Increasing Client Responses to the Satisfaction Survey

MCHD conducted its second client satisfaction survey in 2016, with a dismal response rate. The survey was open over a 2-month period, but fewer than 10 surveys were actually completed. To increase the survey response rate and hopefully provide information on which to base future QI efforts, a QI team was established to determine one or more ways to significantly increase the number of responses to our client survey. The QI team brainstormed possible root causes, settling on lack of adequate distribution and opportunities for convenient completion of the survey. The team then brainstormed possible solutions. The top two solutions identified were to make the survey available to clients via a tablet computer, so the survey could be completed electronically in person, and to make the survey available to clients on paper with a postage-paid return envelope, so the survey could be completed later and returned to MCHD. This initiative affected the clients who receive services, the employees who provide services, and the MCHD leaders who intend to use data obtained through the survey process as a basis for continuous improvement.

When using the electronic survey option in the clinic, the first question of the survey was whether the client wished to accept or decline the opportunity to complete the survey. This question was meant to capture the number of clients who were offered the survey. All survey responses were accessed via SurveyMonkey, which allowed for tracking of the overall number of surveys completed and the percentage of surveys offered that were actually completed. When using the paper survey option in the environmental health division, a fixed number of surveys was made available to staff each week, so the exact number of surveys distributed was known. Survey responses received via mail were entered into a separate SurveyMonkey data collector for ease of reporting. Again, staff could track the overall number of surveys completed and the percentage of surveys offered that were actually completed. Although the percentage of survey responses was not tracked during the 2016 client survey, the team felt that the baseline was well below 30% and knew that only three surveys had been completed. This led to the establishment of a 30% survey response rate as a reasonable target outcome.