HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024 08 12 Regular 500 - Waste Pro Annual Performance ReviewREGULAR AGENDA ITEM 500
CITY COMMISSION AGENDA | AUGUST 12, 2024 REGULAR MEETING
TITLE
Waste Pro Annual Performance Review
SUMMARY
In accordance to the City's franchise agreement, please find attached the "Winter
Springs Customer Satisfaction with Waste Management Services" survey report for
solid waste as provided by Waste Pro of Florida, Inc. As in years past, the survey was
conducted by the University of Central Florida's Institute for Social and Behavioral
Sciences. As detailed within the report, the survey was conducted via email March 19th
through April 4th 2024. The result of the survey was a satisfaction rating of 87.2%
which is less than the 91.2% rating received in 2023.
According to the survey results 39 respondents asked to be contacted, in order to
discuss comments and/or complaints related to the survey. Staff from the Customer
Service Team has reviewed all comments and attempted to service all requests. Per
section 35.0 the contractor is only entitled to the performance bonus provided they
receive a customer satisfaction rating of 90% or greater.
FUNDING SOURCE
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Commission affirm the Solid Waste survey results.
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WINTER SPRINGS CUSTOMER SATISFACITON
WITH WASTE MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Jacquelyn Reiss, Ph.D.
and Amy M. Donley, Ph.D.
April 2024
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW .............................................................................................. 3
DATA COLLECTION ................................................................................ 4
TABLE 1. DATA COLLECTION ............................................................................ 5
RESULTS ................................................................................................. 6
Overall Customer Satisfaction ............................................................... 6
TABLE 2. SATISFACTION WITH TRASH COLLECTION SERVICES ................. 7
Specific Comments & Concerns ............................................................ 8
TABLE 3. COMMENTS, CONCERNS, AND CONTACT INFORMATION ............ 9
Customers to Contact ......................................................................... 10
Damaged Trash Bins .......................................................................... 11
TABLE 4. DAMAGED TRASH COLLECTION CONTAINERS ............................ 11
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OVERVIEW
The Institute for Social and Behavioral Sciences (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 2024
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 and was
available between March 19th to April 4th, 2024.
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 “I 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
An online survey, coded and distributed via Qualtrics survey software, was
deployed to assess residents’ feedback. To distribute the survey, a total of
9,431 customer email addresses were provided by the City of Winter Springs
and utilized to collect data via a survey that was suitable for customers to take
themselves. While 9,431 customer e-mail addresses were provided, there were
194 duplicate e-mail addresses found in the list, which led the final sample
frame to be comprised of 9,237 original customer email addresses.
The survey was initially sent out to all e-mail addresses on March 19th, 2024. A
week later, on March 26th, 2024, a follow-up reminder email was sent to all
customers who had not completed the survey. After the follow-up reminder was
sent, ISBS left the survey open for one week, closing the survey for data
collection on April 4th, 2024. As seen in Table 1, the response rate for the
survey, or the percentage of respondents who began taking the survey, was
9.3% and the completion rate, or the percentage of respondents who completed
the survey, was 8.75%.
Table 1 also shows the breakdown of the survey collection throughout its
duration. Out of the 9,237 e-mail addresses, 812, or 8.8%, of customers could
not be reached over email because their provided email address either bounced
back or failed. Approximately 7,566 customers, or 82%, did not open the survey
link. Of those that did receive the email and opened the survey link (n=859), 808
customers, or 94.1%, completed the survey. Although 94.1% of people who did
open the link submitted a survey, some cases were excluded because they did
not live in Winter Springs (n=3), did not complete the screening questions
(n=16), or they did not answer “Yes” to the screening question (n=191). After
eliminating those survey respondents, the final sample of Waste Pro customers
was 598, which was 6.47% of all the original customer emails provided.
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TABLE 1. DATA COLLECTION
Total
TOTAL COLLECTED SURVEYS 808
WASTEPRO CUSTOMERS 598
DID NOT COMPLETE PAST SCREENING
QUESTIONS
16
DID NOT LIVE IN WINTER SPRINGS 3
DID NOT ANSWER “YES” WASTEPRO
CHARGES ON MONTHLY BILL
191
OPENED LINK, BUT DID NOT CONTINUE 51
BOUNCED EMAILS 795
FAILED EMAILS 17
DUPLICATE EMAILS 194
NO RESPONSE 7,566
TOTAL EMAILS SENT 9,431
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RESULTS
Overall Customer Satisfaction
After asking participants the initial screening questions, the survey asked
participants about their overall satisfaction with the trash collection services. The
first question that asked customers about their overall satisfaction levels was
presented 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?”
Customers were provided with three response options, which included (1)
Satisfied, (2) Unsatisfied, and (3) Other. Out of the 598 Waste Pro customers
who submitted a survey, 586 customers responded to this question. Of the 586
responses, 511, or 87.2% of respondents reported that they were satisfied with
the trash collection services they receive. Alternatively, 47 respondents, or
approximately 8%, reported they were unsatisfied. Further, another 4.8% of
respondents selected “Other.”
Overall, when compared to the results from last year, the number of
respondents who selected “Other” remained about the same, while the
percentage and number of customers who said they were unsatisfied increased
from approximately 4% to 8% between 2023 and 2024. Because of this increase
in both the percentage and number of respondents who indicated they were
unsatisfied, there was a drop in overall satisfaction rates from 91.2% in 2023 to
87.2% in 2024.
Of the 28 respondents who selected “Other” when asked about their satisfaction
with their trash collection services, 18 left comments with feedback which
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ranged from “extremely satisfied” to “room for improvement” or “not the best”
(see “Comments on Satisfaction Level in the Appendix). Of 18 comments
describing why they may have chosen “Other” as a response, comments were
split between satisfied, somewhat or mostly satisfied, or generally
dissatisfied/expressed an issue they are dissatisfied with.
More specifically, four comments indicated that they were very or extremely
satisfied and/or that the employees are awesome and a pleasure to work with.
Aside from those four comments, responses ranged from “mostly satisfied, but
occasionally very unhappy” to responses indicating more general
dissatisfaction. Most customers who indicated some sort of dissatisfaction
mentioned bins were thrown or left in the street or driveway/neighbors’
driveways. Additionally, some comments were more neutral, like “we rarely
need twice a week collection.”
For more details, all comments are listed on the “Comments on Satisfaction
Level” sheet in the Appendix.
TABLE 2. SATISFACTION WITH TRASH COLLECTION SERVICES
Frequency Percentage (%)
SATISFIED 511 87.2%
UNSATISFIED 47 8%
OTHER 28 4.8%
TOTAL 586 100%
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Specific Comments & Concerns
The satisfaction questions were followed by an open-ended question asking
participants about specific comments and/or concerns they have about their
trash collection services. The question was written as follows:
“Do you have any specific complaints about the trash collection service that you
would like express?”
To answer this question, customers were provided with “yes” or “no” response
options and if the customer selected “yes,” they were prompted with a textbox to
leave their comment. Out of the 598 Waste Pro customers who submitted a
survey, 509 responded to this question. Of those 509 responses, 236 customers
selected “yes,” suggesting that they had a comment or concern to express. Out
of the 236 customers who selected “yes”, 232 actually left a comment.
Of the 232 comments left by customers, 106, or approximately 46%, were
overwhelmingly positive. Overall, most of the positive comments noted that the
service was “excellent” or “great.” Further, many mentioned it was “consistent,”
and that the trash collectors are “polite,” “reliable,” “friendly,” “respectful,” and
“helpful.” While most were overwhelmingly positive, some did state that the
service was good overall, but did note certain issues they’ve had, including
“occasionally missing some trash” or “not picking up spills.” All the positive
comments are highlighted in green in the “Comments & Concerns” tab of the
Appendix.
The remaining 126 comments consisted of concerns based on the customers
experiences with their trash collection services and a few suggestions or more
neutral comments. Overall, many of these comments discussed rough treatment
of trash bins, damaged trash bins due to the rough treatment, and improper
placement of trash bins after pickup. Others mentioned that not all their trash
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was picked up, that there were too many restrictions on what can be picked up,
and that trash was often left in the street after pickup. Separately, others
discussed missed and inconsistent pickup times, irregular service, and lack of
communication of holiday schedules. For example, one customer mentioned
that they had to call multiple times because their trash was not picked up for 2
weeks.
Moreover, the majority of the remaining comments focused on either the overall
expense of the service, including increased rates, or the size/style of the trash
collection containers. More specifically, there were a number of customers who
mentioned that they needed larger recycling bins and that they need recycling
bins with wheels. For example, residents mentioned emphasized that it is
difficult to carry bins out for those who are not physically able.
Lastly, there were a few other comments left that were more neutral and/or not a
direct comment related to the trash collection services. Examples of these
comments include “the trucks should be automated” and that the service is ok,
but that they had issues with elected officials in the county.
For more details, all comments and concerns can be found in the “Comments &
Concerns” tab.
TABLE 3. COMMENTS, CONCERNS, AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Has a Comment or
Concern
Left a Comment
or Concern
Wants to be
Contacted
Freq. % Freq. % Freq. %
YES 236 46.4% 232 100% 39 16.7%
NO 273 53.6% 194 83.3%
TOTAL 509 100% 233 100%
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Customers to Contact
Customers who expressed any sort of comment or concern, 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 concerns.
Table 3 shows that out of the 236 customers that indicated they had a specific
comment or concern, 233 answered the question asking whether they wanted to
be contacted. Out of those 233 responses, 39 customers answered that they
would like to be contacted about their comment or complaint. Information for all
39 customers, including their name, contact information, as well as their
complaint, is listed in the “Comments & Concerns Contact” sheet in the
Appendix.
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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 598 Waste Pro customers who submitted a survey, a total of 581
responded to this question. Most customers who responded to this question
indicated that they their trash collection containers were not damaged to the
point they’d like them to be replaced (92.25%). Alternatively, 45 customers did
indicate that their trash bins were damaged to the point they’d like them
replaced (shown in Table 4).
Of those 45 customers, 7 also indicated that they wanted to be contacted by the
city regarding the comment or complaint they left earlier in the survey. Because
the customer contact information was left for both the comment or complaint
and for the damaged bin they reported, those 7 names are highlighted in green
in the “Damaged Bins Contacts” tabs in the Appendix.
Lastly, while only 39 of the 45 customers who reported that their trash collection
containers were damaged to the point they’d like them replaced left their
information, e-mail addresses and names are provided for all 45 customers
since the survey was sent electronically. All contact information can be found in
the “Damaged Bins Contact” sheet in the attached Excel document.
TABLE 4. DAMAGED TRASH COLLECTION CONTAINERS
Frequency Percentage (%)
YES 45 7.75%
NO 536 92.25%
TOTAL 581 100%
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