SANFORD — How is Sanford’s customer service? Business customers are being asked to weigh in on their experiences with some municipal departments, starting this month.
Business customers will be asked to fill out either pre-paid postage cards or an online survey to provide feedback on the process and services they use the four key departments that interact with business development projects ”“ codes, engineering, the office of the city’s fire marshal and the planning department. Visitors to Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council will also be asked to participate.
“This initiative is in direct response to the views expressed by business owners and residents,” said City Manager Steve Buck in a statement released by the Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council. “Administration recognizes the need to provide for immediate feedback on services rendered as a means of improving delivery. We are seeking constructive feedback to provide better customer service to our clients: the residents and businesses Sanford and Springvale.”
The survey asks businesses to rate their first impression of staff, their knowledge and professionalism, staff’s explanation of process and requirements, communication, satisfaction, application processing time, reasonableness of fees and more. The service asks why the business chose Sanford for their project, listing such attributes as the available labor force, quality of life, financial incentives and availability of sites, among others.
Shawn Moody, president of Moody’s Collision Centers, was a key supporter in the development of this initiative, according to the growth council.
“I’m really excited about implementing this concept into the public sector and applaud the City of Sanford’s efforts to do so,” he said. “We’re excited to think we may be able to mine some really valuable feedback here, and I wouldn’t be surprised if other municipalities followed Sanford’s example. I’m particularly grateful for the role the growth council played to make this happen.”
Sanford was among the first round of communities in Maine to be designated by Gov. Paul LePage as business friendly, and the push from within to constantly improve and enhance this status has progressed well, according to Jim Nimon, executive director of the Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council.
“We listened to businesses and want to improve customer service to them,” he said. “We won’t rest until we have companies bragging about the great attitudes and unparalleled service from the city and the growth council.”
The survey is available at http://sanfordmaine.polldaddy.com/s/2013. Surveys will also be available at each of the departments and at the growth council office. A link to the electronic survey will be on the survey cards.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].
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