HomeMy WebLinkAboutWaste Pro of Florida, Inc. Satisfaction Report 2023 05 16WINTER SPRINGS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
WITH WASTE MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Jacquelyn Fernandez-Reiss, Amy M. Donley, Ph.D., and
Julio Montanez
May 16, 2023
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW .............................................................................................. 2
DATA COLLECTION ................................................................................ 3
TABLE 1. DATA COLLECTION ............................................................................ 4
RESULTS ................................................................................................. 5
Overall Customer Satisfaction ............................................................... 5
TABLE 2. SATISFACTION WITH TRASH COLLECTION SERVICES ................. 6
Specific Comments & Complaints ......................................................... 7
Customers to Contact ........................................................................... 9
TABLE 3. COMMENTS, COMPLAINTS, AND CONTACT INFORMATION ......... 9
Damaged Trash Bins .......................................................................... 10
TABLE 4. DAMAGED TRASH COLLECTION CONTAINERS ............................ 10
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OVERVIEW
The Institute for Social and Behavioral Science (ISBS) at the University of
Central Florida (UCF) contracted with the City of Winter Springs, FL to conduct
a survey to determine the level of customer satisfaction with the City’s solid
waste disposal subcontractor, Waste Pro. The sample was obtained in 2023
from the City of Winter Springs’ resident database. A link to the survey was sent
through email to each customer who had an email registered with the City of
Winter Springs. The survey was then taken by the customer online. The survey
was available to be taken from April 11 to April 21, 2023.
The survey consisted of a structured, electronic questionnaire that is used
annually to determine consumers’ satisfaction with Waste Pro. The survey
design included an initial screening question to ensure only residents who
currently live in the City of Winter Springs and are charged for trash collection
services are able to complete the survey. To do this, at the beginning of each
survey participants are asked the following screening question:
“Does the monthly water bill that you get from the City of Winter Springs include
a charge for trash collection services?”
If an individual responds “no” or “don’t know” to the question above, they are
taken to the end of the survey and, thus, excluded from the final sample.
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DATA COLLECTION
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the method of data collection for the annual
survey was modified in 2020 from a telephone survey to an online survey
distributed via Qualtrics. To distribute the survey online, customer email
addresses were provided by the City of Winter Springs and utilized to collect
data via a modified survey that was suitable for customers to take themselves.
The survey was distributed to all the e-mail addresses provided by the City of
Winter Springs on April 11, 2023. The following week a reminder e-mail was
sent to all participants who had not yet completed the survey. At the end of that
week, on April 21st, the survey was closed with a total of 774 responses, which
equates to a response rate of 8.49%.
Table 1 shows the breakdown of the survey collection throughout its duration.
The sample frame was comprised of 9,119 customer email addresses. Out of
the 9,119 e-mail addresses, 834, or 9.1%, of customers could not be reached
over email because their provided email address either bounced back or failed.
Approximately 7,511 customers, or 82.4%, did not open the survey link. Of
those that did receive the email and opened the survey link, 774 customers
completed the survey. Although 97.7% of people who did open the link
submitted a survey, some cases were excluded because they were not 18 years
of age or older (n=10), they did not live in Winter Springs (n=4), and they did not
answer “Yes” to the screening question (n=224). After eliminating those survey
respondents, the final sample of Waste Pro customers was 536, which was
5.88% of all total emails.
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TABLE 1. DATA COLLECTION
Total
TOTAL COLLECTED SURVEYS 774
WASTEPRO CUSTOMERS 536
DID NOT COMPLETE PAST SCREENING
QUESTIONS
10
DID NOT LIVE IN WINTER SPRINGS 4
DID NOT ANSWER “YES” WASTEPRO
CHARGES ON MONTHLY BILL
224
BOUNCED EMAILS 817
FAILED EMAILS 17
NO RESPONSE 7,511
TOTAL EMAILS SENT 9,119
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RESULTS
Overall Customer Satisfaction
After the initial screening questions, the survey asked participants about their
overall satisfaction with the trash collection services. The question is as follows:
“As you probably know, solid waste in Winter Springs is picked up by a private
contractor, Waste Pro. All in all, are you satisfied or unsatisfied with the trash
collection services you receive at your place of residence?”
Out of the 536 Waste Pro customers who submitted a survey, only 534
customers responded to this question. The results, which are highlighted in
Table 2, show that customer satisfaction with Waste Pro (91.2%) exceeds the
90% satisfaction rating required. Compared to the findings from 2021 and 2022,
customer satisfaction with Waste Pro has slightly increased from 90.3% in 2021
and 90.9% in 2022 to 91.2% in 2023.
Moreover, 23 participants, or about 4.3% of the sample, chose “Other” when
asked about their satisfaction. Of the 23 participants who chose “Other,” 16 left
comments describing why they may have chosen “Other” as a response. Of
those 16 comments, about one-fourth indicated praise and being very satisfied
with their trash collection services. About one-third indicated moderate
satisfaction or satisfaction with a caveat. For example, one participant left the
following comment when asked about satisfaction: “Typically yes, but during the
last couple of weeks, they didn't pick up on Fridays.” About two other
participants stated that they were “somewhat satisfied.” Other comments
provided specific feedback, such as wanting animal tamper-proof trash bins and
items falling onto the street during trash collection. One comment expressed
unsureness (i.e., “I don’t know”). All comments are listed on the “Comments on
Satisfaction Level” sheet in the attached Excel document.
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TABLE 2. SATISFACTION WITH TRASH COLLECTION SERVICES
Frequency Percentage (%)
SATISFIED 487 91.2%
UNSATISFIED 24 4.5%
OTHER 23 4.3%
TOTAL 534 100%
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Specific Comments & Complaints
The satisfaction questions were followed by an open-ended question asking
participants about specific comments complaints they have about their trash
collection services. The question is as follows:
“Do you have any specific complaints about the trash collection service that you
would like express?”
While the satisfaction with Waste Pro's services was high, like past years, many
satisfied customers still took the opportunity to express their comments or
complaints with Waste Pro's services. Out of the 536 Waste Pro customers who
submitted a survey, 462 responded to this question and 206 customers
answered that they had a comment or complaint to express. Out of the 206
customers who had a comment or complaint, 201 completed a comment.
Approximately 94 customers left some type of positive comment. Out of those
positive comments many stated that Waste Pro and the trash collectors do an
“excellent” and “great” job, they are “friendly,” “polite,” “helpful,” and that they
are “efficient and courteous”. Some customers mentioned “attention to detail”
and expressed satisfaction that Waste Pro is “easy to contact.” Some customers
emphasized that Waste Pro goes “the extra mile” and positively noted service
accommodations for people with disabilities.
About 70 customers chose to leave a complaint about their service. Of these
customers, a portion discussed rough treatment of trash bins, improper
placement of trash bins after pickup, and leaving trash in the street after pickup.
Separately, about 21 customers detailed timing/logistical complaints. Of these
approximately 21 customers, some discussed missed and inconsistent pickup
times. Additionally, about 11 customers exclusively critiqued recycling services,
such as needing larger recycling bins and wanting recycling bins with wheels.
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About three customers provided mixed comments, noting a positive aspect of
Waste Pro services while also leaving a comment. These customers noted
progress in services, as well as inconsistent quality of services in different
locales. About two customers provided remarks that could not be deciphered.
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Customers to Contact
Customers who expressed any sort of comment or complaint, regardless of
whether they reported overall satisfaction with their trash collection services,
were asked if they would like to be contacted by the City of Winter Springs to
discuss their specific comments or complaints.
Table 3 shows that out of the 206 customers that indicated they had a specific
comment or complaint, 201 customers actually left a comment in their survey
response. Out of those 206 customers who had a comment or complaint, 202
answered the question asking whether they wanted to be contacted. Out of
those 202 responses, 21 customers answered that they would like to be
contacted about their comment or complaint. While only 18 of those 21
customers left comments, all 21 customers left their contact information. The
customers’ contact information, as well as their complaint, is listed in the
“Complaint Contact” sheet in the attached Excel document.
TABLE 3. COMMENTS, COMPLAINTS, AND CONTACT
INFORMATION
Has a Comment
or Complaint
Left a Comment or
Complaint
Wants to be
Contacted
Freq. % Freq. % Freq. %
YES 206 44.6% 201 100% 21 10.4%
NO 256 55.4% 181 89.6%
TOTAL 462 100% 201 100% 202 100%
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Damaged Trash Bins
Lastly, all respondents were asked if their trash collection containers are
damaged to the point that they need replacing. The question is as follows:
“Is your trash collection container (bin) damaged to the point where you would
like it to be replaced?”
Out of the 536 Waste Pro customers who submitted a survey, a total of 532
responded to this question. Most customers who responded indicated that they
are satisfied with the condition of their containers (91.9%). Table 4 shows that
43 customers’ containers are damaged to the point where they would like them
replaced. Of those 43 customers, 39 left their name, address, and contact
information, which can be found in the “Damaged Bins Contact” sheet in the
attached Excel document.
TABLE 4. DAMAGED TRASH COLLECTION CONTAINERS
Frequency Percentage (%)
YES 43 8%
NO 489 92%
TOTAL 532 100%