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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07. Business Survey Report for Town CouncilVAIL COMMUNITY BUSINESS SURVEY TOWN COUNCIL PRESENTATION TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 3 Methodology 4 Business Information 5 Customer Service from the Town 9 Communication & Engagement 12 Special Events 16 Marketing 20 Safety & Security 25 Community Vision & Collaboration 28 Employee Services 32 Transportation & Parking 35 Housing 38 Loading & Environmental Programs 45 Key Findings 48 INTRODUCTION This survey is intended to provide Vail’s Town Council and town staff insight into how the business community views their relationship with the Town as well as how public policies are impacting businesses in Vail. There was is specific interest in gathering feedback on: 1.The Quality of the Town of Vail’s Services 2.Effectiveness of Communications 3.How Policies & Programs Focused on Events, Housing, Transit, Parking, etc. Impact Local Businesses 3 METHODOLOGY To gauge sentiments of local businesses, RRC was engaged to create and administer a survey of Vail businesses. The questions were 100% online and promoted via: •Postcards mailed to all business licensees in Vail (615) •Personal delivery of additional cards to local businesses by senior Town staff •Additional telephone outreach by the VCBA The survey was open from February 1 through March 18 and a total of 67 were completed online for a response rate of 11%. Total Surveys Completed 67 4 BUSINESS INFORMATION TYPE OF BUSINESS RESPONDENTS Predictably, most respondents are in the tourism industry with nearly three quarters in the retail, restaurant or lodging sectors. 6 NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES Most respondents are small businesses: two-thirds had 10 or fewer employees. 7 LOCATION OF BUSINESS Six in 10 respondents were in Vail Village. Overall, most respondents (nearly 80%) were located either in Vail Village or Lionshead. 8 CUSTOMER SERVICE FROM THE TOWN OVERALL SERVICE FROM TOWN STAFF Satisfaction with overall services received from the Town of Vail is quite positive. Sixty percent of respondents are “Generally” or “Very Satisfied” while just 9% report they are dissatisfied. 10 SATISFACTION WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE Looking at specifics, respondents were quite positive on their experience obtaining business and liquor licenses as well as remitting sales tax. Parking attendants and Front Desk staff also rated highly along with interaction with police and fire personnel. Building permits and plan review are the biggest pain point in dealing with the Town. Percent Responding: 1 & 2 3 4 & 5 Obtaining liquor permits Avg. 4.3 n=21 Obtaining business licenses and remitting sales tax Avg. 4.2 n=58 Scheduling fire inspections Avg. 3.7 n=40 Parking hosts and booth attendant helpfulness Avg. 4.0 n=46 Front desk/reception Avg. 3.9 n=40 Calling upon Fire, Police or Code Enforcement(for non-emergency services)Avg. 3.7 n=51 Finding out information from the Town(website, televised meetings, direct contact with staff)Avg. 3.6 n=60 Purchasing parking passes Avg. 3.1 n=43 Obtaining plan review and/or building permits Avg. 2.6 n=34 32% 52%33% 50%31% 25%48% 33%39% 38%25% 33%29% 27%28% 5% 5% 18% 7% 10% 18% 18% 30% 50% 10% 14% 10% 22% 28% 20% 27% 35% 35% 86% 81% 73% 72% 63% 63% 55% 35% 15% The Town wants to understand “how we’re doing” when it comes to servicing your needs as a Vail business. How would you rate thelevel of service related to the following? Source: RRC 11 COMMUNICATION & ENGAGEMENT SOURCES OF TOWN INFORMATION Nearly two thirds of respondents still rely on the Vail Daily as their primary source of information for what is happening at the Town. Other common sources include E-News and the Town’s website. 13 STAFF RESPONSE & COMMUNICATION Businesspeople are generally happy with the timeliness and quality of service they receive from Town staff. However, they tend to feel the Town is not as transparent with information as it could be when dealing with local businesses. Percent Responding: 1 & 2 3 4 & 5 How well does staff respond back to you (timeliness, knowledge, problem solving)?Avg. 3.5 n=54 How easy is it to reach staff at the Town to help with a question/problem?Avg. 3.3 n=56 How effective are these methods at getting important information to you?Avg. 3.3 n=62 How transparent do you think the Town is with information to the business community?Avg. 3.0 n=59 17% 20% 18% 22% 26%26% 23%25% 16%19% 17% 22% 29% 18% 34% 26% 23% 47% 36% 52% 48% 35% 31% How well would you rate the Town on the following? Source: RRC 14 QUALITY OF COMMUNICATION FOR EVENTS Businesses are split on how well the Town communicates on potential event impacts. 56% say Town staff does a good to excellent job and 44% rate communication as fair or poor. 15 SPECIAL EVENTS SUPPORT FOR SPECIAL EVENT FUNDING By a wide margin, respondents are in favor of the Town investing in special events in Vail. 17 EVENT IMPACTS ON BUSINESS Two thirds of respondents say there are specific events in Vail that benefit their businesses. GoPro Mountain Games, sports camps/tournaments and concerts were mentioned. 18 EVENT IMPACTS ON BUSINESS Businesses are split on whether some events have a negative impact on their operations or revenue. Examples of negative events include those that occur on Meadow Drive and any that result in tents blocking visibility of stores. 19 MARKETING VLMD AWARENESS While most businesses are aware of the VLMD, there is still a significant number (37%) who are not familiar with the Marketing District. 21 AWARENESS OF DISCOVERVAIL.COM There is much stronger awareness of the online marketing efforts done via DiscoverVail.com. 22 EASE OF USING MARKETING RESOURCES Of those who are or have utilized the website and VLMD resources, 55% of respondents are either neutral or positive on the ease of using them. Just 10% find them difficult to use. 23 RATING DISCOVERVAIL.COM There is generally positive feedback on the website with 38% rating it good or excellent and just 5% saying it does a poor job of representing Vail. 24 SAFETY & SECURITY RATING PUBLIC SAFETY IN VAIL Vail’s public safety ratings would be the envy of most communities. 85% agree that the Town provides a safe and secure environment and just 9% disagree. 26 EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS Nearly two thirds say the Town does a good or excellent job of communicating emergency situations that affect businesses. Just 4% say emergency communication is poor. 27 COMMUNITY VISION & COLLABORATION TOWN OF VAIL VISION Nearly half of respondents agree that the Town of Vail provides a visionary role for the future while about a third are neutral and 21% disagree. 29 TOWN COLLABORATION WITH BUSINESS Results are mixed on the how businesses view collaboration efforts by the Town. A plurality of 39% rate the efforts as “average” and about a quarter say they are good or excellent. However, nearly a quarter rate collaboration as “poor.” 30 AWARENESS OF ENGAGEVAIL.COM Over two thirds of business respondents are not aware of EngageVail.com. Clearly there is more promotion needed for the online outreach effort. 31 EMPLOYEE SERVICES USING EMPLOYEE PROGRAMS At least a quarter of employees use either the PRIMA Vail employee engagement program or the employee training development opportunities offered by the Vail Valley Partnership. 33 PRIMA VAIL IMPACTS PRIMA Vail has boosted employees’ abilities to engage with customers and coworkers for nearly two thirds of respondents. 34 TRANSPORTATION & PARKING BUS SERVICE IN VAIL Most employers are happy with Vail’s bus routes and schedules. Nearly two thirds say they are adequate and just 17% said they are not. 36 PARKING RATES AND PASSES IN VAIL Results are mixed for parking impacts on both customers and employees. About half say that parking challenges impact customers negatively while half say they have zero or a positive impact. Results are slightly more negative when considering impacts on employees. Given that parking is a pain point in virtually all busy resort towns, these numbers are relatively positive. 37 HOUSING EMPLOYEE HOUSING INVESTMENTS Roughly a third of businesses have invested in housing for their workers. Most of that investment occurred in the Town of Vail. 39 FUTURE EMPLOYEE HOUSING INVESTMENTS About a quarter of respondents plan to invest in employee housing in the next three years and an equal number are unsure. 40 USE OF TOWN HOUSING PROGRAMS Of those planning to invest, the majority would take advantage of a program offered by Town of Vail. 41 KNOWLEDGE OF HOUSING PROGRAMS Three quarters of respondents say they are either somewhat or very informed on the Town’s housing programs. Just 18% say they are not at all informed. 42 PARTICIPATION IN HOUSING PROGRAMS 35% of respondents say that either their business or their employees (or both) have participated in a housing program offered by the Town of Vail. 43 EASE OF USING HOUSING PROGRAMS Sentiments on the ease of using a housing program are somewhat mixed but net positive. Nearly 40% rate them as “Easy” and 25% say they are difficult. 44 ENVIRONMENTAL & LOADING PROGRAMS LOADING & DELIVERY PROGRAM Overall, the Loading & Delivery program has been successful with about half of respondents rating it “Very Successful” for reducing vehicle numbers, improving guest experience and vendor performance. The highest negative sentiment regards timeliness. A third of respondents say delays are an issue. 46 ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS Businesses are very aware of the recycling and E-bike programs and less informed on composting. 47 KEY FINDINGS Respondents are predominantly from the tourism sector. Retailers were the largest group, followed by restaurants and lodging businesses. KEY FINDINGS Two thirds of respondents are small businesses with 10 or fewer employees and are mostly located in Vail Village (61%) or Lionshead (17%). Overall, business managers and owners are happy with the service they receive from the Town. 60% say they are generally or very satisfied. Just 9% report they are dissatisfied. 49 When asked about specific services provided by the Town staff, most rated very highly. The process for obtaining liquor permits and business licenses along with remitting sales tax all seem to work quite smoothly. Interactions with parking attendants and front desk staff also rated highly. KEY FINDINGS Just one area rated below average. The process for obtaining building permits and plan reviews is clearly a pain point for businesses in Vail. The next lowest rated service provided by the Town was purchasing parking passes. The choice for staying up to date with what is happening with the Town government is still the newspaper. Vail Daily was the top choice of nearly two thirds of respondents with the Town of Vail E-News and Vail.gov website also being common sources of information. 50 Businesses recognize the importance of special events and support the Town of Vail’s funding to encourage them. 71% favor investing to support events in Vail. Two thirds of respondents say there are specific events that benefit their business. KEY FINDINGS The Vail Local Marketing District (VLMD) is not familiar to 37% of respondents. The District may benefit from additional outreach and promotion among local businesses. DiscoverVail.com is known to 81% of respondents and is familiar to virtually all of those with a tourism focus. Vail is seen as a safe community with the Police, Fire, and Public Works Departments being highly trusted. 85% of respondents say they agree or strongly agree that Vail is safe and secure for their business and their customers. 51 Overall, the business community thinks the Town of Vail provides a vision for the future. Nearly half agree that the Town plays a “Visionary Role” with just 21% of respondents disagreeing. KEY FINDINGS Respondents are somewhat split on how effectively the Town collaborates with businesses. About a third of respondents rate business collaboration as fair or poor while a quarter say it is good or excellent. In addition, most businesspeople are not aware of EngageVail.com. PRIMA Vail appears to be an effective program for boosting customer service in Vail. A quarter of respondents report their employees are involved with PRIMA Vail and the large majority feel it is positively impacting how workers engage with the public. 52 Businesses are concerned about employee housing. Over one third have invested in housing assistance for their staff either in the town or outside of Vail and 27% plan to invest in housing in the future, with most planning to utilize Town programs. KEY FINDINGS On transportation topics, businesses are positive on bus service and mostly satisfied with bus routes and schedules. Regarding parking, they are evenly split on whether it creates an issue for customers but are more negative when considering impacts on employees. Note that parking is a major issue in virtually all resort towns. Overall, the Loading & Delivery program receives positive marks for reducing vehicles in the pedestrian zone and for enhancing the guest experience in Vail Village. The biggest challenge appears to be how the program impacts the timeliness of deliveries. 53 RRC ASSOCIATES 4770 Baseline Road, Suite 355 Boulder, CO 80303 rrcassociates.com (303) 449-6558 THANK YOU!