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Economic Development
Committee
18 July 2016
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Part
A Reports
Business Satisfaction Survey Results
Department: Management and Enterprise Dunedin
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1 The
report provides an update on the three business surveys that have been
undertaken to assess ‘business friendly interactions’ with
customers of Enterprise Dunedin, Building Control, and Environmental Health and
Liquor Licensing. Resource Consents were included in the last survey.
2 The
survey data has been used for the purpose of continuous improvement which will
improve service outcomes for business customers.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Committee:
a) Notes the
Business Satisfaction Survey Results report.
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BACKGROUND
3 A survey
has been developed to establish a set of benchmarks relating to DCC’s
‘business friendly interactions’. This data has been used to
measure and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
4 Surveys have
been undertaken in May 2015, December 2015 and April 2016. The first two
surveys covered Enterprise Dunedin, Building Control, Environmental Health and
Liquor Licensing. The third survey included Resource Consents for the first
time.
5 Email
addresses were sourced from users of council services that were deemed to be
business related. Three reminders were sent over the course of the two week
survey period.
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Survey
time period
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Response
rate (responses/invites)
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May 2015
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317/1,204 (26%)
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December 2015
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261/938 (28%)
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April 2016
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161/490 (32%)
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6 The
results for the April 2016 survey are attached as Attachment A. This provides a
comparison with the previous two surveys. Verbatim comments have been grouped
and themed.
DISCUSSION
7 Due to
the small survey pool in some areas (e.g. Economic Development) a single
response can equate to a significant percentage. Over time rolling averages
will provide a more effective way of analysing these results.
8 This
survey has provided an insight into what Dunedin businesses think of the
service being provided to them by DCC. The information provides a comparable
benchmark for the future.
Themed
comments
9 While
quantitative information provides the most validity, comments can provide
useful depth of insight into to the issues driving the level of satisfaction.
Comments were sorted by themes and are reported in the attached report for each
unit. However, it should be noted the majority of the respondents did not
provide additional comment.
10 Themes that occurred
across all question sets and DCC units were:
· Some
comments were recorded that made mention of inconsistency, in particular
inconsistent staff performance.
· A
range of suggestions, both specific and abstract.
· An
appreciation of the complex environment the DCC is working in.
· A
number of respondents singled out specific staff, the majority of which were
positive.
Actions
Taken to Improve Service
11 Since the first
survey was undertaken a number of actions and initiatives have been undertaken
to address the issues and suggestions raised.
12 The results have
been shared with managers and teams. Some teams have workshopped ideas on
process improvements and others have developed initiatives to address the
survey feedback.
Economic Development
13 Enterprise Dunedin
results came from low sample numbers (13).
14 Themes raised by
respondents included the lack of resourcing for economic development, overall
performance and positive support to business, and the opportunity to work with
partners and local businesses to share opportunities and ideas.
15 Enterprise Dunedin
has invested in the development of its customer relationship management system
(CRM) integrating Tourism Dunedin, i-SITE and the Economic Development Unit
following their amalgamation to form Enterprise Dunedin.
16 The CRM system will
allow for more businesses interacting with Enterprise Dunedin to be surveyed.
Building Control
17 The common themes
related to supporting economic development were: equal numbers of positive and
negative comments relating to delays, resourcing issues, and government
regulations.
18 The common themes
related to regulation were: equal numbers of positive and negative referencing
staff performance and unnecessary bureaucracy.
19 The common themes
related to performance and leadership were: delays, and better performance by
other councils.
20 The common themes
related to customer service were: expensive, delays, insufficient resourcing,
equal numbers of comments both positive and negative referring to staff.
21 In order to address
these and other concerns raised through the survey, a number of initiatives
have been undertaken within Building Services:
a) Resourcing
– Since the initial survey the Building Services unit has experienced a
significantly increased workload and has struggled to replace vacancies. This
has impacted on its ability to process consents within the 20 day statutory
timeframe and schedule inspections within an acceptable time. Performance
of Building Services was identified as the key frustration by Dunedin businesses.
FTE has been increased by three in the consents processing
team. One vacancy is already filled and another will be in July leaving one
vacancy being advertised. Recruitment for a team leader of consent processing
is also underway. This role is being partially covered by a contractor in the
short term. Overtime has also been undertaken with early/late starts and
Saturday working. These actions have resulted in a significant reduction in the
number of late consents. As of the second week in July the percentage of
consents issued within timeframe was 87%. This compares with 50% in March 2016.
b) Realignment of
management structure – a realignment of the management structure has
created two new roles (Manager Building Solutions and Principal Advisor Building
Solutions) to provide a more agile, business-focussed service.
c) Communication
and working closer with business – regular updates have been provided to
customers on the current status of consent processing and inspection delays.
This has been through the Building Services Newsletter ‘Reinforce’
and personal letters sent to key customers.
d) Industry
relationship building – a number of relationship building and information
sharing meetings have been held with key stakeholders such as the Otago Master
Builders Association and the Otago Chamber of Commerce. These have provided an
opportunity to identify process improvements.
e) In June 2016
an external review was initiated. This review has identified a number of
process improvements that will enable and support the building consents
process. An internal team has been created to implement the changes which
encompass three main improvement areas: better use of information tools for
prioritisation and workflow management; wider extension of delegations; and increasing
use of electronic applications.
f) Work has begun
with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) regional
Building Performance team. This has given DCC access to the work underway by
other regional building clusters including customer service benchmarks. MBIE
have also offered free analytical support to undertake a benchmarking exercise.
Environmental Health, Liquor Licensing and Resource
Consents
22 After reviewing the
business survey feedback, some individual customers were approached and
interviewed about initiatives that would improve DCC’s service. A key
piece of feedback pointed to value of improved coordination between Council
departments - particularly for small business projects. This resulted in the
development of the ‘Taking Care of Small Business’ Case Management
initiative.
23 This free Case
Management Service provides a single point of contact to make it as easy as
possible for people in our community to set up a new business, community
project or event, where there is involvement from a number of Council
activities or services. Free service for customers looking to start a
small business or project requiring a number of Council approvals. The goals
are to:
· Provide
a customer-focused service aimed at removing barriers and stress for people in
our community.
· Provide
a single point of contact providing a coordinated and coherent approach.
· Identify
requirements at the initial enquiry stage.
· Prevent
unnecessary cost and delays for customers and Council.
24 The pilot began with
a ‘soft’ launch and currently has 15 clients ranging from a new
Indian restaurant being built to a business supplying hot tubs for hire. The
pilot will run until the end of July and will be evaluated; with a view to
continuing the service as business as usual should the evaluation indicate that
it is worthwhile. Initial feedback has been positive.
25 More information,
including an information pack, can be found on the DCC website http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/services/customer-services
26 Structure and
resourcing has also been reviewed. This has resulted in the realignment of the
Environmental Health and Liquor Licensing teams into a single team reporting to
a team leader. This will support the improvement and consistency in the
application of key processes and facilitate cross-department communication.
27 In April the
existing Manager Customer Services Agency role was modified and now includes a
greater strategic focus on cross-organisational customer service improvements.
The role has been retitled ‘Manager Customer Solutions’.
28 The Manager Customer
Solutions is now working across the various Council departments to develop a
Customer Experience Plan. This will include customer experience mapping,
complaints and compliments monitoring, a review of service request processes
and customer service standards.
OPTIONS
29 There are no
applicable options as the report is for noting only.
NEXT STEPS
30 The next survey will
take place in July/August 2016.
Signatories
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Author:
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Simon Pickford - General Manager Services and Development
John Christie - Director Enterprise Dunedin
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Authoriser:
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Simon Pickford - General Manager Services and
Development
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Attachments
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Title
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Page
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a
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Business Survey results
April 2016
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5
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SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS
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Fit with purpose
of Local Government
This decision enables democratic local decision making and
action by, and on behalf of communities.
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Fit with strategic
framework
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Contributes
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Detracts
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Not applicable
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Social Wellbeing Strategy
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☐
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☐
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☒
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Economic Development Strategy
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☒
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☐
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☐
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Environment Strategy
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☐
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☐
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☒
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Arts and Culture Strategy
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☐
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☐
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☒
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3 Waters Strategy
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☐
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☐
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☒
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Spatial Plan
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☐
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☐
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☒
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Integrated Transport Strategy
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☐
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☐
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☒
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Parks and Recreation Strategy
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☐
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☐
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☒
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Other strategic projects/policies/plans
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☐
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☐
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☒
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The business Survey is a key component of the
Council’s performance and business engagement framework.
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Māori Impact
Statement
There are no known impacts for tangata whenua.
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Sustainability
There are no implications for Sustainability.
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LTP/Annual Plan /
Financial Strategy /Infrastructure Strategy
There are no direct implications for the LTP / Annual Plan
/ Financial Strategy or Infrastructure strategy.
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Financial considerations
There are no financial implications. The business survey
will be conducted from existing budgets.
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Significance
The significance of this decision is considered to be low
in terms of the Council's Significance and Engagement Policy.
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Engagement –
external
There has been no direct engagement in the preparation of
this cover report. The April survey itself was sent to 490 users of council
services that were business related.
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Engagement -
internal
The Economic Development and Customer and Regulatory
Services teams have been involved in the development of actions arising from
the survey.
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Risks: Legal /
Health and Safety etc.
There are no known risks.
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Conflict of
Interest
There are no identified conflicts of interest.
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Community Boards
There is no impact on Community Boards.
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