Final Report.pdf
City of Miami Beach Building Department
Benchmarking and Customer Service Analysis
Final Report
Submitted by:
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August 30, 2005
City of Miami Beach Building Department
Table of Contents
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARy,....................,....................,....................,...................." 1
2 BACKGROUND,....................,....................,....................,....................,.............., 5
3 BENCHMARKING ANALySiS,....................,....................,....................,.............. 6
3,1 METHODOLOGy,....................,....................,....................,....................,.......... 6
3,2 FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS,....................,....................,....................,.., 7
4 CUSTOMER SERVICE ANALySiS.................................................................... 10
4,1 METHODOLOGy,....................,....................,....................,....................,........ 10
4,1,1 CUSTOMER INTERCEPTS AND SURVEYS .........................................................., 10
4,1,2 Focus GROUPS ............................................................................................ 10
4,1,2,1 CUSTOMER Focus GROUP ........................................................................, 10
4,1,2,2 EMPLOYEE Focus GROUP .......................................................................... 11
4,2 CUSTOMER INTERCEPT AND SURVEY RESULTS ................................................ 11
4,2,1 CUSTOMER DEMOGRAPHICS .........................................................................., 11
4,2,2 CUSTOMER FEEDBACK,....................,....................,....................,.................., 12
4,2,2,1 BACKGROUND,....................,....................,....................,....................,.., 12
4,2,2,2 LEVELS OF SATISFACTION WITH THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT...................... 12
4,2,2,3 CORRELATION BETWEEN CONTRACTORS AND LEVELS OF SATISFACTION WITH
THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT,....................,....................,....................,.... 14
4,2,2.4 CORRELATION BETWEEN HOMEOWNERS AND LEVELS OF SATISFACTION WITH
THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT,....................,....................,....................,.... 16
4,2,2,5 CORRELATION BETWEEN PLANS EXPEDITERS AND LEVELS OF SATISFACTION
WITH THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT ............................................................ 17
4,2,2,6 PLANS REViEW,....................,....................,....................,....................,.. 18
4,2,2,7 INSPECTIONS,....................,....................,....................,....................,...., 20
EXHIBIT 1 - CUSTOMER SURVEY
EXHIBIT 2 - CUSTOMER SURVEY RAW DATA
City of Miami Beach Building Department
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report presents a summary of findings and recommendations resulting from a
benchmarking and customer service analysis of the City of Miami Beach Building
Department. The analysis consisted of:
. Conducting 40 customer intercepts to determine their perception of the City's
Building Department;
. Mailing out 150 surveys to customers currently seeking permits;
. Conducting a focus group session with various customer types, The focus group
included developers, trade organizations, contractors, and design professionals;
. Conducting a focus group with Department employees to solicit feedback on
intercept and survey results;
. Gathering and analyzing information from several local, state, and national
building departments;
. Gathering and analyzing information from other sources to determine appropriate
performance measures and baseline values for the Department; and
. Developing appropriate performance measures and baseline values,
In order to properly assess the performance of the Building Department and develop
performance measures and baseline values, a sound methodology was developed to
ensure that sufficient and accurate data was collected via the customer intercepts,
customer surveys, and focus group sessions, as well as internet research and follow-up
phone calls and emails to other building departments,
Benchmarking Analysis
JRD & Associates performed a benchmarking study which consisted of gathering and
analyzing information from local, state, and national building departments, In addition to
the City of Miami Beach, the municipalities whose building departments were analyzed
were Miami-Dade County, City of Miami, City of Coral Gables, City of Tampa, City of
Orlando, City of Fort Lauderdale, City of Coral Springs, City of Jacksonville, City of
Indianapolis, City of Cincinnati, Arlington County, VA, City of San Jose, CA, and City of
Charleston, SC,
The statistics and performance measures researched for each building department
were department budget, department staffing levels, number of permits issued, number
of plans reviewed, number of inspections performed, percentage of building inspection
requests completed within 24 hours, plans processing turn-around time for residential
and commercial, inspections performed per day per inspector, plans reviewed per day
per plans examiner, and customer satisfaction rates,
Based on the benchmarking figures, as well as the nature and complexity of
construction in the City, and the codes used to regulate the construction, it appears that
the City's Building Department is consistent in its performance with the benchmarked
municipalities, A performance measure that is in need of immediate attention is
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
customer satisfaction, JRD & Associates believes that an overall satisfaction rate of
85%, well above the current 62% (according to JRD's customer survey), is attainable,
The following are the benchmarked performance measures and the current baselines
and recommended targets for the Miami Beach Building Department:
Percentage of inspections performed within
24 hours of re uest
Plans processing turnaround time
Residential
Commercial
Ins ections er da er ins ector
Plans reviewed er da er lans examiner
Overall customer satisfaction rates
90-98%
95%
95%
7-22 da s
15-30da s
8,5-20
7-21
58-97 %
17 da s
30 da s
20
N/A
62%
15 da s
28 da s
17
12
85%
Additionally, the Department should track, for monitoring purposes, but not as a
performance target, inspection and plan rejection rates, It is recommended that a target
not be placed on rejection rates because the quality of construction (resulting in
inspections) and plans (resulting in plans review) depend on the customer and not on
the Department. Therefore, the Department must always reject inspections and plans
that are not code compliant and the target, if any, should be placed on the customer,
It is also recommended that a performance measure be developed for the time it takes
the City (all departments involved in the permitting process, not just Building) to issue a
permit. Building would include MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) permits, Even
though these permit types were not benchmarked because municipalities do not track
their time for turnaround, the MEP permits should, if tied to a Master permit, be issued
fairly quickly, within a couple of days,
For monitoring purposes, the following should be tracked:
. Total time to issue permits (days)
Time plans in Building Department
Time plans in Fire Department
Time plans in Zoning Department
Time plans in Public Works Department
Time plans in other agencies outside the City
Time plans with designer of record
This will allow for identification of bottlenecks in the process and permit the City to
address areas of deficiency within its control.
Customer Survey Analysis
A customer survey questionnaire (Exhibit 1) was developed to solicit feedback from
Department customers, The questionnaire was oriented toward determining customers'
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
perceptions on personnel, user-friendliness of the process, timely deliverables, layout of
the facilities, satisfaction with the fees, enforcement of code requirements, and overall
satisfaction with the Department. A total of 40 customer intercepts were performed,
Additionally, 150 surveys were mailed to customers who currently possess building
permits, and of these, 21 were received and analyzed,
The analysis demonstrated that the City has professional, knowledgeable, and
dedicated personnel involved in the construction permitting process, However, as
previously stated, only 62% of customers surveyed are satisfied with the level of service
they receive,
Among the most prevalent feedback/concerns received from customers was:
. The inability to contact City personnel via the telephone;
. The maximum walk-through review time of 15 minutes, even though some
reviewers take 45 minutes to review;
. The need for additional personnel at the permit counter;
. The need for creation of an express lane for small items;
. Q-Matic system's lack of holds or pauses, to allow customers to attend meetings
with officials or visit other offices,
. The Department not allowing permit applications to be dropped off for later
processing; and
. The Department not allowing simple permit applications to be processed and
paid for the same day,
The following are some of the recommendations that are provided within the report.
The City should consider:
. Implementing a simplified fee schedule to allow for Plans Examiners to expedite
the review of plans (eliminating the need for them to determine fees);
. Assessing the staffing levels at the front counter and/or cross-training the clerical
staff to cover peak demand times;
. Staggering lunch hours of front counter personnel to allow the front counter to
remain open longer hours;
. Providing an information counter that allows access the computer system to
check and track the status of permits, plans, and inspections, and can be
assigned to filter customer service calls;
. Enhancing its education efforts on the permitting process to the public; and
. Determining the validity and addressing some general concerns with the process
which are listed in section 4,2,2,6,
Hay Group Survey Analysis
The City engaged the Hay Group to perform a Citywide community satisfaction survey,
Even though the population surveyed by the Hay Group was City residents and
businesses, and the population surveyed by JRD & Associates was only Building
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
Department customers, the results of the Hay Group survey were analyzed as they
pertained to the Building Department. The following were the results of the analysis:
. Businesses:
- 41 % were satisfied with their overall experiences;
- 73% felt employees had proper training;
- 67% felt employees are courteous and professional;
- 44% felt the process is user-friendly;
- 38% felt that their requests are processed in a timely manner; and
- 35% felt that it is easy to get someone to assist them,
. Residents:
- 58% were satisfied with their overall experiences;
- 61 % felt employees had proper training;
- 58% felt employees are courteous and professional; and
- 51% felt that it is easy to get someone to assist them,
By comparison, those surveyed by JRD & Associates responded in the following
manner:
. 62% were satisfied with their overall experiences;
. 68% felt employees had proper training;
. 75% felt employees are courteous and professional;
. 45% felt the process is user-friendly;
. 66% felt that their requests are processed in a timely manner; and
. 67% felt that it is easy to get someone to assist them,
This report provides additional recommendations relating to customer perceptions of the
Building Department.
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
2 BACKGROUND
Due to an economic boom that has sprung from the refurbishment of the Art Deco
Historic District and the establishment of Miami Beach as one of the world's top tourist
destinations, construction is occurring in the City at a phenomenal pace, As such, the
Building Department (Department) is one of the City's busiest providers of public
service,
In order to keep up with this pace, it is important that the Department appropriately
provide these services, while meeting management and customer expectations, As a
result of the City's desire to assess the Department's performance relative to these
expectations, JRD & Associates, Inc, (JRD), an Industrial Engineering and Management
Consulting firm with significant expertise and experience in analyzing municipal building
departments, was engaged by the City of Miami Beach to conduct a benchmarking and
customer service analysis, Specifically, JRD was tasked with:
. Conducting 40 customer intercepts to determine their perception of the City's
Building Department;
. Mailing out 150 surveys to customers currently seeking permits;
. Conducting a focus group session with various customer types, including
developers, trade organizations, contractors, and design professionals;
. Conducting a focus group with Department employees to solicit feedback on
intercepts and survey results;
. Gathering and analyzing information from other building departments locally,
statewide, and nationally;
. Gathering and analyzing information from other sources to determine appropriate
performance measures and baseline values for the Department; and
. Developing appropriate performance measures and baseline values,
JRD has completed this review and is pleased to present its findings and
recommendations in this report.
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
3 BENCHMARKING ANALYSIS
3.1 METHODOLOGY
In order to properly assess the performance of the Department and develop
performance measures and baseline values, a sound methodology was developed to
ensure that sufficient and accurate data was collected via customer intercepts,
customer surveys, and focus group sessions, as well as internet research and follow-up
phone calls and emails to other building departments,
JRD performed a benchmarking study which consisted of gathering and analyzing
information from other building departments locally, statewide, and nationally, In
addition to the City of Miami Beach, the following are the municipalities whose building
departments were analyzed for this benchmarking study:
. Miami-Dade County
. City of Miami
. City of Coral Gables
. City of Tampa
. City of Orlando
. City of Fort Lauderdale
. City of Coral Springs
. City of Jacksonville
. City of Indianapolis, IN
. City of Cincinnati, OH
. Arlington County, VA
. City of San Jose, CA
. City of Charleston, SC
The analysis consisted of internet research to gather statistics and performance
measures, budget analyses, and follow-up phone calls and emails to the building
department directors, The following are the statistics and performance measures that
were researched for each building department:
Statistics
. Budget;
. Staffing levels;
. Number of permits issued;
. Number of plans reviewed; and
. Number of inspections performed,
PerrormanceMeasures
. Percentage of building inspection requests completed within 24 hours;
. Plans processing turn-around time for residential and commercial structures;
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
. Inspections performed per day per inspector;
. Plans reviewed per day per plans examiner; and
. Customer satisfaction rates,
3.2 FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Table 1 depicts the grid listing each of the municipalities' statistics,
Table 1
Benchmarking Analysis Statistics
City of Miami Beach 4568255 63 full-time, 1 part-time 20,000 30,000 80,000
FY04-05
Miami-Dade County 36,004,000 179 (Building and Trades) 98,254 204,537 474,982
FY04-05
City of Miami 6,195,034 82 (Department) 22,982 46,882 104,744 (includesCUs,
FY04-05 Complaints)
City of Coral Gables 6,282,000 26 6,650 13,300 49,772
FY04-05
CityofTampa 9,748,987 128 (Department) 34,450 25,820 136,000
FY2005
City of Orlando 4,%1,905 68 31,000 NfA 90,000
FY04-05
City of Fort Lauderdale 7,080,078 88 NfA 50,121 102,104
FY03-04
City of Coral Springs 2578317 34 5,705 7,888 34,305
FY2004
City of Jacksonville 11,905,508 103 (Department) 94,045 NfA 250,350
FY04-05
City of Indianapolis 6,815,000 105 31,000 NfA NfA
FY2004
City of Cincinnati 5,291,920 101 (Department) NfA NfA NfA
FY2004
Arlington County, VA 10,796,864 119.1 (Department) 12,000 8,000 34,000
FY2005
San Jose, CA 22,682,235 207.45 (Department) 33,000 7,900 228,000
FY04-05
Charleston,SC 10,657,298 214 (Department) 14,237 NfA 32,998
FY2004
PerrormanceMeasures
The following performance measures and baseline values were developed for the
Department. The table below depicts the range of benchmarks, Miami Beach's current
baselines, and the recommended target values,
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
Table 2
Performance Measures
Percentage of inspections performed within
24 hours of re uest
Plans processing turnaround time
Residential
Commercial
Ins ections er da er ins ector
Plans reviewed er da er lans examiner
Overall customer satisfaction rates
90-98%
95%
95%
7-22 days
15-30da s
8,5-20
7-21
58-97 %
17 days
30 da s
20
N/A
62%
15 days
28 da s
17
12
85%
Additionally, the Department should track, for monitoring purposes but not as a
performance measure, inspection and plan rejection rates, It is recommended that a
target not be placed on rejection rates because the quality of construction (resulting in
inspections) and plans (resulting in plans review) depend on the customer and not on
the Department. Therefore, the Department must always reject inspections and plans
that are not code compliant and the target, if any, should be placed on the customer,
It is also recommended that a performance measure be developed for the time it takes
the City (all departments involved in the permitting process, not just Building) to issue a
permit. Building would include MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) permits, Even
though these permit types were not benchmarked because municipalities do not track
their time for turnaround, the MEP permits should, if tied to a Master permit, be issued
fairly quickly, within a couple of days,
For monitoring purposes, the following should be tracked:
. Total time to issue permits (days)
Time plans in Building Department
Time plans in Fire Department
Time plans in Zoning Department
Time plans in Public Works Department
Time plans in other agencies outside the City
Time plans with designer of record
This will allow for identification of bottlenecks in the process and permit the City to
address areas of deficiency within its control.
Based on the benchmarking figures (range), as well as the nature and complexity of
construction in the City and the codes used to regulate it, the above targets are
recommended, Table 2 indicates that the City's Building Department is consistent in its
performance with the benchmarked municipalities, particularly those in Miami-Dade
County and the State of Florida, A performance measure that appears to be in the need
of immediate attention is customer satisfaction, JRD believes that an overall
satisfaction rate of 85%, well above the current 62% (according to JRD's customer
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
survey), is attainable, The following chapter describes in detail the findings and
recommendations from the survey,
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
4 CUSTOMER SERVICE ANALYSIS
4.1 METHODOLOGY
A customer survey questionnaire (Exhibit 1) was developed to solicit feedback from
Department customers, The questionnaire was oriented toward determining customers'
perceptions on personnel, user-friendliness of the process, timely deliverables, layout of
the facilities, satisfaction with the fees, enforcement of code requirements, and overall
satisfaction with the Department.
4.1.1 CUSTOMER INTERCEPTS AND SURVEYS
Customer intercepts were performed during walk-through hours at the Building
Department on the following dates:
. March 9, 2005
. March 10, 2005
. March 11, 2005
A total of 40 customer intercepts were performed, Additionally, 150 surveys were
mailed to customers who currently possess building permits, They were randomly
selected from a list provided by the City, A total of 21 surveys were received and
analyzed, The results of the intercepts and surveys are detailed throughout this
chapter,
4.1.2 Focus GROUPS
4.1.2.1 CUSTOMER Focus GROUP
To solicit additional feedback, JRD & Associates conducted a focus group session for:
. Trade Associations
. Developers
. Contractors and Design Professionals
The following are some general comments gathered from the focus group session:
. Customers are not allowed to approach the permit counter to ask a question
without a process number;
. Appointments with staff are frequently canceled;
. Plans Examiners should be allowed to review as many process numbers as they
can from one customer;
. Customers are willing to pay up to a 25% fee increase to receive better service;
. The lobby area does not accommodate many people;
. Customers would like computer terminals, printers, and a fax available to them;
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
. The Q-Matic system should be checked for errors because customers are being
eliminated from the queue one to two times per week,
. The 15 minute review time limit for Q-Matic should be changed;
4.1.2.2 EMPLOYEE Focus GROUP
An employee focus group session was conducted to solicit feedback from staff
regarding the implementation of performance measures and targets, and address
customer feedback, In general, staff was very open to initiatives that would result in
efficiency gains, but cautioned against targets that could influence code enforcement
(i.e, - rejection rates),
4.2 CUSTOMER INTERCEPT AND SURVEY RESULTS
4.2.1 CUSTOMER DEMOGRAPHICS
As previously mentioned, the project team performed customer intercepts and mailed
out surveys to gather customers' perceptions on personnel, user-friendliness of the
process, timely deliverables, layout of the facilities, satisfaction with the fees,
enforcement of the code requirements, and overall satisfaction with the building
department. A total of 61 intercepts and surveys were analyzed resulting in the figures
represented throughout this chapter, Figure 1 illustrates that 59% of the customers
intercepted and/or surveyed were contractors,
Figure 1
Custom e r Type
Homeowner
10%
Plans
Expediter
31%
Contractor
59%
A large majority (91 %) of the customers surveyed were repeat customers, as depicted
in Figure 2 below, This is encouraging because it demonstrates the continuous work
that is taking place in the City,
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
Figure 2
Firsl,time vs, Repeat Customers
First-Time
9%
Repeat
91%
4.2.2 CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
4.2.2.1
BACKGROUND
This section incorporates customer intercept and survey feedback, The questions
asked to the customers were regarding:
. Staffing
. User-friendly process
. Timely responses and turnaround
. Facilities
. Fees
. Code enforcement
. Overall satisfaction
The scale that was used in the customer surveys was from 1-5, 1 being strongly agrees,
4.2.2.2 LEVELS OF SATISFACTION WITH THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT
The analysis demonstrated that the City has professional, knowledgeable, and
dedicated personnel involved in the construction permitting process, However, only
62% of customers surveyed are satisfied (strongly agree and agree) with the level of
service they receive, as is evidenced by Figure 3 below, The figures that follow show
the correlations between overall satisfaction with the Building Department and customer
types, It should be noted that some customers were not comfortable with answering
certain questions and thus the "no answer" responses,
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
Figure 3
Code enforcement
Fees
Satisfaction Levels with the Building Department
It was easy to get to someone wtlo could help me
The employees that assisted me were courteous and professional
The employees that assisted me had the proper training and knowledge
The process is user-friendly and easy to understand
The requests made by my business are processed in a timely manner
Layout of the facilities
O..erall, I was satisfied with the experience I had with the Building Department
Staffing
As a whole, 77% of the customers felt the personnel in the Building Department are
accessible, A customer stated, "the people in this Department are very helpful."
However, many customers expressed that there is a lack of staff to keep up with the
City's workload, Lack of sufficient permit counter personnel is one of the main areas of
concern for customers,
A consistent complaint made by many of the customers was the inability to contact City
personnel via telephone, "They don't return your phone calls and more often than not,
their voicemail is full so you cannot leave a message," stated one customer, Perhaps a
dedicated person that is knowledgeable enough to answer questions and has
access to the computer system to check and track the status of permits, plans,
and inspections, can be assigned to filter customer requests via an information
counter.
In addition, many customers expressed that permit counter personnel are not
accessible, for example, "there are four windows available yet only two people are
working the counter," It was also suggested that lunch hours should be staggered, so
the front counter can remain open longer hours,
Overall, 75% of the customers surveyed felt Department personnel are courteous and
professional. One of the customers expressed that "plan reviewers and inspectors are
very good," On the other hand, 5% of the customers felt there is a lack of customer
service skills in the department. For example, one customer expressed, "with the
exception of the plans router, most of the staff needs to work on their people skills,"
In general, customers felt that the City has knowledgeable personnel in the Department,
as depicted in Figure 3, where 68% of the customers are satisfied in this area,
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
User-Friendly Process
As shown above, 22% of the customers surveyed felt the process is not user-friendly, It
was mentioned that obtaining a process number from the Q-Matic system is confusing,
Even though there is some information available for the customers, the City should
enhance its education efforts to the public on the permitting process.
Timely Responses and Turnaround
Generally, most customers (66%) felt that the Building Department processed their
requests in a timely manner, This depicts the efficiency and effectiveness of the
Department.
Facilities
As shown above, 61 % of the customers are satisfied with the facilities provided to
conduct their business, Tables, stamps, a telephone, water fountains, and lockers are
currently provided by the Department. Several customers expressed that "they liked the
fact that lockers were provided," As a consensus, customers would like to have
computer terminals, printers, and a fax machine available, In contrast, a customer
mentioned that he would like to see a change in the location of the number scanner, It
is currently located above several chairs in the plans router area and the customers felt
that this scanner could be moved under the blackboard panel displaying the queue,
Fees
As shown above, many of the customers surveyed (56%) considered the fees to be
satisfactory, while 12% of the customers felt that the fees are too high and/or
unreasonable, A customer expressed that "the price increase on permits has been
incredible," Apparently, the recent fee increase is a concern for customers and the City
should implement a simplified fee schedule which could change customers'
perceptions, Additionally, implementing a simplified fee schedule will allow Plans
Examiners to expedite the review of plans (eliminating the need for them to determine
fees),
Code Enforcement
As a whole, 69% of the customers felt satisfied that the building code is consistently
enforced, This indicates good staff training because this is typically a complaint in many
building departments,
4.2.2.3 CORRELATION BETWEEN CONTRACTORS AND LEVELS OF SATISFACTION WITH THE
BUILDING DEPARTMENT
Figure 4 represents the correlation between contractors, the most frequent customers,
and their satisfaction with the Department. As depicted in the figure, 65% of the
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
contractors are satisfied or very satisfied with the Department; on the other hand, 21 %
of the contractors surveyed are not. As regular customers of the City, their concerns
should be taken into consideration when improving the permitting process and on a
periodic basis as a method of continuous feedback and improvement.
Figure 4
Correlation between Contractors and Satisfaction levels with the Building Department
0% Strongly Agree . % Agree 11% Neither II % Disagree IiiI % Strongly Disagree E1% No Answer
Fees
It was easy to get to someone who could help me
The employees that assisted mewerecourteous and professional
The employees that assisted me had the proper training and knowledge
The process is user-friendly and easy to understand
The requests made bymybusiness are processed in a timely manner
Layout of the facilities
Code enforcement
Overall, I was satisfied with the experience I had with the Building Department
Staffing
As clearly illustrated in Figure 4 above, 66% of the contractors surveyed felt personnel
are readily accessible however, 18% felt otherwise, One customer expressed to JRD
that, "they need more permit counter clerks," The Department should consider
assessing the staffing levels of the permit counter to determine validity of
customer concerns in this area and/or cross-training the clerical staff to cover
peak demand times.
Overall, 72% of the contractors felt personnel are courteous and professional, the other
16% felt the opposite,
As shown above, 71 % of the contractors surveyed, felt that personnel are
knowledgeable and have proper training, This is a good indication of the Department as
a whole due to the fact that its main customers, contractors, were complimentary of
staff.
Timely Responses and Turnaround
As depicted above, 18% of the contractors surveyed felt their requests are not
processed in a timely manner, This is consistent with complaints that plans are not
turned around in a timely manner, which is contrary to the Department's current
baselines,
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
Facilities
As shown in Figure 4, 67% of the contractors are satisfied with the facilities provided to
conduct their business, Several customers expressed, "they could use computer
terminals, printers and a fax machine," The Department should assess whether
these items would result in simplifying components of the process and make
customers happy, if cost efficient.
Code Enforcement
Of the contractors surveyed, 69% considered the code to be enforced consistently,
4.2.2.4
CORRELATION BETWEEN HOMEOWNERS AND LEVELS OF SATISFACTION WITH THE
BUILDING DEPARTMENT
As clearly illustrated in Figure 5 below, 59% of the homeowners surveyed are satisfied
with the overall process, Although only six homeowners were surveyed, they are the
occasional customer of the City's permitting process, but are typically the most
confused,
Figure 5
Correlation between Homeowners and Satisfaction levels with the Building Department
0% Strongly Agree B% Agree II % Neither 1il!I% Disagree liD % Strongly Disagree EiI% No Answer
Fees
It was easytogetto someone who could help me
The employees that assisted mewerecourteous and professional
The employees that assisted mehad the proper training and knowled ge
The process is user-friendly and easy to understand
The requests made bymybusiness are processed in a timelymanner
Layout of the facilities
Code enforcement
Overall, I was satisfied with the experience I had with the Building Department
Staffing
As depicted above, 58% of the homeowners surveyed felt Department personnel are
accessible, courteous, professional, and knowledgeable, This is a great reflection on
the staff, given that the homeowner is usually the most confused customer,
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
User-Friendly Process
Unlike contractors, which are the most frequent customers, the homeowner or
occasional customer is typically unfamiliar with the permitting process and the Florida
Building Code, and generally encounters more difficulties with fulfilling his/her
construction needs, These difficulties appear to arise from a lack of public education
and understanding of the steps necessary to perform construction in the City, A
customer expressed "there is no instruction on what to do; I didn't know I could come at
1 :30 pm to get my plans processed," To facilitate the permit process for the first-
time or occasional customer, the Department should take steps to better to
educate the public. As shown above, 33% of the homeowners felt the process is not
easy to follow, This lack of process instructions can lead to confusion and cause
congestion in the Department.
Timely Responses and Turnaround
The homeowner, being the mostly confused customer of the Department, was satisfied
(59%) with the timely manner in which his/her requests are processed,
4.2.2.5
CORRELATION BETWEEN PLANS EXPEDITERS AND LEVELS OF SATISFACTION WITH
THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT
Plans expediters, as previously mentioned, spend a significant amount of time at the
City dealing with permitting issues, Figure 6 depicts the correlation between the plans
expediters and their satisfaction with the Department. As is clear, only 63% are
satisfied with the services they receive, As regular customers of the City, their concerns
should also be taken into consideration when improving the permitting process and on a
periodic basis as a method of continuous feedback and improvement.
Figure 6
Correlation between Plans Expediters and Satisfaction levels with the Building Deparbnent
[] % Strongly Agree . % Agree IiII % Neither liII % Disagree II1II % Strongly Disagree IiII % NoAnswer
Fees
It was easy to getto someone who could help me
Theemployeesthatassistedmewerecourteous and professional
The employees thatassisted me had the proper training and knowledge
The process is user-friendly and easy to understand
The requests made bymybusiness are processed in a timely manner
Layout of the facilities
Code enforcement
Overall, Iwas satisfied with the experience I had with the Building Department
Page 17
City of Miami Beach Building Department
Staffing
Figure 6, illustrates that 79% of the plans expediters surveyed felt that Department
personnel are accessible and 87% felt they are professional and courteous, In addition,
75% of the plans expediters surveyed felt that staff is knowledgeable and have proper
training, This is a positive sign because the plans expediters are the customers
spending the most time at the City on permitting issues,
User-Friendly Process
Surprisingly, 24% of the plans expediters felt the process is not easy to follow, A
customer expressed "they need to streamline the process, one person tells you one
thing then someone else tells you another," As previously stated, to facilitate the permit
process the Department should take steps to better to educate all of its
customers.
Timely Responses and Turnaround
76% of the plans expediters surveyed were satisfied with the timely manner in which
his/her requests are processed,
Code Enforcement
Of the plans expediters surveyed, 79% considered the code to be enforced consistently,
4.2.2.6 PLANS REVIEW
In addition to analyzing the customer feedback by customer type, JRD also analyzed
the feedback by process, Separating these two processes, plans review and
inspections, provides a better representation of the satisfaction levels of the
Department's customers,
Customers' levels of satisfaction with the plans review process is illustrated below in
Figure 7, Customers were asked to rate the plans review process on a scale of 1-5, 1
being strongly agree, As depicted below, 66% of the customers surveyed felt satisfied
with the plans review process; on the other hand, 14% felt otherwise,
Page 18
City of Miami Beach Building Department
Figure 7
Overall Satisfaction with Plans Review
Fees
It was easy to getto someone who could help me
The employees that assisted mewerecourteous and professional
The employees that assisted mehadthepropertrainingand knowledg e
The process is user-friendly and easy to understand
The requests made bymybusiness are processed in a timelymanner
Layout of the facilities
Code enforcement
Overall, I was satisfied with the experience I had with the Building Department
Staffing
As shown in Figure 7, 73% of customers felt that the Plans Examiners are accessible,
77% felt they are courteous and professional, while 69% felt they are knowledgeable,
User-Friendly Process
As clearly illustrated in Figure 7 above, 54% of the customers felt the permitting process
is easy to follow, while 18% felt otherwise, The following are some general customer
concerns/recommendations with the process:
. Permit applications should be dropped off for later processing;
. An express lane should be created for simple permits, such as fences, and they
should be processed and paid for the same day;
. The Q-Matic numbering system should have pauses or holds to permit
customers to attend meetings with officials/inspectors and not loose their place in
line;
. The Q-Matic numbering system does not give the option to cancel a number,
resulting in non-used numbers to be called upon;
. Obtaining a process number from the Q-Matic system is confusing; and
. The Department is better organized and labeled (signage) but customers are not
allowed to approach the permit counter to ask a question without a process
number,
The Department should examine that validity of each of these customer
concerns/recommendations and take appropriate action where necessary.
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
Timely Responses and Turnaround
Although 67% of the customers surveyed felt their plan review requests are processed
in a timely manner, several customers informed JRD that "the plans reviewers have a
maximum review time of 15 minutes, plans requiring longer reviews had to be dropped
off, but many reviewers do not take notice of that rule and spend 45 minutes on these
plans, thus resulting in longer waiting times," Department management should
evaluate and validate address this issue and enact and enforce an appropriate
policy.
Code Enforcement
Consistent and uniform plan reviews are critical. As depicted in Figure 7,74% of the
customers felt that Plans Examiners enforce the building code consistently,
4.2.2.7
INSPECTIONS
Customers' levels of satisfaction with the inspection process are illustrated in Figure 8,
Customers were asked to rate the inspection process on a scale of 1-5, 1 being strongly
agree, As depicted below, 62% of the customers surveyed felt satisfied with the
inspection process,
Figure 8
Overall Satisfaction with Inspections
0% Strongly Agree l1li % Agree l1li% Neither I!liI % Disagree II!I% Strongly Disagree l1li% NoAIlswer
Fees
It was easy to getto someone who could helpme
The employees that assisted mewere courteous and professional
The employees that assisted me had ltle proper training and knowledg e
The process is user-friendly and easy to understand
The requests made by my business are processed in atimelymanner
Layout of the facilities
Code enforcement
Overall, I was satisfied with the experience I had with the Building Department
Staffing
In general, (66%) customers felt the inspectors are accessible, but 15% felt they are
not. Several customers mentioned that "inspectors do not answer their phone to let you
know the time of the inspection, therefore you don't know the time of the inspection,"
When the Department implements its automation initiatives, this situation should be
remedied,
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City of Miami Beach Building Department
In addition, 76% of the customers surveyed felt that inspectors are courteous and
professional and 72% felt they are knowledgeable and had the proper training,
Timely Responses and Turnaround
68% of the customers surveyed felt their inspection requests are processed in a timely
manner, but many mentioned that inspections do not occur 24 hours after request,
which is contrary to the Department's current baselines,
Code Enforcement
As clearly seen in Figure 8, 69% of the customers surveyed are satisfied with the
consistent enforcement of the building code with respect to inspections, These levels of
satisfaction are a good reflection on the Department.
Page 21
Exhibit 1
Customer Survey
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111' Ihlridl E!1 lilt [" . \L,Ji;il_'~(,1I1 III. (,onC,iil[;IIII\
City of Miami Beach
Building Department
Customer Survey
1, Are you a contractor, plans runner, or owner-builder?
2, Is this your first time processing plans (how often)?
3, Type of construction (commercial or residential)?
4, Which trade(s) do you interact with?
a, Plans Review
b, Inspections
5, Type of project?
6, Are Building Department personnel readily accessible?
Date:
Time:
7, Turnaround time for plans processing?
8, Overall satisfaction (1-5, 1=Strongly agree, 2= Agree, 3=Neither, 4=Disagree,
5=Strongly Disagree)
Plans Inspections Other
Review (Specifv)
a It was easy to get to someone who could
help me
b The employees that assisted me were
courteous and professional
c The employees that assisted me had the
proper traininq and knowledqe
d The process is user-friendly and easy to
understand
e The requests made by my business are
processed in a timely manner
f Layout of the facilities
g Fees
h Enforcement of Code requirements
i Overall, I was satisfied with the experience I
had with the Building Department
9, Overall suggestions on streamlining process?
10, Comments/Observation
Exhibit 2
Customer Survey Raw Data