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New York, NY - 'Secret Shoppers' Rate New York City Services |
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New York, NY - City officials have begun sending observers into public agency walk-in facilities posing as clients and secretly assessing service, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
Employing methods common to private retail businesses, the program since May has used "secret shoppers" to visit offices and inquire about services from the perspective of a first-time customer.
The "CORE" program, an acronym for Customers Observing and Researching Experience, made more than 300 visits to agencies, rating them on five points: the ability to translate foreign languages, facility conditions, staffs' attitudes toward the public, how quickly waiting lines moved, and signage and access.
"In the private sector, it's common practice for companies to send what they call 'secret shoppers' into restaurants, stores and hotels," Bloomberg said. "You have to find out whether your people are helping the customer if you want to stay in business, and the city has to know whether we are helping the people we're supposed to serve."
After visits to 308 of the city's 713 walk-in facilities, 22 CORE observers gave them a rating of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale. Facility conditions received the highest percentage of "good" ratings, at 58 percent, and language access got the most "poor" ratings, at 45 percent, according to a report prepared by the mayor's office.
The ratings will be published in the Mayor's Management Report, an annual compendium of quality-of-life and agency performance statistics, the mayor said.
"Agencies will be held accountable for meeting citywide goals and for prioritizing the five elements of good service on which the CORE program was based," the report said.
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Read Comments (11) — Post Yours »
1
Sep 25, 2008 at 06:55 PM Anonymous Says:
They should go to US Immigration 26 federal plaza. They would lock up all the officers/idiots there.
2
Sep 25, 2008 at 06:59 PM palin Says:
Very good idea with our tax dollars 1.since when does the govt.have the right to grade my service.2. if I don't smile do u get a ticket? 3.last time I checked its the USA if u can't speak english U find a translator cause the next thing u know there will b a agency that will b writing tickets 4 everystore that has no translator
3
Sep 25, 2008 at 07:44 PM Anonymous Says:
how about rating how well the employees speak english, before evaluating are foreign language
4
Sep 25, 2008 at 08:47 PM shtinker Says:
can anyone come up with some other job for this wacked BLOOMBERG!!! Let him get off the backs of the hardworking New Yorkers! we all know how to deal with our clients. we need to work very hard to cover our Tickets expense! we are being given every split second you move around in this depressing city! they came up with another BIG Violation. if your registration on the windshield is mutulated and the MAMMA.. can't scan it with the devise and will actully "god forbid" have to type in your license manually then u r being summons for not having a readable reg. sticker. SO!! Leave us alone we pay enough for the Great City Life.. we do not enjoy
5
Sep 25, 2008 at 08:26 PM Moshe Says:
Palin; you misunderstood. He's only rating NYC agencies. Don't you think that's a great idea?
6
Sep 26, 2008 at 07:32 AM moshiach Says:
did anyone realize that next year is 5770 the year of 770
moshiach is coming near oy gevalt
7
Sep 26, 2008 at 11:12 AM Anonymous Says:
Is he also rating city employees and city agencies???
8
Sep 26, 2008 at 11:01 AM fed up Says:
instead of going around to private businessess... why doesnt he first start with the goverment for instance the POST OFFICE they are on break every ten minutes when they have 5 windows you have a maximum of 1 1/2 ppl working there that take forever. go to the customs at the airport very hard working ppl take forever and always in a bad mood like its my fault he has to sit in a 4x4 cell .... everyone is feeling the economic crisis except for the crazy bored billionaire who has nothing better to do with his life... ohhh and i forgot what about those ppl by the tolls oh very very friendly especially if you dont have the exact change....
9
Sep 26, 2008 at 01:36 PM Anonymous Says:
I wish you would all learn to READ. They were RATING CITY AGENCIES!!!!! ONLY!!!
They did not go into private places, stores, etc.
they went to DMV, Housing, etc.
HE IS THEIR BOSS, HE CAN AND SHOULD CHECK TO SEE IF THEY ARE DOING A GOOD JOB. half the time you cannot understand what the 'cholera" is telling you. try calling 311 or 911 and give them an address!
I called 911 to report an accident at JFK airport & the belt, AND SHE ASKED ME WHAT BORO IS THAT IN??
10
Sep 26, 2008 at 03:53 PM bigwheeel Says:
“ did anyone realize that next year is 5770 the year of 770
moshiach is coming near oy gevalt ”
I used to live at an address 277,485. I'm waiting for the Mega M #s to come in (on the ticket that i did[n't] buy)!!!
Juxtaposing the relevance of the street address to anything else!!!
11
Sep 26, 2008 at 03:59 PM bigwheeel Says:
“ instead of going around to private businessess... why doesnt he first start with the goverment for instance the POST OFFICE they are on break every ten minutes when they have 5 windows you have a maximum of 1 1/2 ppl working there that take forever. go to the customs at the airport very hard working ppl take forever and always in a bad mood like its my fault he has to sit in a 4x4 cell .... everyone is feeling the economic crisis except for the crazy bored billionaire who has nothing better to do with his life... ohhh and i forgot what about those ppl by the tolls oh very very friendly especially if you dont have the exact change.... ”
... And the people at the tolls, oh, very friendly...(facetious)!!!
...Did you ever try saying hello to the tollbooth attendants?! Try it once. Then, see their reaction.
p.s.: I don't work in a tollbooth, even though I see Thousands of cars, daily!!!