathering centres (i.e. Downtown terminal, GPRC, Prairie Mall, etc.) Transit Ridership and revenue increase from the previous year Improved rides to cost ratio from previous year

12 5 City Information & Communication 50% of the residents say they receive too little information, while 48% say they have just the right amount of information Communicate City information to residents using all available media by: o Publish a semi-annual City Matters Newsletter o Create regular weekly website Spotlight items and news releases o Create social media posts daily Marketing & Communications Number of spot light items and news releases on the website average to one per business day Web readership increases by 15% City Accessibility and Response Rate 32% of the residents do not think City staff are easy to get a hold of when needed Citizens living alone are more likely to think that City staff are hard to get a hold of compared to those in a household of 2 or more people. 44% of the residents do not think the City responds quickly to requests and concerns Check website and social media sites frequently to see if there are new comments and concerns, and respond accordingly Create innovative interactive service request system Complete the Social Media Guideline which will outline clearly when a response can be expected from City staff after residents submit a question or comment on social media. All departments that interact with customers The Social Media Guidelines are created and implemented.

13 6 General Customer Service 43% of Grande Prairie s residents do not think the quality of service from the City is consistently high Homeowners are more likely than renters to disagree that the quality of service from the City is consistently high Households with high income (annual income >$75,000) are more likely than groups with lower income to disagree that the quality of service form the City is consistently high. (This income group is 72% of the people surveyed.) When asked to rate the value people feel they receive from their property tax dollars using a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 represents very poor value and 10 represents very good value, the median answer was 5.2 Review and implement recommendations made by the Leadership Institute focusing on the three themes of: o Positive attitude: employees approach a service opportunity with flexibility and a desire to help o Creative thinking: employees provide service in a creative, open-minded atmosphere o Exceptional service: acknowledging and creating partnership with our customers The newly formed Exceptional Service Group will continue to plan activities and initiatives to implement the three theme areas pointed out by the Leadership Institute. Continue to hold customer service workshops for City staff such as the WOW symposium for Multiplex staff Explore the possibility of creating a Customer Service Institute that will help City staff learn more skills to improve their serivce Departments to conduct customer surveys in order to evaluate their performance. All departments Exceptional Service Group City Manager s Office Improving customer service will be an ongoing process and our effort will be measured in the next Citizen Satisfaction Survey

14 7 Conclusions Improving customer service will be a priority for the City in the next two years. We hope to make comprehensive improvement across all areas of services considered lacking by residents and to see the residents recognize our improvement in the next Customer Satisfaction Survey. The action steps and outcome measures outlined in this document will be help departments work towards the ultimate goal of better results on the next Customer Satisfaction Survey and monitor the progress along the way.