“Treat every customer as if they sign your paycheck, because they do.”
While the City of Carlsbad isn’t a business in the traditional sense, it still sees itself as a customer service based organization.
Joe Garuba, Senior Management Analyst for the City of Carlsbad, says, “At our core we are a $250 million organization in the business of providing outstanding services to its customers, the citizens of Carlsbad.”
This outlook generated the city’s first citizen survey in 2000 to learn about potential issues and concerns and identify unforeseen needs among Carlsbad residents. Now in its sixth year, results from the 2005 survey show a steady increase in satisfaction with the city’s service delivery.
The survey, conducted in conjunction with California State University, San Marcos, provides information used by the City Council and staff to set goals and priorities for the coming year. Results are available on the City of Carlsbad’s website at www.ci.carlsbad.ca.us. Garuba says the information assists the City in gauging whether past efforts have been successful.
“We’re checking in with our shareholders to see how we’re doing,” he says. “That’s our job, to give people a sense of confidence in our community and confidence in our ability to competently manage the city. We help create the fabric of the community where we live. We need to be good at it.”
How much do residents like the services the City provides?
“Without some type of survey, you don’t know. You only guess,” Garuba pointed out.
“Since the 2000 survey, we’ve received feedback and validation about the services we provide on a day to day basis. It’s also helped identify wants and needs in the community. The survey provides us with a mechanism to ask if there are things that we’re missing.”
Garuba goes on to say that growth and overcrowding have consistently been the top concerns of Carlsbad residents. Residents, especially those living in the southeastern part of Carlsbad, mentioned traffic and road conditions as one of their primary issues.
“We see this, and we’re trying to work our way through it,” says Garuba. “We are extra sensitive about this.”
Construction of Rancho Santa Fe Road has impacted this area over the last two years or so, and is scheduled to be completed this summer, which should provide some relief to commuters in this area.
The libraries and fire services received the highest ratings from citizens. Cable television, a contracted service, received the lowest ratings overall.
Garuba says that national and local scandals involving elected officials and the City of San Diego did not seem to have put a dent in the trust that Carlsbad residents put in their government. The overall satisfaction rate and confidence by citizens in the city rose to its highest level ever. Over 90% of those responding to the survey express a high level of satisfaction with city services, rating them either “Good” or “Excellent”.
“This is a bellwether for us.” Garuba notes that it’s a credit to the elected representatives governing Carlsbad that they are willing to annually take a hard, honest look at the kind of job they are doing, or not. “It’s a big leap of faith. You can have a whole lot of downside, and not a lot of up when you ask people what they think about you.” Unlike private business, results of a survey, negative or positive, must be shared with the public.
In the end, the City of Carlsbad believes acting on the information provided by this candid annual assessment will result in a greater sense of public trust and confidence in local government, a high quality of service, excellent fiscal health and customer satisfaction for all citizens who live, work and do business in Carlsbad.
A full report of the survey is available on the City’s website, www.carlsbadca.gov.
While the City of Carlsbad isn’t a business in the traditional sense, it still sees itself as a customer service based organization.
Joe Garuba, Senior Management Analyst for the City of Carlsbad, says, “At our core we are a $250 million organization in the business of providing outstanding services to its customers, the citizens of Carlsbad.”
This outlook generated the city’s first citizen survey in 2000 to learn about potential issues and concerns and identify unforeseen needs among Carlsbad residents. Now in its sixth year, results from the 2005 survey show a steady increase in satisfaction with the city’s service delivery.
The survey, conducted in conjunction with California State University, San Marcos, provides information used by the City Council and staff to set goals and priorities for the coming year. Results are available on the City of Carlsbad’s website at www.ci.carlsbad.ca.us. Garuba says the information assists the City in gauging whether past efforts have been successful.
“We’re checking in with our shareholders to see how we’re doing,” he says. “That’s our job, to give people a sense of confidence in our community and confidence in our ability to competently manage the city. We help create the fabric of the community where we live. We need to be good at it.”
How much do residents like the services the City provides?
“Without some type of survey, you don’t know. You only guess,” Garuba pointed out.
“Since the 2000 survey, we’ve received feedback and validation about the services we provide on a day to day basis. It’s also helped identify wants and needs in the community. The survey provides us with a mechanism to ask if there are things that we’re missing.”
Garuba goes on to say that growth and overcrowding have consistently been the top concerns of Carlsbad residents. Residents, especially those living in the southeastern part of Carlsbad, mentioned traffic and road conditions as one of their primary issues.
“We see this, and we’re trying to work our way through it,” says Garuba. “We are extra sensitive about this.”
Construction of Rancho Santa Fe Road has impacted this area over the last two years or so, and is scheduled to be completed this summer, which should provide some relief to commuters in this area.
The libraries and fire services received the highest ratings from citizens. Cable television, a contracted service, received the lowest ratings overall.
Garuba says that national and local scandals involving elected officials and the City of San Diego did not seem to have put a dent in the trust that Carlsbad residents put in their government. The overall satisfaction rate and confidence by citizens in the city rose to its highest level ever. Over 90% of those responding to the survey express a high level of satisfaction with city services, rating them either “Good” or “Excellent”.
“This is a bellwether for us.” Garuba notes that it’s a credit to the elected representatives governing Carlsbad that they are willing to annually take a hard, honest look at the kind of job they are doing, or not. “It’s a big leap of faith. You can have a whole lot of downside, and not a lot of up when you ask people what they think about you.” Unlike private business, results of a survey, negative or positive, must be shared with the public.
In the end, the City of Carlsbad believes acting on the information provided by this candid annual assessment will result in a greater sense of public trust and confidence in local government, a high quality of service, excellent fiscal health and customer satisfaction for all citizens who live, work and do business in Carlsbad.
A full report of the survey is available on the City’s website, www.carlsbadca.gov.