HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-19-002 - Corporate Customer Service Review
REPORT TO: Council Strategy Session
DATE OF MEETING: March 4, 2019
SUBMITTED BY: Jana Miller, Director, Corporate Customer Service,
519-741-2200 ext. 7231
PREPARED BY: Christine Baker, Supervisor, Customer Experience,
519-741-2200 ext. 7328
WARD (S) INVOLVED: All
DATE OF REPORT: February 27, 2019
REPORT NO.: CSD-19-002
SUBJECT: Corporate Customer Service Review
__________________________________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION:
For discussion only:
The draft recommendations contained in Appendix A are based on a detailed review and
analysis of input received from more than 3,500 citizens and 1,700 staff.
The recommendations to reduce red tape and improve e-services are ambitious bodies of work
to be undertaken with limited staff resources. To help staff prioritize implementation of those
specific recommendations:
A) When you look at the list of red tape reviews included in Recommendation #8,
what are your highest and lowest priorities?
B) When you look at the list of e-services included in Recommendation #10, what are
your highest and lowest priorities?
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
As part of our continuous improvement efforts, from December 2017 through August 2018, the
City conducted a comprehensive Customer Service Review as a way of determining successes
and needed improvements.
Through that review, City staff engaged more than 3,500 citizens about their service experiences
and expectations with the City through a statistically-representative phone survey, an online
survey, a social media campaign, comment cards and surveys completed in person with a street
team at City facilities and events. Additionally, the review engaged more than 1,700 City staff
through an online and paper survey to all staff, divisional staff interviews and staff workshops.
*** This information is available in accessible formats upon request. ***
Please call 519-741-2345 or TTY 1-866-969-9994 for assistance.
Staff have spent the past few months aggregating and analyzing all of the input received through
that citizen and staff engagement and formulating recommendations through a number of
facilitated sessions with various staff groups. As a result of all this work, the review findings and
recommendations contained in Appendix A of this report are strongly grounded in the input
received from staff and citizens.
Key Review Findings
Staff making every effort to meet customer needs is by far the number one driver of
customer satisfaction, specifically getting service in a reasonable amount of time,
dealing with knowledgeable staff, and getting the answer they need the first time.
The City must maintain a multi-channel approach (phone, in-person and online) to
service delivery. Almost 70% of citizens indicated that they continue to access City
services in person or by phone.
Six of the top ten frustrating experiences identified by citizens involve getting or sharing
information with the City.
When asked why they experienced frustration when accessing City services, the most
Not knowing who to reach/call/talk to answer
my questions or inquiries
Staff indicated a need for training on dealing with customers with mental health
challenges, dealing with difficult situation/de-escalation, service standards, and customer
service practices.
Based on all of the input gathered through the Customer Service Review, a corporate
customer service framework was developed for the City that focuses on four key areas:
1. Empathetic staff: Empathy in customer service the ability for a staff person to step
to better appreciate what they may be feeling or experiencing
is a critical component to creating an excellent service experience.
2. Service Standards: Customer service standards spell out expectations for all staff as
they conduct any customer service transacti
service experience with the City. Similarly, clearly defined service levels enable the
sharing of key information such as when citizens can expect specific services will be
performed, where, how often and what factors (e.g. weather) might delay service and
reduce the need for them to follow up.
3. Easy processes: Simplifying processes where possible to reduce customer frustration
will enhance their overall experience with the City.
4. Convenient tools: As the notion of e-services and self-service continue to evolve in the
private sector, government is increasingly expected to deliver faster, easier, real-time self-
service customer experiences.
This new corporate customer service framework will enable the City to make decisions and
allocate funding and staff resources to these high priority areas to ensure investments have the
highest and most positive impac
PREVIOUS CONSIDERATION OF THIS MATTER:
Council previously provided input into the Customer Service Review at the February 26, 2018
Strategy Session where report CSD-18-050 provided an update on corporate customer service
initiatives and asked Council for specific input into the review.
Additionally, during the consultation phase of the review, one-on-one interviews were conducted
with members of Council to understand their perspectives on customer service at the City, and
those expressed to them by their constituents.
All of the previous Council input was considered alongside the citizen and staff input as
recommendations were drafted.
BACKGROUND:
Corporate Customer Service Division
In early 2018, a new organizational structure for the City was introduced to realign departments
to function optimally and enhance service delivery. One of the priorities of that reorganization
was to
capacity to move this work forward.
To that end, when the new organizational structure came into effect, it included a new Corporate
Customer Service Division that provides dedicated leadership and resources to the corporate
customer service agenda and will enable a more specific focus on:
Removing red tape for citizens and involving them in service solution design
Shifting the City towards a more anticipatory/proactive approach to providing customer
service through service data analysis, customer feedback analysis, and the development
of new online tools and services
Developing and implementing a Corporate Customer Feedback Program
Building a foundation for corporate reporting and analysis of customer service
transactions to enable more data-driven decisions and service improvements in the future
Expanding the services of the Corporate Contact Centre to more areas within the
organization
As one of the first initiatives of this new division, the City conducted a comprehensive Customer
Service Review, talking to more than 3,500 citizens about their service experiences and
expectations with the City, and more than 1,700 City staff, to learn more about the barriers and
challenges they regularly find when providing services to citizens each day.
The recommendations from that review (Appendix A) strongly reflect the input of citizens and
staff and are intended to enhance the
service-first culture by ensuring staff understand and reflect what is expected of them and that
they have the training and tools they need to offer quality, consistent, seamless service
experiences to citizens in every interaction. These recommendations will form the bulk of the
work plan for the new Corporate Customer Service Division with some work being done by
other key areas of the organization over the next four years.
Customer Service or Citizen Service?
the new division, staff elected to
Internal and External Service Providers: does not reflect the work
of the hundreds of City staff who primarily serve internal customers (e.g. Human
Resources, Information Technology, Accounting)
so much of the work staff does to support our external customers has a critical
dependence on the customer service staff provide to each other as coworkers. Internal
customer service delivery directly impacts service to our customers in the community and
-first culture that all staff see themselves as service
providers.
Inclusivity: all the people the City services (e.g.
business customers, out of town users).
Clarity: service The term
Definition:
are asking us to do something in exchange for that payment (e.g. taxes, user fees).
Approach to Service: want to treat those who use our
services. Its use suggests their importance and the focus given to this work by the
organization. The commitment to improving customer service and service delivery was
As work was being completed to launch the 2018 corporate reorganization, staff reached out to
several Canadian municipalities to learn about their roles, structure, focus and how they were
Of the eight
municipalities that responded, only one (Region of Waterloo)
its name. Six of the eight Calgary, Toronto, Edmonton, York Region, Hamilton and
Mississauga r respective
equivalent is housed in a division called Communications and Customer Experience.
REPORT:
Project Governance
In 2017, a project team of staff was established to guide the Corporate Customer Service
Review. Overall guidance and support was provided by a staff team consisting of the project
champion, project sponsor, project manager, project team and a staff advisory committee with
broad divisional representation.
Staff from all areas of the corporation, including many frontline staff who deliver services directly
to both internal and external customers, were included throughout the review.
Engagement Process
To ensure that the recommendations for continuous service improvement at the City were built
on the direct input of residents and staff, the project team undertook an extensive three-phase
community and staff engagement process known as
Phase 1 Statistically-Representative Environics Survey
The foundation of the engagement process, the Environics Survey, was conducted with
600 citizens. The findings, which were presented to Council at a Strategy Session in
February 2018, created the basis for the second and third phases of engagement a
deeper dive with staff and citizens on key issues.
Phase 2 Staff Consultation
1,700 staff were engaged about the barriers and challenges to providing excellent
customer service; where they see pain points for citizens and how the City might
address them. This phase of the process engaged staff from all areas of the corporation
through methods including: intranet stories, posts and blogs, online and paper surveys,
one-on-one interviews with frontline staff, workshops/focus groups, and presentations to
various staff groups.
During this phase, members of Council were also individually interviewed for their
perspective on service at the City. City Councillors were also engaged in a February
2018 strategy session where they provided input.
Phase 3 Citizen Consultation
3,500 citizens were engaged about their customer experiences with the City, their pain
pointsnline and what service-related
concerns they most want the City to improve.
To make it as easy as possible for anyone to participate, a variety of methods were
used to inform and engage citizens, including: a social media campaign on Twitter and
Facebook, print ads, online survey, street teams at all major summer events conducting
in-person interviews, paper surveys at all Community Centres and City Hall service
counters, print ads and stories in City publications. For citizens without computers, a
dedicated phone line was advertised where they could leave their comments.
The charts on the next page indicates how and where citizens and staff were informed
and engaged in the review.
Street Team Engagement
At Events At City locations Survey drop boxes
Tri-Pride Downtown CC Kingsdale CC
Summer Lights Centreville-Chicopee CC Rockway CC
Tame the Lane Mill-Courtland CC Mill-Courtland CC
Forest Heights Family Fun Breithaupt Centre Victoria Hills CC
Day
Rockway CC Country Hills CC
King StrEATery food truck
Kingsdale CC Centreville-Chicopee CC
festival
Stanley Park CC Stanley Park CC
Multicultural Festival
Country Hills CC Williamsburg CC
KW Veg Fest
Williamsburg CC Forest Heights CC
Chandler-Mowatt CC Downtown CC
Blues Festival
Bridgeport CC Lyle Hallman Pool
KidsPark
Kitchener Market Cameron Heights Pool
Kiwanis Park Forest Heights Pool
Harry Class pool Bridgeport CC
Victoria Park Chandler-Mowatt CC
playground/splash pad
Breithaupt Centre
The Aud
City Hall service counters:
Information Desk
Revenue (main floor)
Legislative Services
Office of Mayor/Council
rd
Revenue (3 floor)
Building
Community Services
Planning
How did we inform citizens about the review? Total reach
City E-newsletters sent (Golf, Kitchener Market, Arts, The Aud) 11,187 households
Kitchener Life ad and stories 60,000 households
Active Kitchener ad 65,000 households
Facebook reach (how many individuals saw posts) 25,391
Total 161,578
How did we engage citizens?
# of people
Engage Kitchener online survey 774
Street team and service counter surveys completed 1,457
Twitter polls 536
Statistically representative Environics survey 601
Survey of City volunteers 142
Total # of citizens providing feedback 3,510
How did we engage staff?
# of people
Staff survey (included all staff) 1,160
Divisional staff interviews 102
Staff advisory committee meetings 44
Staff workshops (6) 116
Supervisors, Managers, Directors, CLT (2 LEAD workshops) 286
Total # of staff providing feedback 1,708
Summary of Review Findings
With the participation of more than 5,000 citizens and staff, substantial valuable input and insight
into the key objectives outlined for the Customer Service Review was received. This insight has
enabled staff to better understand both the successful and the frustrating aspects of the
customer experience from a citizen and staff perspective.
Details of the input received through this review can be found in the attached summary of the
online and paper public surveys (Appendix B), and staff survey (Appendix C).
Summary of review findings:
88% of citizens were very or somewhat satisfied with their service experience when
dealing with the City.
88% of citizens agreed that staff were courteous and polite, and 84% agreed that staff
were knowledgeable.
Staff making every effort to address their needs was the number one driver of satisfaction
for citizens, specifically getting service in a reasonable amount of time, dealing with
knowledgeable staff, and getting answers the first time.
Citizens continue to value the personal touch. Almost 70% of citizens indicated that they
access City services in person or by phone.
When asked why they experienced frustration when accessing City services, the most
Not knowing who to reach/call/talk to answer
my questions or inquiries
When asked why they experienced frustration when accessing City services, the second
The services I want are not online
Six of the top ten frustrating experiences identified by citizens involve getting or sharing
information with the City.
Several themes emerged when citizens were asked about their service experiences with
the City including not getting a response from the City/response takes too long and getting
bounced around from staff to staff.
Staff reported low rates of agreement (64/60% respectively) with the following statements
information that I need.
Staff indicated a need for training on dealing with customers with mental health
challenges, dealing with difficult situation/de-escalation, service standards, and customer
service.
CUSTOMER SERVICE VISION, FRAMEWORK AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on all of the detailed feedback provided by staff and citizens, preliminary work on the
(1) customer service vision was completed and a (2) framework and (3) recommendations
were developed to address the key themes that emerged.
1: Customer Service Vision
An engaging customer service vision articulates what we promise to do, deliver or become
It is intended to not only motivate staff, but to raise the bar on our service delivery and
expectations, and give customers something to hold us accountable to. Essentially, a customer
service vision is the foundation of our service culture, allowing staff to channel purpose into
everything we do.
Based on the strong themes that emerged from citizen and staff input, substantial work was
done to identify the promise and the desired customer experience
underlying s vision for customer service. They include:
W
Have clear and consistent service standards and communicate them to residents and
staff.
Have citizen-centered systems and processes that are easy for customers to understand
and use.
Provide customers with the tools and service channels that meet their individual
preferences.
Hire, onboard, train, and recognize the right people (innovative, empathetic).
Give staff the tools, time and autonomy to provide high quality service.
So that
A positive experience when interacting with the City (convenient, easy, fast, friendly,
complete).
Confidence that staff have made every effort to meet their needs.
Trust in their municipal government.
With the desired state articulated, more work will now be done to develop a single phrase or
sentence that captures our vision for customer service and makes it simple, relevant and
memorable for staff and citizens. The new vision will become a major focus for staff training in
the future.
2: Corporate Customer Service Framework:
After a comprehensive review and analysis of all of the input gathered through the Customer
Service Review, staff developed a clearly articulated framework to paint the bigger picture of
how review outcomes come together to create the foundation, areas of focus, key objectives and
outcomes that will four years. The new
Corporate Customer Service Framework is also intended to provide guidance when making
decisions and allocating funding and staff resources to ensure those investments have the
With an ongoing focus on creating an ideal service culture being fundamental to any
ver exceptional service experiences, the Corporate Customer Service
Framework is founded on our organizational service culture. The four key areas of focus
identified within the framework and discussed more in-depth below Empathetic Staff, Clear
Standards, Easy Processes and Convenient Tools were developed after extensive review and
analysis of all of the input as well as the overall themes that emerged from the recommendations
themselves.
Focusing on continuous improvement in those four key areas is intended to enable the City to
achieve its main objective and the key desired outcomes of all of its customer service efforts
to ensure friendly, easy, positive customer experiences for citizens and, ultimately, to build their
trust in municipal government and increase their participation and involvement in municipal
government.
The Corporate Customer Service Framework (shown below), which was workshopped and
tested with staff groups along with the review recommendations is an important part of
making the City of Kitchener a more customer-focused organization.
CUSTOMER SERVICE REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS:
Each area of focus within the Corporate Customer Service Framework above lists the key
recommendations and other initiatives for that area. This section of the report highlights key
findings for each area of focus and provides one example recommendation within that area.
Note: For a comprehensive list of all review recommendations, see Appendix A.
1. Empathetic Staff
Empathy in customer service the ability for staff
appreciate what they may be feeling or experiencing is a critical component to creating an
excellent service experience. Not surprisingly, empathy emerged as a strong theme when staff
were asked what receives the most positive feedback from customers.
and understand, following up and following through, responding in a timely manner, and making
citizens.
We also heard from staff that it is important to equip them to be ambassadors of customer
service, to hire right for a customer service mindset, and then train right. The most frequently-
mentioned training needs were dealing with customers with mental health challenges, dealing
with difficult situations/de-escalating conflict, service standards, and customer service training.
For this reason, one of the recommendations that supports the theme of empathetic staff is
(Appendix A Recommendation #4):
Create a corporate-wide customer service training program for all City staff that
focuses on the following key elements:
Treating customers with empathy
Serving diverse customers (including those with mental health challenges)
De-escalating conflicts with customers
2. Clear Standards
A key area of improvement identified through the Customer Service Review is related to helping
customers understand what they can expect when they are dealing with the city.
Service Level Agreements
A component of the overall review focused on identifying specific areas where citizens are
initiating frequent follow-ups with the City for updates. To reduce the need for follow-up, staff
have identified and recommended key service areas that require improved information sharing
with citizens, through the development and communication of Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
SLAs document and enable the sharing of key information such as when citizens can expect
specific services will be performed, where, how often and what factors (e.g. weather) might delay
service.
To determine where to focus these efforts, staff conducted interviews with Corporate Contact
Centre and Office of the Mayor and Council staff, a review of service request volumes (when
someone contacts the City and a work order is created), social media inquiries, Kitchener.ca
searches and page views. As a result, work will be done to document and communicate service
level expectations for the five most frequently asked about service areas. To support this work,
staff are recommending the following (Appendix A Recommendation #6):
Set specific service levels that are clearly communicated to residents and staff for
the following frequently asked about or accessed City services:
Tree maintenance: pruning, inspection, removal, replacement
Parking: long-term, private parking, prohibited area, blocked driveway
Property standards complaints
Snow clearing: roads, sidewalks, trails
Grass cutting: parks, Sportsfields, boulevards
3. Easy Processes
During the customer service review, citizens were asked to identify processes that were
involved getting or sharing information with the City.
When asked what would make it easier to access City services, citizens frequently indicated that
trying to navigate departments and find the right staff person is difficult, they were frequently
bounced around from staff to staff, and were looking for improved communication between
departments and functions.
Key areas identified by citizens as frustrating have been recommended for Customer Experience
Reviews which are focused on working with citizens directly to identify specific pain points within
services and create solutions that improve their experience. To support this work, staff are
recommending the following (Appendix A Recommendation #8):
Implement a comprehensive program of Customer Experience Reviews to help
perspective. That program should start by focusing on the following areas of red
tape often identified by customers:
1. Customers calling the city are bounced between staff.
2. Checking the status of a service request is difficult.
3. Getting updates on roadwork/closure is difficult.
4. Providing feedback to the City is frustrating.
5.
6. Applying for Leisure Access Card is really complex.
4. Convenient Tools
The Internet has revolutionized the way people around the world access information and conduct
routine business on a daily basis. As e-services and self-service options continue to evolve in
the private sector, governments are also under increasing pressure to respond to customer
expectations to deliver faster, easier, real-time self-service customer experiences online.
Not surprisingly, citizens identified a number of areas where services and/or information sharing
could be improved, as well as services they would like to be able to access online, including an
online customer service portal th
the City in one place. Work has begun on the portal with Council recently approving the required
resources for its development.
Satisfaction with our current e-services was generally good, with rates ranging from 57 80%.
However, citizens indicated that there remains room for improvement with some of our current
e-services, and also generally in the areas of making our services easier to find, access and
use.
To support this work, staff are recommending the following (Appendix A Recommendation
#10):
-services by introducing or enhancing the
following priority online services:
1. Online Payments (new)
2. Close the Loop Expansion (improve existing)
3. Online Portal (new)
4. Online Forms (improve existing)
5.
6. Hourly Parking Payments (new)
7. KU Appointment Booking (improve existing)
8. Property Standards Complaints (improve existing)
9. Business Licensing Application (new)
10. ActiveNet Enhancements (improve existing)
11. Book City-Owned Spaces (new)
12. Overnight Parking Exemptions (new)
ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN:
Strategic Priority: Open Government
Strategy: 1.5 Strengthen a culture within the organization that puts citizens first and improves
the quality of the customer service experience.
Strategic Action: OG12 Customer Service Review
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:
Project Expenditures
Communication to residents $9,083.69
Resident engagement (including street team) $29,582.82
Staff engagement $2,051.44
Total project expenditures $40,717.95
The Customer Service Review was funded from the Corporate Customer Service capital
account.
ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Michael May, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer
APPENDIX A SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
APPENDIX B SUMMARY OF ONLINE AND PAPER SURVEYS OF CITIZENS
APPENDIX C SUMMARY OF STAFF SURVEY RESULTS
person sessions.
-
first culture:
-
term benefit of the
-
making process.
-
performance expectations of staff
minded and encouraged to explore
-&
en to do good for the long
Staff are inventive, open
Delivers results for the customer.
Staff are driv
wide customer service training program for all City staff that
-
recruitment policies, practices and procedures to identify
Staff morale, engagement and creativity are improved.
s
A warm and collaborative work environment where staff help and support
escalating conflicts with customers
ving diverse customers (including those with mental health challenges)
oyment
-
Results focused Purpose driven community.Caring one another. Continual Learning and share new ideas.Enj
Treating customers with empathySerDe
a specific focus on fostering the following key elements of a serviceempathize with customers as part of their overall decisionRevise the Citare trained in a timely manner through a
combination of online and inCreate a corporatefocuses on the following key elements:Create a recognition program that acknowledges and reinforces positive customer service behaviours
amongst all city staff.
1.2.3.4.5.
Culture
Service
Training
Program
Customer
Employee Employee Employee
Corporate
Orientation
Recognition
Recruitment
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
EMPATHETIC STAFF
APPENDIX A
ess days
elp them understand
portsfields, boulevards
s
term, private parking, prohibited area, blocked driveway
-
s with employees:
requently asked about or accessed City services:
When working with your customers, put yourself in their shoes they know? What might they be worried about? Acknowledge and validate their concerns.Acknowledge customer inquiries within
2 business days and ensure they get a full response (or at least an update) within 5 business days. Make sure your and be sure to provide an alternative staff person customers can contact
if their matter is urgent.the next steps. Anticipate their needs and provide a complete response.Aim for yes. If the answer is no, provide workable alternatives and/or a clear explanation.
Tree maintenance: pruning, inspection, removal, replacementParking: longProperty standards complaintsSnow clearing: roads, sidewalks, trailsGrass cutting: parks,
a)b)c)d)e)f)
Set specific service levels that are clearly communicated to residents and staff for the following fCommunicate the following Customer Service Standards to all staff through corporate
orientation, training and other opportunities and utilize them as part of performance discussion
Be FriendlyBe Responsive Be Thorough
6.7.
Levels
Service Service
Customer
Standards
CLEAR STANDARDS
Customer Experience Reviews to help ensure
unced between staff.
services by introducing or enhancing the following
-
existing)
wide Customer Satisfaction Program that will allow for the
-
Leisure Access Card is really complex.
time feedback from customers accessing City facilities, programs and
Owned Spaces (new)
-
-
City
Customers calling the city are boChecking the status of a service request is difficult.Getting updates on roadwork/closure is difficult.Providing feedback to the City is frustrating.Applying
for
Online Payments (new)Close the Loop Expansion (improve existing)Online Portal (new)Online Forms (improve Hourly Parking Payments (new)KU Appointment Booking (improve existing)Property
Standards Complaints (improve existing)Business Licensing Application (new)ActiveNet Enhancements (improve existing)Book Overnight Parking Exemptions (new)
a)b)c)d)e)f)
a)b)c)d)e)f)g)h)i)j)k)l)
vices.
Implement a comprehensive program of program should start by focusing on the following areas of red tape often identified by customers:Introduce a corporatecollection of realser
priority online services:
8.9.
10.
Services
-
Reviews
Program
Red Tape
Customer
E
Satisfaction
Corporation
EASY PROCESSES
CONVENIENT TOOLS
ate
interest
Corpor
Centre.
demand multilingual customer service support for inquiries and service
-
tion and business processes necessary to respond to customers inquiries with
initiate, track and receive updates on service requestsreceive proactive updates/notifications about issues they have express an inperform financial transactions with the City
Expand the City services supported by the Corporate Contact Centre through a comprehensive and integrated knowledge management system that contains the informaaccurate information on
the first contact. Undertake a substantial public education campaign to inform residents of the Corporate ContactManagement (CRM) software so that they can input inquiries into the
system directly to create work orders themselves instead of having to redirect inquiries to the Contact Centre to be actioned. Provide on
11.12. 13. 14.15.
Portal
Online
Centre Centre
Service Service Service
Contact Contact
Support
Inquiries
Customer Customer
Corporate Corporate
Expansion
Multilingual
Social Media
Promotion of
APPENDIX B SUMMARY OF ONLINE AND PAPER SURVEYS OF CITIZENS
1.
recent transaction or experience you had with the City of Kitchener.
What was the nature of your transaction?
How did we do during that transaction? \[Exceeded my expectations, Met my
expectations, Did not meet, Needs some improvement\]
Top 10 Transactions (Sorted by response count)
Transaction Below Met or N=
expectations exceeded
Registered for a program at a community centre or 13.5% 86.5% 141
pool
Paid for City service fees (permits, license, parking 40.3% 59.7% 62
ticket, etc...)
Signed up for property tax and/or Kitchener Utilities e-13.7% 86.3% 51
billing
Requested service from Kitchener Utilities 4.4% 95.6% 45
Asked a question about a City service or event 20.5% 79.5% 44
Reported a problem (i.e. graffiti, potholes, litter) 38.6% 61.4% 44
Reported a property standard or parking complaint 47.7% 52.3% 44
Booked a tee time at a City golf course (Doon Valley, 3.7% 96.3% 27
Rockway)
Got an update on roadwork, watermain break, etc... 4.8% 95.2% 21
Applied for a building permit 45.5% 54.5% 11
Other 38.8% 61.2% 98
Total 24.7% 75.3% 588
2.
address your needs. What does that mean to you? Select your top 3 answers.
964
860
711
612
525
456
45
OtherReceivingStaff working withStaff taking theGetting the answerDealing withGetting service in a
confirmation thatyou to find atime to explainyou need the firstknowledgeablereasonable amount
your inquiry wassolutionwhat will be donetimestaffof time
addressedand why
3. If you completed any of these services online with the City of Kitchener in the last year,
please tell us how satisfied you were with the experience. If you did not access a service
online within the last year, select N/A. \[Very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied, very
dissatisfied, NA\]
N=
Very Very
Dissatisfied Satisfied
Online Services
Dissatisfied satisfied
Registered for a program at a 11.2% 11.9% 36.2% 40.7% 268
community centre or pool
Registered for a class or event at the 11.5% 9.2% 39.1% 40.2% 87
Kitchener Market
Reported a problem (e.g. graffiti, 19.9% 20.5% 26.1% 33.5% 161
pothole, litter)
Reported a property standard or parking 21.7% 21.7% 28.3% 28.3% 120
complaint
Applied for a building permit 8.6% 11.4% 37.1% 42.9% 35
Signed up for property tax and/or 12.2% 12.2% 32.6% 43.1% 181
Kitchener Utilities e-billing
Paid a parking ticket 17.4% 14.8% 34.2% 33.5% 155
Requested service from Kitchener 11.3% 13.2% 27.2% 48.3% 151
Utilities
Purchased monthly parking 17.2% 10.3% 31.0% 41.4% 29
Booked a tee time at a City golf course 13.8% 8.6% 32.8% 44.8% 58
(Doon Valley, Rockway)
Searched or applied for a City job 12.5% 22.9% 38.9% 25.7% 144
4. Is there anything we could improve about your online experience(s)? (select all that apply)
273
243
232
196
194
152
53
OtherNo improvementProvide live supportReduce number ofMake servicesProvideMake services
neededif I need help on thesteps required toeasier to use on theconfirmation thateasier to find on the
website or appcomplete an onlinewebsite or appmy request orwebsite or app
serviceinquiry has been
received/addressed
5.
396
268
238
213
192
126
99
8989
63
View CityBuyPay for CityPay for hourlyRent CityPay forPay greenAccess andTrack locationOther
facility rentalswimmingfacility rentalsparkingsports fieldsbuildingfees orsubmit all Cityof snow
availabilitypassespermitsequipmentapplicationplows during
(rinks,rentals at Cityformssnow event
communitygolf courses(planning,
centres, City(Doon Valley,licenses)
Hall rotunda)Rockway)
6. Rate these processes on a scale from easy (no red tape or barriers) to frustrating (lots of
(easy, somewhat easy, neutral, somewhat frustrating, frustrating, NA)
Note: number of respondents indicated within brackets.
Register for a program
75.7%14.5%5.2%4.6%
(346) Registered for a program
70.6%14.0%8.8%6.6%
(228) Signed up for property tax/KU e-billing
Request service from Kitchener Utilities
70.0%15.9%8.2%5.9%
(220) Requested service from Kitchener Utilities
Register for a class at the Kitchener Market
67.7%16.5%9.0%6.8%
(133) Registered for a class at the Kitchener Market
Book a tee time at a City golf course
(100) Booked a tee time at a City golf course 63.0%22.0%8.0%7.0%
Pay for City fees
(190) Paid City service fees
59.5%16.3%12.6%11.6%
Ask a question about a City service or event
(219) Asked a question about a City service or event
59.4%14.6%14.2%11.9%
(213) Reported a problem (e.g. graffiti, pothole, litter)Report a problem (e.g. graffiti, pothole, litter)
57.3%17.4%13.1%12.2%
(80) Rented a City facilityRent a City facility
55.0%21.3%17.5%6.3%
(175) Reported property standard/ parking complaint
53.1%21.1%11.4%14.3%
(77) Applied for or renew a business license
Apply for or renew a business license
50.6%26.0%10.4%13.0%
(170) Provided feedback on service received
Provide feedback on service received
47.1%26.5%14.7%11.8%
(65) Purchased monthly parking
Purchase monthly parking
43.1%35.4%13.8%7.7%
(187) Got an update on roadwork
Get updates on roadwork,
42.2%22.5%21.4%13.9%
(161) Checked status of a service request or inquiry
Check status of service requests
40.4%21.1%20.5%18.0%
(78) Applied for a building permit
Apply for a building permit
39.7%32.1%17.9%10.3%
(63) Booked a City sports field
Book a City sports field
34.9%34.9%20.6%9.5%
(18) Other
Other
33.3%16.7%27.8%22.2%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
Easy and somewhat EasyNeutralSomewhat frustratingFrustrating
7. If you have experienced frustration when accessing City services and programs, please tell
us your top 3 reasons why it was frustrating.
Not knowing who to reach/call/talk
179
to answer my questions or inquiries
The services I want are not online
142
Having to go to City Hall to access services
114
The online services available to
108
me need to be improved
Not receiving confirmation that
87
Having to visit multiple service
77
Lack of response to my questions
66
by phone
Services are not integrated and I
66
Lack of response to my questions
45
by email
Not being able to access City
43
Lack of response to my questions
39
by website/social media
8. In a recent survey of Kitchener residents, more than half of all citizens reported visiting a
community centre or pool last year. We want to hear about how you might like to make use
of these facilities. If it was offered, how likely would you be to do the following at the
community centre in your neighbourhood?
Pay a parking ticket
49.3%9.9%40.8%
Report a problem like graffiti or pothole
51.9%13.8%34.4%
52.4%15.0%32.6%
Make a property standard or parking complaint
39.7%12.6%47.7%
Pay a tax or utility bill
32.1%6.8%61.2%
Purchase monthly parking
32.6%11.5%55.9%
Other
26.8%8.5%64.8%
Very likely and likelySomewhat likelyNot at all likely
9. What would be your preferred method to access and/or complete the following services?
Sign up for property tax/Kitchener Utilities e-billing
7.0%5.7%3.1%78.5%5.7%
Sign up for monthly parking
7.8%4.3%2.9%79.1%5.9%
Register for a program (community centre or pool)
13.2%3.6%3.2%74.7%5.3%
Register for a class at the Kitchener Market
9.8%2.7%3.5%79.5%4.5%
Pay for city service fees
8.7%7.3%2.6%76.8%4.7%
Access and submit all applications
10.9%13.0%3.6%69.2%3.2%
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
In person at another City facility (e.g. community centre)
In person at City Hall
Live online chat
Online (website, app)
Phone
10. When you have a question or want to report an issue, how would you most like to connect
with us?
,
e
Website
21.6%
l
o
h
Social media
3.3%
t
o
p
Phone
(26.4%
)
i
m
t
Live online chat
i
9.1%
e
f
l
f
b
a
o
rIn person at City Hall
0.9%
r
g
p
In person at another City facility
2.0%
a
t
r
Email
30.0%
o
p
e
City of Kitchener mobile app (pingstreet)
6.7%
R
Website
19.6%
t
Social media
2.7%
n
i
a
l
Phone
30.3%
p
m
Live online chat
10.3%
o
c
a
In person at City Hall
1.6%
t
r
o
In person at another City facility
1.5%
p
e
R
Email
28.7%
City of Kitchener mobile app (pingstreet)
5.4%
e
cWebsite
30.9%
i
v
r
Social media
5.3%
e
s
n
Phone
13.4%
o
d
k
e
c
Live online chat
5.7%
v
i
a
e
b
c
In person at City Hall
d0.6%
e
e
r
e
f
In person at another City facility
1.3%
e
d
i
Email
37.7%
v
o
r
City of Kitchener mobile app (pingstreet)
5.0%
P
,
Website
40.5%
k
.
r
c
o
t
Social media
9.3%
e
w
,
d
s
a
Phone
k11.4%
o
a
r
e
r
nLive online chat
5.4%
b
o
s
n
i
In person at City Hall
0.5%
e
a
t
a
m
In person at another City facility
0.9%
d
r
p
e
t
u
Email
a
25.4%
t
w
e
GCity of Kitchener mobile app (pingstreet)
6.6%
Website
18.0%
a
t
Social media
3.2%
u
o
b
Phone
30.5%
a
e
n
c
Live online chat
12.9%
i
o
i
v
t
r
s
eIn person at City Hall
1.2%
e
s
u
q
In person at another City facility
1.8%
a
k
Email
28.3%
s
A
City of Kitchener mobile app (pingstreet)
4.2%
11. In the last year, have you submitted a complaint to the City in the last year?
If yes:
12. How did you submit it?
13. How satisfied were you with the response? \[Very satisfied, satisfied, dissatisfied, very
dissatisfied\]
Dissatisfied Very
How did you submit your Very Satisfied Grand
dissatisfied
complaint or report a satisfied Total
problem?
Phone 31 42 27 15 115
Email 6 16 7 7 36
Pingstreet (City of 3 12 6 2 23
Kitchener app)
Website 4 7 4 2 17
Through social media 4 3 1 1 9
(Facebook, Twitter)
Other 2 2 3 1 8
In person 1 4 0 1 6
Grand Total 51 86 48 29 214
In person
83.3%0.0%16.7%
Through social media (Facebook, Twitter)
77.8%11.1%11.1%
Website
64.7%23.5%11.8%
Pingstreet (City of Kitchener app)
65.2%26.1%8.7%
Phone
63.5%23.5%13.0%
Email
61.1%19.4%19.4%
Other
50.0%37.5%12.5%
Very satisfied and satisfiedDissatisfiedVery dissatisfied
14. In the last year, did you visit Kitchener City Hall to access a City service?
If yes, why? (select all that apply)
61
40
38
34
16
14
12
9
88
Pay a tax orMeet withOtherPay a parkingApply or payAttend aGet aBuy monthlyVisit theApply for or
utility billCity staffticketfor a buildingcouncilmarriageparkingOffice of therenew a
about anpermitmeetinglicenseMayor andbusiness
issue or toCouncillicense
get
information
15. What could we improve about your City Hall experience(s)? (select all that apply)
89
35
28
18
InconvenientOtherCouldn't findHad to go to
to comemy wayvarious floors
downtownaround Cityto do different
Hallthings
16. If no
412
146
77
38
18
I have noInconvenientCan accessOtherService I
need to goto comemy serviceswanted is
to City Halldowntownelsewherenot offered
at City Hall
APPENDIX C SUMMARY OF STAFF SURVEY RESULTS
1. When you think about the customer service you provide each day, which of the
following statements are most important to you? Rank these statements in order of
importance where 1 = most important and 7 = least important.
Results:
1. Our work makes a difference in the lives of citizens.
2. We strive to understand and appreciate the needs of those we serve.
3. We collaborate and work together because our success depends on all of us.
4. We do what we say we are going to do.
5. We go the extra mile.
6. We innovate to find new and better ways of doing things.
7. We make it easy for citizens to access our programs and services.
2. Rank the same statements where 1 = what we are doing best to 7 = where we can
most improve as an organization.
1. Our work makes a difference in the lives of citizens.
2. We strive to understand and appreciate the needs of those we serve.
3. We collaborate and work together because our success depends on all of us.
4. We go the extra mile.
5. We make it easy for citizens to access our programs and services.
6. We do what we say we are going to do.
7. We innovate to find new and better ways of doing things
3. What has your experience been when getting service from other parts of the
organization?
Overall, I'm satisfied with
the service I receive from staff.
Staff treat me with respect
Staff respond quickly with
the information I need.
Staff are easy to get a hold
of when I need them.
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
Strongly agreeAgreeSomewhat agreeSomewhat disagree/Disagree/Strongly disagree
4. How do you think we do as an organization at delivering service to citizens?
We make it easy for citizens to
access our programs and services.
We respond quickly to citizens
with the information they need.
We make accessing services and
contacting staff easy for citizens.
Overall, we provide excellent
customer service to citizens.
We treat citizens with respect.
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%
Strongly agreeAgreeSomewhat agreeSomewhat disagree/Disagree/Strongly disagree
5. When it comes to delivering great service to your customers (internal or external):
(select all that apply)
"I would like more
"I would like more
"I have the training, tools,
job-specific training."
customer service
and information I need."
training."
ЊЍі
ЋЏі
ЎЍі
"I would like more
"I would like a clearer
"I would like different
information about what
understanding of what
or additional tools to
my customers expect
service standards are
do my job."
and experience."
expected of me."
ЋЎі
ЋБі
ЌЋі