customer service centre on behalf of the royal borough of ... final sm… · council commissioned...

Customer Service Centre Satisfaction Survey 2008

On Behalf of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council

FINAL REPORT

February 2008

2

Contents Page

1.0 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................3

2.0 SAMPLE / METHODOLOGY ..................................................................4

3.0 IN SUMMARY ........................................................................................5

4.0 FINDINGS..............................................................................................7

5.0 DEMOGRAPHICS................................................................................25

APPENDIX......................................................................................................27

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1.0 Introduction 1.1 Here to Help is a major Council priority to improve the service for

Kensington and Chelsea customers however and whenever they contact the Council. In early 2005, Councilwide customer service standards were introduced against which the Council needs to regularly monitor its performance.

1.2 SMSR conducted a face to face survey on behalf of the authority in

the Council’s main reception points in November 2005 to set a baseline for their performance and again in November 2006 to monitor progress. The Council has now opened its new customer service centre on the ground floor of Kensington Town Hall.

1.3 In December 2007, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Council commissioned SMSR Ltd to repeat this survey in the new customer service centre to measure their continued performance against these standards and compare results in the new centre with those from previous years.

1.4 Surveys were conducted across the original four main service areas of

parking, planning, housing and benefits, and at the main desk. The new service centre also incorporates Council Tax services and cashiers which were also included in this year’s sample.

1.5 The following aspects were considered:

• The effectiveness of information that directs customers to the service they need

• The speed and efficiency with which enquiries are handled • Ease of using the new ticketing machine • Awareness of security presence • Various aspects of the customer service provided by staff when

dealing with the enquiry • Levels of privacy available • Overall satisfaction with the way enquiries were handled • Ways to improve the way enquiries are handled • Methods of contact with the Council and reasons for using face to

face

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2.0 Sample / Methodology 2.1 Overall, 361 face to face surveys were conducted in the Royal

Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council’s customer service centre:

Service Section Number of responses %

Parking 121 34% Benefits 70 19% Housing 50 14%

Council Tax 24 7% Cashiers 24 7% Planning 30 8%

Main Desk 42 12% Total 361 100%

2.2 The target numbers sought and achieved for each area were

calculated to correspond (on a ratio basis) with the level of footfall usually experienced in one week at each reception point.

2.3 A copy of the questionnaire can be found in Appendix 1.

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3.0 In Summary Overall, the Council should be pleased with the results form this survey as the majority of all visitors was satisfied with all aspects of the new customer service centre and it is fairly obvious that the new layout has not affected residents’ satisfaction levels as they continue to be high and consistent with previous years. The main positives were as follows: The majority (90%) were meeted and greeted on entering the building. Nearly all found the ticketing system easy to use (87%). Most were satisfied with the time they had to wait (88% - 70% of which were VERY satisfied) for their enquiry to be dealt with and more than half were dealt with in less than 5 minutes. The vast majority were VERY satisfied with the staff’s manner, how well they listened, the relevance of the information provided and the clarity of the information. Overall, 93% were satisfied with the level of privacy available, this is a significant increase from the previous years and 83% said they were VERY satisfied with the current levels of privacy. Just 7% of visitors were disstaifasfied with how the Council dealt with their enquiry, 93% indicated a level of satisfaction. There are, however, several areas of concern: This time around visitors were less sure of where to go on entering the building; this of course will change as residents become familiar with the centre, but may always be an issue for first time visitors. Knowing where to go for benefit related enquiries may be an issue as awareness dropped to 76% for this service area. Over a third (40%) were not aware of any security presence, this may be something the Council would aim to improve, especially as the older visitors were the group who were more likely to say they did not see a security presence. It should be recognised that 10% of this sample were not meeted and greeted, this may be higher than the Council would have liked.

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Finally, it should be noted that generally satisfaction with waiting times and the staff who dealt with their enquiry within the housing service was lower when compared to other areas. Over half did have to wait longer than 15 minutes, which will have affected attitudes. The Council may also be concerned that, overall, 27% of visitors did have to wait for more than 15 minutes for their query to be dealt with.

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4.0 Findings Firstly, is this the first time you have visited the building? It was the first visit for 28% of all respondents; this is a 10% increase since 2006 and an 8% increase since 2005.

Service Section 2005 2006 2007 Parking 22% 23% 50% Benefits 11% 7% 19% Housing 18% 10% 14% Council Tax n/a n/a 21% Cashiers n/a n/a 13% Planning 13% 16% 10% Main Desk 26% 30% 26%

Half of those visiting the parking service were first time visitors, this represents more than a 100% increase since 2005. The benefits service also experienced significantly higher levels of first time visitors. However, it should be noted that Parking was previously in a different location to the Town Hall entirely, based in Young Street and this will be reflected in these results.

22%

23%

50%

11%

7%

19%

18%

1 0%

14%

13% 16

%

10%

26%

30%

26%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Parking Benefits Housing Planning Main Desk

Service Section

Is this the first time you have visit this building?

200520062007

It was a first time visit for 35% of those living in the south of the Borough compared to 24% in the North.

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When you entered the building was it obvious where you needed to go? Overall, 84% of all respondents said that it was obvious where to go when they entered the building; however this is a 14% decrease from last year. The vast majority (90%+) of all respondents visiting the cashiers, planning and housing areas said it was obvious where they needed to go. Those visiting the main desk (79%) or the benefits area (76%) felt less sure of where they needed to go.

Parking and benefits have experienced the greatest decrease over the last 12 months.

98% 1 0

0%80

%

99%

99%

76%

92%

9 8%

92%

90%

90%

97%

94%

8 9%

79%

75%

85%

95%

105%

Parking Benefits Housing Planning Main Desk

Service Section

When you entered the building was it obvious where you need to go?

200520062007


9

If no, why was that? The 59 respondents who said that it was not obvious where to go when entering the building gave the following reasons: A significant number of these respondents (39) blamed a lack of signage and 13 said it was due to the change in layout.

Reason Number of responses Lack of signs 39 (66%) Building layout has changed since last visit 13 (22%) First visit to building 4 (7%) Too many desks 2 (3%) I do not speak English well 1 (2%)

Were you greeted and helped as you entered the customer service centre? Overall, the majority of all respondents (90%) were greeted and helped as they entered the customer service centre.

93.0% 93.0% 92.0%

83.0% 83.0%

80.0%

89.0%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

Parking Benefits Housing Council Tax Cashiers Planning Main Desk

Service Section

Of the 38 respondents who were not greeted 25 said that they spoke to one other person, 10 respondents spoke to two people and 3 respondents spoke to four different people.

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How satisfied were you with the number of times you had to repeat your enquiry? Although these are based on small base numbers (38), it is important to note that levels of satisfaction have increased since 2005.

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

2005 2006 2007

Satisfaction with the number of times you had to repeat your enquiry

Very DissatisfiedFairly DissatisfiedNeitherFairly SatisfiedVery Satisfied

How easy did you find the ticketing system to use? The majority of visitors felt that the new ticketing system was either very easy (79%) or fairly easy to use (8%). Just 1% said the system was not easy to use.

79.0%

8.0% 11.7% 1.0% 0.3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Very easy Fairly easy Neither Fairly difficult Very difficult

How easy did you find the ticketing system to use?

Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of respondents said that the ticketing system could not be improved, although seven respondents said that the signage for the ticketing machine could be improved.

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Were you aware of the security presence in the customer service centre? Almost two-thirds of all visitors (60%) to the customer service centre said that they were aware of the security presence and 40% were not aware of any security presence. Those visiting the housing and benefits service indicated higher levels of awareness.

52.1%

47.9%

68.6%

31.4%

78.0%

22.0%

58.3%

41.7%

66.7%

33.3%

46.7%

53.3%

52.4%

47.6%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Parking Benefits Housing CouncilTax

Cashiers Planning Main Desk

Awareness of the security presence in the customer service

NoYes

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How satisfied are you with the length of time you had to wait to see the person who (eventually) dealt with your enquiry? There has been little change over the last two years with satisfaction of the time visitors have had to wait to see the person who dealt with their enquiry. The vast majority of all respondents were either fairly (18%) or very satisfied (70%).

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2005 2006 2007

Satisfaction with the length of waiting time

Very DissatisfiedFairly DissatisfiedNeitherFairly SatisfiedVery Satisfied

Levels of satisfaction were significantly lower with those who had visited the housing service area.

Service Section 2005 Satisfaction

2006 Satisfaction

2007 Satisfaction

Parking 94% 99% 90% Benefits 83% 90% 91% Housing 78% 90% 80% Council Tax n/a n/a 96% Cashiers n/a n/a 92% Planning 100% 100% 93% Main Desk 99% 99% 91%

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Satisfaction was inevitably higher with those who had less of a waiting time.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

≤15 mins >15 mins ≤15 mins >15 mins ≤15 mins >15 mins

2005 2006 2007

Level of Satisfaction and the length of time waiting in the last three years

DissatisfiedNeitherSatisfied

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How long did you have to wait to see the person who (eventually) dealt with your enquiry? The majority of respondents waited less than 15 minutes for their enquiry to be dealt with and half of all visitors were dealt with in less than 5 minutes. However, more than a quarter did have to wait for more than 15 minutes.

70.0%

30.0%

92.0%

8.0%

73.0%

27.0%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2005 2006 2007

Length of waiting time of the last three years

Up to 15 mins More than 15 mins

Waiting times for those visiting the housing and parking areas were higher than for the other five service areas.

Up to 15 minutes Over 15 minutes Service Section

2005 2006 2007 2005 2006 2007 Parking 97% 96% 65% 3% 4% 35% Benefits 86% 93% 74% 14% 7% 26% Housing 67% 79% 48% 33% 19% 52% Council Tax n/a n/a 88% n/a n/a 12% Cashiers n/a n/a 96% n/a n/a 4% Planning 100% 100% 93% 0% 0% 7% Main Desk 100% 90% 91% 0% 10% 9%

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Thinking of the person who (eventually) dealt with your enquiry, on a scale of good, adequate or poor, how would you rate the following..? How well staff listened The vast majority of all visitors felt that the staff listened to their enquiry. Visitors were more positive about the staff this year as 84% described the staff as very good.

76.2

%72

.5% 83

.9%

15.3

% 20.7

%

10.2

%

1.7% 4.

0%

3.3%

1.1%

0.3%

0.8%

1.4%

0.0%

0.3% 4.

2%

2.5%

1.4%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

Very good Good Adequate Poor Very poor na/dk

How well they listened to your query

2005 2006 2007

Those visiting the housing section of the service centre rated the staff less highly when compared to the other service areas.


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Manner in terms of friendliness and professionalism Nearly all rated the friendliness and professionalism of the staff as either good (11%) or very good (85%) and again the levels of those that said very good are higher than the previous two years.

75.6

%73

.1% 85

.0%

18.1

% 24.1

%

10.8

%

2.8%

1.1%

1.7%

0.6%

0.6%

0.6%

2.0%

0.0%

0.6%

0.8% 1.1% 1.4%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%


Manner in terms of friendliness and professionalism

2005 2006 2007

All service area staff were rated as good or very good by the majority of visitors.


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The relevance of information / advice they given The vast majority of those who received any information or advice rated it as either good (13%) or very good (71%).

63.5

%58

.9% 71

.2%

20.1

% 28.0

%

13.3

%

3.7% 3.4%

2.5% 2.0%

1.4%

2.8%

2.0%

0.8%

0.3%

8.8%

7.4% 10

.0%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%


The relevance of information / advice they given

2005 2006 2007

Higher numbers of those visiting the cashiers’ area did not require any information or guidance, however, those that did were happy with its relevance. All other service areas were also rated highly in terms of the information and guidance given.


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The clarity of the information / advice given The vast majority of all respondents rated the clarity of the information and advice they were given as good or very good.

67.1

%61

.8% 72

.3%

17.6

% 26.9

%

11.9

%

2.3% 3.

1%3.

3%

1.1%

0.3%

1.9%

2.3%

0.6%

0.3%

9.6%

7.4% 10

.2%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%


The clarity of the information / advice given

2005 2006 2007

Although not applicable to all service areas the vast majority of visitors rated the clarity of the information and advice they were given as good or very good.


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How satisfied are you with the level of privacy available? The majority of respondents were very satisfied with the levels of privacy available (83%) and this represents a very positive increase from previous years.

36.3

% 45.0

%82

.8%

34.3

%31

.2%

9.7%

11.0

%12

.7%

2.5%

9.6%

5.4%

1.7%

3.4% 2.5%

2.5% 5.

4%3.

1%

0.8%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

Verysatisfied

Fairlysatisfied

Neither Fairlydissatisfied

Verydissatisfied

Don't know

Satisfaction with level of privacy

2005 2006 2007

There seems to be less privacy in the planning service area.


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Overall, how satisfied are you with the way in which the Council dealt with your enquiry? Most were satisfied with the way in which the Council dealt with their enquiry, with just 7% that indicated a level of dissatisfaction.

64.9

%78

.5%

84.2

%

23.2

%14

.2%

9.1%

2.8% 3.4%

2.2% 3.

4%0.

8%2.

8%

4.0%

2.0%

1.1%

1.7%

1.1%

0.6%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

Verysatisfied

Fairlysatisfied

Neither Fairlydissatisfied

Verydissatisfied

Don't know

Satisfaction with the way enquiry was dealt with

2005 2006 2007

Those visiting the planning and housing service areas indicated the lowest levels of satisfaction.

Service Section 2005 Satisfaction

2006 Satisfaction

2007 Satisfaction

Parking 92% 93% 95% Benefits 83% 89% 94% Housing 72% 87% 84% Council Tax n/a n/a 96% Cashiers n/a n/a 100% Planning 98% 98% 83% Main Desk 99% 96% 100%

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What would have increased your level of satisfaction? Reducing waiting times was the number one suggestion for an increased level of satisfaction, 14 respondents also commented on the staff.

Most frequent suggestions (2007) Number of responses

Reduce waiting times 25 More professional staff 14 Gaining a satisfactory outcome 9 Improved signage 4 More privacy 3


Improve knowledge so problems can be sorted out quickly/on first visit

9

Improve privacy 6 Increase council’s efficiency 5 More polite / friendly / helpful staff 4 Reduce waiting times 3 Staff to be more informed / better communicators 3


Reduce waiting times 13 More polite / friendly / helpful staff 12 More privacy 11 Staff to be more informed / better communicators 9 Refreshments 7 Have more room to organise paperwork / documents when at the desk

7

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Would you mind telling me what you enquiry was about? Most enquires tended to be based on either permits, benefits or housing issues in general. This has been the pattern for the last three years. Most frequent enquiries (2007) % of responses Parking permit renewal / enquiry 33% House enquiry 16% Benefits enquiry 16% To make a bill/rent payment 8% Council tax enquiry 6%

Most frequent enquiries (2006) % of responses Request new / renew permit 25% Discuss housing benefits 19% Unspecified housing issues 10% Planning application 8% General enquiry 4%

Most frequent enquiries (2005) % of responses Discuss housing benefits 18% Request new / renew permit 16% Unspecified housing issues 12% To attend a meeting 5% Planning application 5%

In 2007, a higher number of respondents (41%) who lived in the South of the Borough enquired about a parking ticket compared to 30% of those living in the North.

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Could I ask why you called in to the Council in person today, rather than contacting them through another method? Reasons for making a face to face visit varied and the main reasons mentioned are as follows. Reason for visit rather than other form of contact 2007 % of responses To show / hand documents in 26% It was more convenient to visit 20% I prefer face to face contact 7% I was passing 6% To attend a meeting 6%

Reason for visit rather than other form of contact 2006 % of responses It is quicker 16% To show permits/proofs/copy documents 15% Prefer seeing a person 13% Do not trust post 10% Make complaints locally 9%

Reason for visit rather than other form of contact 2005 % of responses It is local 12% To complete forms / applications 11% Appointment / meeting 10% Prefer seeing a person 9% Do not trust post 7%

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How do you usually contact the Council? Face to face visits are still the most frequent form of contact, although telephone contact is increasing. Electronic methods have remained fairly consistent.

Method of contact 2005 2006 2007 Visit 62% 69% 61% Telephone 44% 39% 49% Email 6% 8% 8% First time contacted the council 7% 5% 7% Through council website 2% 4% 3% Letter 6% 4% 4%

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5.0 Demographics Age The age breakdown of the sample was as follows, with the majority of visitors aged between 25-65 years of age.

10.9%

41.5%

28.7%

18.9%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

Under 25 25-45 46-65 Over 65

Age

Signage was obvious to 92% of those aged 25 or under whilst only 77% of those aged over 65 said it was obvious where to go on entering the building. Nearly three quarters of visitors aged 25 or less (72%) were aware of the security presence in the customer service centre, whilst only half of respondents (52%) over 65 were aware of a security presence. Almost 96% of respondents over 65 years of age were satisfied with the length of time they had to wait for their enquiry to be dealt with, this was 9% less for those aged under 25. Visitors aged 25-65 made more enquiries about parking permits whilst those aged 25 or less were more likely to make an enquiry about housing or benefits. When questioned on the reasons they called in to the Council in person rather than using other methods, those under the age of 45 years old said that it was convenient to visit, this is 10% higher than for visitors over the age of 45. Ten per cent more residents aged over 65 said that they preferred the face to face contact.

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Almost 55% of respondents aged between 25 and 65 usually contacted the Council by telephone, 20% higher than other age groups. However, 71% of respondents under 25 or over 65 usually visit the Council in person, compared with 56% of those aged 25-65. Gender Overall, 51% of the sample was male and 49% were female visitors. There were no significant trends when comparing male and female responses. Disability In total, 13% said that they had a long standing illness, disability or infirmity; the remaining 87% did not. A higher number of disabled visitors (+5%) said that they were meeted and greeted as they entered the customer service centre when compared with abled bodied respondents. Ethnicity More than half the sample interviewed had a White British ethnic background (61%) and more than 10% were Black or Black British (14%) or Chinese or other (15%).

Service Section Number of responses %

White 221 61% Black 46 14% Mixed 18 5% Asian 18 5% Chinese / Other 53 15% Total 361 100%

There were no significant trends when comparing the five different ethnic groupings.

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Appendix 1 Questionnaire 2 Topline Results

28

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council

Customer Satisfaction Survey Good morning/afternoon, my name is ……. from SMSR on behalf of the Council. The Council is keen to find out how satisfied you are with the way your enquiry has been dealt with today. Could you spare a few minutes to answer some questions about the service you have received from the Council during your visit? This shouldn’t take any longer than...minutes. If no - say thank you and goodbye politely If yes - Thank you and ask questions. Q1a Firstly, is this the first time you have visited this building? Yes.................................................................................................................................... No ..................................................................................................................................... Q1b When you entered the building was it obvious where you needed to go? Yes..................................................................................................................... Go to Q3 No ...................................................................................................................... Q2 If no, why was that? (Write in)

Q3 Were you greeted and helped as you entered the customer service centre? Yes..................................................................................................................... Go to Q6 No ...................................................................................................................... Q4 How many different people did you speak to apart

from the initial meter and greeter? (Write in) Q5 How satisfied were you with the number of times you had to repeat your enquiry? Were you…?

(Read out - single response) Very satisfied ....................................................................................................................... Fairly satisfied ...................................................................................................................... Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied ............................................................................................... Fairly dissatisfied .................................................................................................................. Very dissatisfied ................................................................................................................... Don't know .......................................................................................................................... Q6 How easy did you find the ticketing system to use? Very easy............................................................................................................................ Fairly easy........................................................................................................................... Neither easy nor difficult ......................................................................................................... Fairly difficult........................................................................................................................ Very difficult......................................................................................................................... Q7 How, if at all, could the ticketing system be improved? (Write in)

Q8 Were you aware of the security presence in the customer service centre? Yes.................................................................................................................................... No ..................................................................................................................................... Q9 How satisfied are you with the length of time you had to wait to see the person who (eventually)

dealt with your enquiry? Were you…? (Read out - single response) Very satisfied ....................................................................................................................... Fairly satisfied ...................................................................................................................... Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied ............................................................................................... Fairly dissatisfied .................................................................................................................. Very dissatisfied ................................................................................................................... Don't know ..........................................................................................................................

29

Q9a How long did you have to wait to see the person who (eventually) dealt with your enquiry? (write in minutes)

Q10 Thinking of the person who (eventually) dealt with your enquiry, on a scale of good, adequate or poor, how would you rate…? (Read out - single response per question)

Very good Good Adequate Poor Very poor Not applicable/do

n't know How well they listened to your query Their manner in terms of friendliness and

professionalism

The relevance of information/advice they gave you

The clarity of the information/advice they gave you

Q11 How satisfied are you with the level of privacy available? Are you…? (Read out - single response) Very satisfied ....................................................................................................................... Fairly satisfied ...................................................................................................................... Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied ............................................................................................... Fairly dissatisfied .................................................................................................................. Very dissatisfied ................................................................................................................... Don't know .......................................................................................................................... Q12 Overall, how satisfied are you with the way in which the Council dealt with your enquiry? Are

you…? (Read out - single response) Very satisfied ........................................................................................................ Go to Q14 Fairly satisfied ....................................................................................................... Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied ................................................................................ Fairly dissatisfied ................................................................................................... Very dissatisfied .................................................................................................... Don't know ........................................................................................................... Go to Q14 Q13 What would have increased your level of satisfaction? (Write in)

Q14 Would you mind telling me what your enquiry was about? (Write in.)

Q15 Could I ask why you called in to the Council in person today, rather than contacting them through

another method? (Write in)

Q16 How do you usually contact the Council? (Read out -tick all that apply) Telephone ........................................................................................................................... Visit ................................................................................................................................... E-mail ................................................................................................................................ Through Council website ........................................................................................................ Letter ................................................................................................................................. First time contacted the Council................................................................................................

30

Q17 To make sure I interview a cross-section of the population, can I please ask your age group? Are

you…? (Read out - single response) Under 25............................................................................................................................. 25-45 ................................................................................................................................. 46-65 ................................................................................................................................. over 65 ............................................................................................................................... Q18 And could you please tell me your postcode? (Write in.)

Q19 Gender (Do not ask) Male .................................................................................................................................. Female ............................................................................................................................... Q20 Do you have any long standing illness, disability or infirmity? Long standing means anything that

has troubled you over a period of time or that is likely to affect you over a period of time) Yes..................................................................................................................... No ...................................................................................................................... Go to Q22 Q21 Does this illness or disability limit your activities in any way? Yes.................................................................................................................................... No ..................................................................................................................................... Q22 To which of these groups do you consider you belong? (prompted - single) White British.................................................................................... Irish ...................................................................................... Other European....................................................................... Any other white background (please write in below) ......................... Black or Black British Caribbean .............................................................................. Somalian................................................................................ Other African (please write in below) ............................................ Any other Black background (please write in below) ......................... Chinese Chinese ................................................................................. Mixed White and Black Caribbean ........................................................ White and Black African............................................................. White and Asian ...................................................................... Any other mixed background (please write in below) ........................ Asian or Asian British Indian ................................................................................... African Indian.......................................................................... Pakistani................................................................................ Bangladeshi............................................................................ Any other Asian Background (please write in below) ........................ Other Moroccan Arab ....................................................................... Other Arab ............................................................................. Filipino .................................................................................. Any other ethnic background (please write in below) ........................ Please write in: ___________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

____________________

31

Q23 What is your religion/faith? None.................................................................................................................................. Christian (including Church of England, Catholic, Protestant and all other Christian denominations) ......... Buddhist ............................................................................................................................. Hindu ................................................................................................................................. Jewish................................................................................................................................ Muslim ............................................................................................................................... Other (please write in below) ................................................................................................... please write in:

That’s all the questions I need to ask. Thank you very much for your help.

32

IOBS[S]. All respondents

Total 361 100%

Q1A[S]. Q1a Firstly, is this the first time you have visited this building?

Total 361 100% Yes 102 28% No 259 72%

Q1B[S]. Q1b When you entered the building was it obvious where you needed to go?

Total 361 100% Yes 302 84% No 59 16%

Ask: Q2 Q1B/2 Q2[S]. Q2 If no, why was that? (Write in)

Total 59 100% Lack of signs 39 66% First visit to building 4 7% Building layout has changed since last visit 13 22% Too many desks 2 3% I do not speak English well 1 2%

Q3[S]. Q3 Were you greeted and helped as you entered the customer service centre?

Total 361 100% Yes 323 89% No 38 11%

Ask: Q4-Q5 Q3/2 Q4[S]. Q4 How many different people did you speak to apart from the initial meter and greeter?

Total 38 100% 1 25 66% 2 10 26% 4 3 8%

33

Ask: Q4-Q5 Q3/2 Q5[S]. Q5 How satisfied were you with the number of times you had to repeat your enquiry?

Total 38 100% Very satisfied 25 66% Fairly satisfied 2 5% Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied 1 3% Fairly dissatisfied 1 3% Very dissatisfied 2 5% Don't know 7 18%

Q6[S]. Q6 How easy did you find the ticketing system to use?

Total 361 100% Very easy 237 66% Fairly easy 24 7% Neither easy nor difficult 35 10% Fairly difficult 3 1% Very difficult 1 *%

Q7[S]. Q7 How, if at all, could the ticketing system be improved?

Total 361 100% Cannot be improved 278 77% The system needs to be in numerical order 2 1% The automated voice needs to match the tickets 1 *% Make the system better signed 7 2% More terminals 1 *% Provide the system in other languages 2 1% More staff at counters 4 1% Bigger screen 3 1% Speed up the system 2 1%

Q8[S]. Q8 Were you aware of the security presence in the customer service?

Total 361 100% Yes 216 60% No 145 40%

Q9[S]. Q9 How satisfied are you with the length of time you had to wait to see the person who dealt with your enquiry?


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Q9A[S]. Q9a How long did you have to wait to see the person who dealt with your enquiry?

Total 361 100% Under 1 minute/Instantly 19 5% 1-2 minutes 74 20% 3-5 minutes 80 22% 6-10 minutes 63 17% 11-30 minutes 83 23% 31-60 minutes 27 7% 1-2 hours 11 3% Over 2 hours 4 1%

Q10A[S]. Q10a How well they listened to your query

Total 361 100% Very good 303 84% Good 37 10% Adequate 12 3% Poor 3 1% Very poor 1 *% Not applicable/don't know 5 1%

Q10B[S]. Q10b Their manner in terms of friendliness and professionalism

Total 361 100% Very good 307 85% Good 39 11% Adequate 6 2% Poor 2 1% Very poor 2 1% Not applicable/don't know 5 1%

Q10C[S]. Q10c The relevance of information/advice they gave you


Q10D[S]. Q10d The clarity of the information/advice they gave you


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Q11[S]. Q11 How satisfied are you with the level of privacy available?


Q12[S]. Q12 How satisfied are you with the way in which the Council dealt with your enquiry?


Ask: Q13 Q12/2..5 Q13[S]. Q13 What would have increased your level of satisfaction?

Total 55 100% Reduced waiting times 25 45% Improved signage 4 7% Gaining a satisfactory outcome 9 16% More privacy 3 5% More professional staff 14 25%

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Q14[S]. Q14 Would you mind telling me what your enquiry was about?

Total 361 100% Parking permit renewal/enquiry 120 33% To pay a fine/charge 4 1% Council tax enquiry 22 6% To make a bill/rent payment 28 8% Cashier enquiry 2 1% Pick up a form/document 5 1% Show documents/identification 8 2% Student loan enquiry 4 1% Return completed form 1 *% General enquiry 8 2% School application form 9 2% Housing enquiry 58 16% Freedom pass enquiry 1 *% Rate relief enquiry 1 *% Return lost property 1 *% Disability enquiry 2 1% Homelessness enquiry 2 1% Benefits enquiry 56 16% Pension enquiry 1 *% Planning proposal meeting 7 2% Planning enquiry 20 6% Refused 1 *%

Q15[S]. Q15 Could I ask why you called in to the Council in person today, rather than contacting them through another method?

Total 361 100% I had to show/hand documents in 92 25% The enquiry was urgent 17 5% I don't trust the postal system 19 5% It was more convenient to visit 72 20% I had to pick up a document 20 6% I live near the building 8 2% Visiting was the quickest method 11 3% Due to poor council website 3 1% I prefer face to face contact 49 14% I was passing 25 7% I needed to make a cash/cheque payment 8 2% Unaware of other methods 1 *% I had to attend a meeting 23 6% I could not find a telephone number for the

enquiry 3 1% The Council have not returned my calls 1 *% Refused 9 2%

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Q16[M]. Q16 How do you usually contact the Council?

Total 361 100% Telephone 178 49% Visit 219 61% E-mail 27 7% Through Council website 10 3% Letter 16 4% First time contacted the Council 24 7%

Q17[S]. Age group

Total 361 100% Under 25 39 11% 25-45 149 41% 46-65 103 29% Over 65 68 19% Refused 2 1%

Q19[S]. Gender

Total 361 100% Male 185 51% Female 176 49%

Q20[S]. Disability

Total 361 100% Yes 46 13% No 315 87%

Q21[S]. Does this illness or disability limit your activities in any way?

Total 46 100% Yes 33 72% No 13 28%

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Q22[S]. Ethnicity

Total 361 100% British 144 40% Irish 12 3% Other European 58 16% Any other white background 7 2% Caribbean 25 7% Somali 5 1% Other African 16 4% Any other black background - -% Chinese 4 1% White and Black Caribbean 7 2% White and Back African 4 1% White and Asian 2 1% Any other mixed background 5 1% Indian 9 2% African Indian 1 *% Pakistani 4 1% Bangladeshi 1 *% Any other Asian Background 3 1% Moroccan Arab 6 2% Other Arab 11 3% Filipino 3 1% Any other ethnic background 29 8% Refused 5 1%

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Q22A[S]. Other ethnicity

Total 361 100% Iranian 4 1% New Zealand 1 *% Indo-Portuguese 1 *% Turkish 1 *% Lebanese 4 1% Singapore 1 *% Burundi 1 *% Ethiopia 3 1% Thai 1 *% Cypriot 2 1% Nigerian 5 1% South American 5 1% Jordanian 1 *% Eritrea 2 1% Multiple heritage 2 1% American 3 1% Iraq 2 1% Anglo-Bosnian 1 *% Mauritius 2 1% French/Iranian 1 *% Black British 1 *% Japanese/Greek 1 *% Ecuadorian 1 *% Moroccan 1 *% Malaysian 1 *% Sudan 1 *% African/Asian 1 *% Kurdish 1 *% Mexican 1 *% Refused 8 2%

Q23[S]. Religion

Total 361 100% None 93 26% Christian (including Church of England, Catholic,

Protestant 199 55% Buddhist 8 2% Hindu 5 1% Jewish 2 1% Muslim 51 14% Other 3 1%

Q23A[S]. Other Religion

Total 361 100% Lutheran 1 *% Zoroastrian 1 *% Mormon 1 *%

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Q24[S]. Service Section

Total 361 100% Parking 121 34% Benefits 70 19% Housing 50 14% Council Tax 24 7% Cashiers 24 7% Planning 30 8% Main desk 42 12%

customer service centre on behalf of the royal borough of ... final sm… · council commissioned...

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