Kennedy eyes public feedback via form

LYNN – Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy is taking steps to ensure that City Hall department heads and their respective staffs are responsive to the public.Kennedy on Wednesday unveiled a new public feedback form, which will be available to anyone visiting a municipal office. The form asks a series of simple questions, such as whether the visitor was greeted in a friendly manner and whether the transaction was handled accurately and completely.Another question concerns whether the staff was knowledgeable and helpful.Visitors are also asked to record their wait time for service and to note whether they consider it acceptable.The form has spaces to note the date of each visit or call, to identify the department involved and the name of the employee with whom the interaction was carried out. It seeks to learn more about the overall experience – albeit negative or positive.”We were concentrating on ideas on how to improve service to the public when the feedback form came up. Actually a suggestion box came up first,” Kennedy said Wednesday. “But with this form, people can give immediate feedback.”Those filling out the form do not have to identify themselves. “They don’t have to leave a name or number or other contact information, but if they do, they can expect to get a written response or telephone call,” the mayor said.Kennedy was scheduled to meet today with all department heads to explain the feedback form process in detail. “We will explain how it works. Part of its purpose is to see if there are recurrent areas where we can make improvements,” she said. “Other communities have these forms so we’re not the first to introduce them.”Visitors can also make suggestions on the form for how to improve service. Completed feedback forms can be forwarded online to mayoral aides Gardy Jean Francois or Tracy Brown, or left in person at the information desk in the City Hall lobby.