The
city recently commissioned a survey to ascertain public opinion on services and community characteristics in order to identify strengths
and weaknesses which ultimately will lead to improved services, a better
quality of life, and more civic engagement.
Included
in the satisfaction levels measured were interactions with city employees. This is important as the front line staff -
those who provide information, assist with bill paying, collect trash, fight
fires and crime, and even give traffic tickets - are the collective face of the
city.
When
asked to indicate overall how satisfied they were with the employee in the most
recent contact, city employees were rated highly: 71% of respondents rated
their overall impression as "excellent" or "good."
In
addition to the overall impression rating, employees scored 75% "excellent"
or "good" for knowledge, 71% "excellent" or
"good" for responsiveness, and 75% "excellent" or
"good" for courtesy.
While
overall staff scored well, each of the ratings were below comparison benchmarks. So we have much yet to do and will focus more
on customer service in the future.
Being
a public employee is an honor and with it comes great responsibility in serving
those who depend on us - our residents and visitors. And the better we can serve them with
knowledge, courteousness, and responsiveness - the better off they will be.
