In an effort to take customer service to the next level, the city of Atlanta is asking customers to provide input on their customer service experience with city offices. The survey is offered online and will be available through spring 2013. The survey is quick to complete and provides valuable information to city managers that will help them develop specific strategies to meet their customers’ needs.
While commercial businesses use surveys to assess and improve their service quality regularly, it is more unusual for government offices to do so. It is especially uncommon to launch a citywide effort to solicit customer input for the purpose of raising the customer service standard. However, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announced that is precisely what his city intends to do in a press release from his office in November.
The Survey and the Customer Bill of Rights
The survey follows on the heels of the city’s first ever Customer Bill of Rights, which was launched in May, 2012. The effort was designed to ensure all residents and visitors of Atlanta receive the same quality of customer care throughout the local government infrastructure. The Bill of Rights clearly stated the type of service Atlanta residents should expect from city employees, including:
• Knowing the name of the employee and the department the customer is contacting, for follow-up later on if necessary
• Receiving consistently courteous treatment at all city offices and departments
• Easy access to the department and employee best to handle a customer’s specific request
• Having a comment or complaint heard, with prompt responses to questions and solutions to problems
• Prompt attention to an issue by all members of the city government
• Consistent and timely delivery of all products and services offered by the Atlanta city government
Now that the Bill of Rights is in full swing across the city, officials want to know how well their service efforts are working. A customer service survey is a common way for businesses interested in their quality of service to solicit feedback from their customers. Mayor Reed is encouraging all Atlanta residents who have interacted with city offices in recent months to complete the survey, so the city government will have plenty of data to work with in honing their Customer Bill of Rights and service delivery.
How to Take the Survey
The customer service survey is easy to access right from the Atlanta city government website. The questions are multiple-choice, making it quick and easy for participants to provide their input. All questions must be answered on one page before the survey allows the participant to move to the next page. The survey begins by asking customers which city department they had interactions with and why. There is room to add an additional answer if none of the multiple choice answers provided are a good fit.
The survey will run for a number of months, allowing plenty of Atlanta residents and visitors the chance to voice their opinions about the state of Atlanta customer service today. Once the information is received, the city plans to use it to hone their service efforts to become one of the most service-oriented cities in the United States.
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