Customer Satisfaction

About this measure: Customer service is a cornerstone of good performance. DNRP uses customer feedback mechanisms to:

• Understand changes in customer preferences, priorities and price sensitivities
• Assess program strengths and weaknesses and perceptions of service levels
• Guide program adjustments based on finding

Many of our larger programs have had customer feedback mechanisms in place for several years. The customer survey findings are used to steer program adjustments and ensure that changes produce the intended results.

For the most part, DNRP divisions have selected specific groups of customers or neighboring business and residents to survey about services and programs. Some of our customer service questionnaires are self-administered and others involve the use of consumer research firms.

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Solid Waste Division (SWD)

Transfer station customers

2008 Results: 4.69 (on a 1 — 5 scale where 5 is excellent)

2008 Target: 4.5 (on a 1 — 5 scale where 5 is excellent)

2009 Target: NA. There will be no transfer station customer satisfaction survey in 2009.

Influencing Factors: Transfer station customer satisfaction was high due to continued good service at the transfer stations.

Strategy Going Forward: The same high level of service will continue in 2009.

Technical Notes: Surveys are ranked on a five point scale.

Wastemobile customers

About this Performance Measure: In 2007, the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program (LHWMP) in King County conducted a survey of the users of its household hazardous waste (HHW) collection facilities. Visitors provided information about their satisfaction levels with the current hazardous waste disposal services. Information was gathered at the Program's three fixed facilities (located in North Seattle, South Seattle, and at the Factoria transfer station) and at Wastemobile collection events held in the cities of Issaquah and Kent.

2008 Results: There was no survey in 2008.

2008 Target: NA.

2009 Target: 4.0 (on a 1 — 5 scale where 5 is excellent)

Influencing Factors: NA.

Strategy Going Forward: The LHWMP is currently conducting a service level study to enable the county to enhance or maintain the high level of hazardous waste disposal service provided to King County residents.

Solid waste education program

About this Performance Measure: In the 2007 - 2008 school year, SWD reached 26,300 elementary students through an assembly program and over 18,000 elementary and secondary students through classroom workshops. Teachers find the program and workshops to be highly effective in educating students about how reducing waste and recycling benefit the environment. The question teachers respond to in the survey is whether they think the assembly/workshops "enhance student understanding of resource conservation."

2007 - 2008 Results: 4.58 (on a 1 — 5 scale where 5 is excellent)

Influencing Factors: The overall rating rose slightly from 4.48 in 2007 to 4.58 in 2008. This increase could be attributed to the implementation of a new assembly program in 2008 and to the fact that workshops are adjusted each year based on teacher feedback.

Strategy Going Forward: SWD will continue to offer its assembly and workshops to schools, updating content for relevancy to department and division goals as well as to appropriateness to grade level and Washington State grade level expectations.

Technical Notes: Surveys are ranked on a five point scale.

2008 - 2009 Target: 4.6 (on a 1 — 5 scale where 5 is excellent)

2009 - 2010 Target: 4.6 (on a 1 — 5 scale where 5 is excellent)

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Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD)

WLRD Drainage Customer Satisfaction

2008 target: 90% of customer service questions are responded to favorably

2008 ressults: 90.74% of the responses were favorable (of 45 customer survey cards returned in 2008)

2009 target: 90 percent of customer service questions are responded to favorably

Influencing factors: Training and education are offered to staff when performance measures fall below goals. When a survey card records dissatisfaction with a staff member, the issue is discussed with him or her. The majority of our negative responses are due to situations where there is no program or funding to address the complaint, or the problem is referred to another agency such as DOT or the Health Department and these customer is not satisfied with that agency's response. We have also have Customer Service Card responses from residents who are disgruntled with government, taxes, property rights, etc.

Strategy going forward: Mid-2007, the division launched an on line customer services survey on its Web site and plans to send customer services surveys to people that have sent email inquiries. Information from this survey will supplement results from the drainage services survey reported here. The Storm Water Services Program improves established customer service protocols by regularly reviewing and upgrading the protocols. Staff training is conducted when protocols have changed change and as a recurring review.

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Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD)

Wastewater Treatment Plant Neighbors

About this measure: This measure addresses the percent of business and residential neighbors who consider wastewater treatment plants in their area to be a good neighbor. The Near Neighbor Survey is conducted every other year; therefore no new data is available for 2008. The next survey will be conducted in 2009.

2007 results: 70.5%

2007 target: > 75%

2009 target: > 75%

Influencing factors: Overall, both wastewater treatment plants, West Point and South Plant, have good relationships with their neighbors. The most common reasons residents and businesses say that King County has been a good neighbor continues to be the lack of noticeable impacts of the treatment plants, considering factors such as visibility of the facilities, odor, truck trips, landscaping, environmental impact and responsiveness to community concerns. "Bad smell" is the most common negative impact that nearby residents experience. Trucking impacts are the second highest concern.

Strategies going forward: The top two priorities continue to be exploring new methods of odor control and responding to complaints within 24 hours.

WTD Customer Service Satisfaction by Local Sewer Agencies

About this measure: This measure tracks the degree of local sewer agency satisfaction with the customer service they receive from WTD staff, as rated in the annual Customer Feedback Survey.

2008 results: 3.9 (on a 1 — 5 scale where 5 is excellent)

2008 target: > 4.0 (on a 1 — 5 scale where 5 is excellent)

2009 target: > 4.0 (on a 1 — 5 scale where 5 is excellent)

Influencing factors: The Wastewater Treatment Division has had a strong trend of improvement in its customer satisfaction ratings since 2006. Higher satisfaction ratings in 2007 and 2008 may be due to the Division Director holding individual meetings with each component agency to improve communication and relationships with our component agency customers, and following up on issues of concern to the agencies. The highest rated factors making up the total customer satisfaction score were professionalism and courteousness of WTD staff, technical knowledge of staff, and staffs' knowledge of administrative procedures and requirements.

Strategies going forward: WTD will evaluate the complete results from the 2008 customer feedback survey, and evaluate any areas where needs for improvement are indicated. Through follow up with the customer agencies, WTD will identify actions to be implemented to make improvements and further increase customer satisfaction with WTD overall.

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