Cultivating a Service Culture by Asking for Feedback and Getting It!

In 2018, UC Davis launched a survey tool developed and administered by UC San Diego to collect and analyze confidential data from customers of university administrative services. We wanted to establish a framework for continually assessing the effectiveness of our services. Survey results have revealed where services are highly valued, and where opportunities exist to enhance our programs. 

View interactive survey results for 2018-2023

Fifth Year Highlights (2023)

• The survey was distributed to 10,131 UC Davis employees, including academics and staff members on the Davis campus, with 2,378 responses (23% response rate). 
• The survey evaluated 64 service lines. Seven service lines received an “Excellent” rating (4.30 and higher), and 44 service lines were rated in the “Good” range (3.60 to 4.29).
• Respondents expressed high levels of satisfaction with the individuals who provide support, similar to results from the previous survey in 2021. Specifically, high satisfaction levels were reported for Knowledgeable Staff (“Excellent” in 19 service lines), Helpful Staff (“Excellent” in 17 service lines) and Accessible to Customers (“Excellent” in 11 service lines).

Fourth Year Highlights (2021)

• The survey was distributed to 11,438 staff and academic employees from UC Davis, with 1,785 responses (16% response rate). This year's survey was not distributed to UC Davis Health employees and unlike previous years did not include swag gifts as an incentive for completing the survey.
• Of 64 service lines evaluated, there was a marked increase in "Excellent" overall ratings with 11 service lines rated in the “Excellent” range (4.30 and higher) and 45 were in the “Good” range (3.60 to 4.29).
• Similar to 2020 results, respondents expressed high levels of satisfaction with the individuals who provide support, with high level of satisfaction for Knowledgeable Staff (strength in 45 service lines), Helpful Staff (34 service lines) and Accessible to Customers (31 service lines).

Third Year Highlights (2020)

• Of the 60 service lines rated, 39 were in the “Good” range (3.60 to 4.29) and three were in the “Excellent” range (4.30 and higher).
• Respondents were particularly satisfied with the individuals who provide support, with high level of satisfaction for Knowledgeable Staff (strength in 47 service lines), Helpful Staff (39 service lines) and Accessible to Customers (34 service lines).
• The survey received 6,024 responses, which is 23% of the 26,715 UC Davis and UC Davis Health employees invited to take the survey. Some responses may have been affected by workplace disruptions related to COVID-19.

Second Year Highlights (2019)

• In all, 423,155 data points were collected from questions and verbatim comments.
• When matched against other institutions using the same survey tool, five UC Davis service lines were ranked first in class, and another seven services came in second.
• Questions rated highest overall were those related to Knowledgeable Staff (3.99) and Helpful Staff (4.00).
• Of the service lines evaluated both years, 15 increased in Net Promotor Score – which is the likelihood of someone recommending the service if asked.
• Of those service lines evaluated twice, responses became more positive on 61 percent of the questions.
• The second year of the Academic and Staff Satisfaction Survey also saw an increase in the number of total respondents — with 7,492 responses out of 26,921 employees invited to take the survey (28% response rate).

First Year Highlights (2018)

• On a rating scale of 1 to 5, 24% of units (10 of 41) scored in the 4.0 range or higher in the first year.
• When UC San Diego first launched their Customer Satisfaction Survey, there were zero units that received 4.0 or higher.
• The survey received evaluations from 6,905 respondents in its first year (30%), more than any other college or university that conducts the same survey by more than 2,000 responses.
• Response rates from other campuses are 5–30%.