Safina Tai – Marketing & Communications /
Contents
Introduction
Profile of Students
Key Findings and Discussion
Booking Your Room
Moving in process
Services to Students
Security
Maintenance/Repairs
Cleaning
Wardens
Complaints
Facilities
Appendices
Appendix 1: University Accommodation Survey
Appendix 2: Improvements that could be made to the booking process
Appendix 3: How could the service to students be improved?
Appendix 4: How can security Services be improved?
Appendix 5: Views on the Maintenance and Repair service
Appendix 6: How could the cleaning service be improved?
Appendix 7: How can the service offered by the Warden Team be improved?
Appendix 8: Further Comments on Facilities
Appendix 9: Additional general comments provided at the end of the survey
Accommodation Survey 2009
Introduction
Students living in University Accommodation were given the opportunity to answer an online survey to indicate their satisfaction with various services they encountered before and during their move into Accommodation this year.
An e-mail was sent out to 230 students, on the 18th March 2009, asking them tofill in the online survey (see Appendix 1). The survey was open till 30 April 2009 and 85 students responded, a Response rate of 37%.
The purpose of the survey was to understand student’s satisfaction and needs whilst in student accommodation, as well as set a baseline of data so that comparisons can be made on a yearly basis.
Profile of Students
The sample is dominated by first year undergraduates (80%) followed by Postgraduates (8%) and Returner Undergraduates (8%) (figure 1).
Figure 1: Split of respondents by UG/PG
The proportion of respondents which belonged to the Bradford Halls is 41% and slightly higher for the University Halls of 59%. In total there were 60.2% male and 39.8% female. A similar split was seen in gender between each hall.
Figure 2: Number of respondents by gender in each Halls of Residence
The respondents home location was mainly UK (46.3%) followed by 29.9% International and 24.4% EU.
Key Findings and Discussion
Booking Your Room
Nearly half the applications were made by post (48.2%) followed by Internet 33.7%; In person 15.7% and by telephone 2.4%.
Respondents were asked their initial reaction prior to taking up the accommodation ie how easy was it to complete the application form, the information they were provided on accommodation and their first impressions of the open day (figure 3). The completion of the application was rated positively with only two respondents (2.4%) rating it as poor or very poor. However information received on accommodation was rated at 78% above average , 19.5% poor and 2.4% very poor showing that there is room for improvement.
First impressions at an open day were rated poor or very poor by 18%, good by 28.6% and very good by 3.6%.
Figure 3: Respondents ratings on open day impressions, information received & how easy was it to complete the application.
25% of respondents felt that the booking process could be improved. Key themes included:
- online booking system
- a brochure including the different types of accommodation available and what they include with pictures, rather than the information available in the prospectus only
- Information on personal payment rules
- Confirmation that accommodation has been agreed
- Deadline dates for applications
Individual comments from students have been included in appendix 2
Moving in process
The majority of students, 61.7% had arrived at the university on intake day (September 16th 2008) and 90.2% had found the university easy to find. Only 57% felt that the accommodation had met their expectations, with 10% stating that they were not sure.
The majority of respondents had rated the moving in process above average (see figure 4 below), with only 16.2% suggesting that improvements could be made. A key theme which arose in the suggestions was having clearer directions:
“Clearer directions to halls of residence and better informed staff/students to advise on directions and collecting keys”
(First year undergraduate; Female; UK; University Halls)
“Improve the signposts to Halls as the Uni was easy to find, but Halls weren't”.
(First year undergraduate; Female; UK; Bradford Hall)
“It is very difficult to find the right place where you have to go, when you arrive at university and you don’t know anything you just get lost. Sometimes you don’t know even through this doors you should go and where.”
(First year undergraduate; Female; EU; University Halls)
“More stewards showing people to car parks, rooms etc. The should be some posted at the entrance to the university halls car park”
(First year undergraduate; Male; UK; Bradford Hall)
Figure 4: Respondents ratings on issues related to the Moving in Process
Services to Students
The majority of the students felt that staff were friendly and approachable, results varied very slightly by the type of Hall they were staying in (figure 5).
Figure 5: Respondents ratings by Hall on whether Staff are Friendly and Approachable
15% of respondent’sstronglyagreed that enquiries were dealt with quickly and efficiently, however, 15% disagreed showing that there is room for improvement (figure 6).
Figure 6: Respondents ratings by Hall on whether Enquiries are dealt with quickly and efficiently
In terms of staff being available and able to deal with queries, results varied by Hall. University Hall staffs were seen to be available and deal with queries with only 10% disagreeing with this statement, where as in the Bradford Halls, 6% strongly disagreed and 12 % disagreed with this statement (figure 7).
Figure 7: Respondents ratings by Hall on Staff are always available to deal with queries
31.6% of students felt that the services they received from staff could be improved. Recommendations included:
- Deal with enquiries quickly
- Additional timings to collect post and access to post when reception is closed
- A staff member available 24/7 and access to staff over weekends
- Reception services to be open over weekends
Appendix 3 outlines a full list of recommendations from respondents.
Security
Respondents were asked to rate the level of security within the Halls of residence (figure 7). Overall, respondents rated the security very well, 21.0% of respondents rated level of security as very good, with only 12.3% and 2.5% rating is as poor and very poor respectively.
Figure 7: Respondents ratings by Hall on the level of security
Respondents were asked to rate whether security issues are dealt with quickly and efficiently, whether the security staff were approachable and the availability of security staff (figure 8). The majority of respondents rated each of these aspects positively. However there is room for improvement by ensuring security is always available and students know where to access Security.
Figure 8: Respondents ratings on security staff
28% of respondents stated that the services offered by security could be improved, with 72% stating that no improvement was needed; results were similar across University Hall and Bradford Hall, 29% and 24 % respectively suggesting the service could be improved.
Suggestions on improvement included:
- Have a more visible security presence
- CCTV
- Security Services accessible from on-site rather than Richmond Building
- Stronger Measures to deal with fire alarms
A full list of improvements is outlines in appendix 4.
Maintenance/Repairs
The maintenance repair service has been used by 49% of the respondents, more so by respondents from University Hall (51%). Of those that had used the service, 93% felt that their room was left in a satisfactory condition. Only three respondents (7.5%) felt their room was left in an unsatisfactory condition, their responses are shown below.
“After my window was broken and replaced the builders left glass everywhere and I ended up cutting myself badly.”
(First Year Undergraduate, Male, UK, Bradford Hall)
“At Arkwright I made a complaint about my bathroom fan which didn't work on my arrival. After three attempts of fixing the problem and leaving my bathroom a mess I decided to give up and never used my fan.”
(First Year Undergraduate, Female, International, Bradford Hall)
“I asked to change the drawer and to repair my curtains during the room check and they said it will be done by tomorrow but none of them have been done yet.”
(First Year Undergraduate, Male, International, Bradford Hall)
Majority of the students are aware of where to report repairs (83%). However, this is something that could be sign posted in each of the Halls of residence possibly by reception so that it is accessible to students all the time or in the form of a handbook which is available to students living in accommodation with quick links of where to find information and important contact numbers. The repair maintenance service is rated above average by 89% students, of which 38% is good and 18% is very good.
Key themes which emerged from the open ended responses from students on the repair and maintenance service included:
- Quick action to complaints
- More information on how to report a problem
- Staff are very helpful
- Providing an estimated time for repair
A similar system to the ICT job request could be used, whereby an email could be sent when the enquiry is logged with an estimated job close out time. This will give students an indication of progress on their job. A full list of responses is included in Appendix 5.
Cleaning
Respondents were asked to rate the Housekeeping service ( see figure 9). Across both Halls 11% and 4% rated the service as poor or very poor respectively. The majority rated it positively as good (36%) or very good (13%).
Figure 9: Respondents ratings on Housekeeping Service
When asked whether students were satisfied with the help provided from cleaning staff, 20% were very satisfied and 37% satisfied. Results varied by Halls of residence, the results for these have been shown in figure 10.
Figure 10: Respondents ratings on whether they were satisfied with the help provided from cleaning staff
43.6% of students felt that the cleaning service could be improved. The main improvements included:
- Improved communication with cleaners
- More efficient cleaning
- Cleaning to be doen at an allocated time
A full list of comments is provided in appendix 6.
Wardens
81.7% of respondents had met the warden team, 86.8% had rated them to be approachable and helpful and felt that they dealt with issues quickly (89.6%). Of those that were not familiar with the warden team felt that their roles should be better described as well as information on how they can be contacted (see open ended results on how the service offered by the warden team could be improved, Appendix 7).
Complaints
24% of respondents felt that their had been a need to complain whilst they were using the accommodation. Of those that had felt the need to complain, 21% had complained in writing. 74% felt that the complaint was responded to promptly and resolved fairly. Of those that had felt that the complaint was not resolved to their satisfaction, the following comments were made:
“My complaint was and is to do with noise in and outside the halls especially after midnight, I was advised to call security to always deal with the noisemakers which i did. But even with security warning the noisemakers- the noise still continued- security wasn't a strong enough deterrent to prevent noisy behaviour- it just continued with or without security's warning!”
(Postgraduate, Female, International, Bradford Hall)
“The head of accommodation has her mind set on what she wants and doesn't want to listen to anything else otherwise.”
(First year Undergraduate, Male, UK, University Hall)
“There were problems in the halls because people were throwing eggs out the windows, but they could not find out exactly who it was. but they knew which flat it came from.”
(Returner Undergraduate, Female, EU, Bradford Hall)
“To an extent my complaints were met but soon after events regressed back to their status quo. There needs to be a regular monitoring system installed to ensure that solutions are being maintained.”
(First Year Undergraduate, Male, UK, Bradford Hall)
“We told reception of a boy who lived with us who has mental problems and who needed help. It resulted in us having to clean his room out and find waste human products in bottles. Reception laughed, and did nothing but send someone to shout at him.This has not resolved the problem.”
(First Year Undergraduate, Female, UK, University Hall)
Facilities
Overall ratings of facilities varied depending on the Halls respondents were staying in. Table 1 below shows a breakdown of responses.
Table 1: Ratings of overall facilities at the Halls of Residence
UniversityHall % / Bradford
Hall % / Total %
Very Good / 8% / 9% / 9%
Good / 48% / 32% / 42%
Average / 29% / 44% / 35%
Poor / 10% / 15% / 12%
Very Poor / 4% / 0% / 2%
Respondents were asked to rate a number of facilities (Launderette; Telephone Service; Resnet Network; Bradford Halls reception; Hub Reception), individual ratings are shown in figure 11-14. Facilities were mainly rated above average, in particular the Bradford Halls Reception (18%very good and 52% good) and the Hub Reception (30.5% very good & 54.9% good).
Figure 11: Respondents ratings on Launderette facilities
Figure 12: Respondents ratings on Telephone Service
Figure 13: Respondents ratings on Resnet Network
Figure 14: Respondents ratings on Bradford Halls Reception
Figure 15: Respondents ratings on HUB Reception
An area for concern is whether the halls of residence would be recommended, in total 50% felt that they would not recommend the accommodation to a friend. In addition, if asked whether they would consider booking the Halls of residence again 26% said they would, 54% said they wouldn`t and 21% were undecided. Results varied depending on the halls they were staying in (see table 2 below)
Table 2: Responses by Halls to ‘Would you consider booking the Halls of Residence again?’
UniversityHall % / Bradford
Hall %
Yes / 28% / 24% / 26%
No / 56% / 50% / 54%
Undecided / 16% / 26% / 21%
Students put forward suggestions of the improvements they would like to see in facilities:
- Add wireless internet capabilities
- A review of the fire alarms (mentioned by many students)
- Adding a coin machine in the launderette
- An Improvement in internet speeds for download
- Implementation of general cleaning rules
(Appendix 8 shows a full list of comments)
Appendices
Appendix 1: University Accommodation Survey
University Accommodation - Please tell us how we're doing
Dear Student,
In order to provide you with the best possible service, we ask you to help us by completing this online questionnaire. Your comments will be used to improve and tailor our future services to your needs.
The results will not be used to identify individuals, and you may return the questionnaire anonymously.
Note that once you have clicked on the CONTINUE button your answers are submitted and you cannot return to review or amend that page
Top of Form
/ About You: /1.Are you a
First year undergraduate
Returner Undergraduate
Postgraduate
2.Gender
Male
Female
3.Your original Home location is in the:
UK EU International
4.Which Hall do you live in?
University Hall
Bradford Hall
/ Booking Your Room /
5.How did you make your application?
Telephone
Internet
In person
Post
6.Please grade your response to the questions below:
Very poor / Poor / Average / Good / Very good
a.How easy was it to complete the application?
b.Please rate the information you were given about the accommodation?
c.If you attended an open day rate your first impressions?
7.Do you feel any improvement could be made to the booking process?
Yes No
/
/ If YES, please specify your reasoning.
/ Moving In Process /
8.Did you arrive on intake day (September 16th)?
Yes No
9.Was the University easy to find?
Yes No
10.Please rate your response to the following statements:
Very poor / Poor / Average / Good / Very good
a.The condition of the room/flat on the day you arrived
b.The amount of time you had to wait to collect room keys
c.The process/ease of making the initial rent payment of £250
11.Did the accommodation meet your expectations?
Yes
No
Don’t know
12.Do you feel any improvement could be made to the moving in process?
Yes No
/
/ If Yes, please specify your reasoning here:
/ Services to Students /
13.Please rate the following statements:
Strongly disagree / Disagree / Neutral / Agree / Strongly agree
a.Staff are friendly and approachable
b.Enquiries are dealt with quickly and efficiently
c.Staff are always available to deal with my queries
14.Do you feel the service could be improved?
Yes No
/
/ If YES, please tell us how we could improve?
/ Security /
15.The level of security in the Halls of Residence is
Very Good
Good
Average
Poor
Very Poor
16.Please state whether you agree or disagree with the following statements:
Strongly disagree / Disagree / Neutral / Agree / Strongly agree
a.Queries are dealt with quickly and efficiently.
b.The security staff are approachable
c.Security are always available
17.Do you feel the service offered by Security could be improved?
Yes No
/
/ If YES, please specify how it could be improved?
/ Maintenance/Repairs /
18.Have you used the Maintenance/Repair Service
Yes No (please go to question 19)
/
/ If YES, was your room left in a satisfactory condition afterwards?
Yes No
/
/ If NO, please give details:
19.Do you know how to report repairs?
Yes No
20.Please rate the repair/maintenance service
Very Good
Good
Average
Poor
Very Poor
21.Please use the space below to give us your views on how the repair/maintenance service could be improved?
/ Cleaning /
22.How would you rate the Housekeeping Service?
Very Good
Good
Average
Poor
Very Poor
23.Are you satisfied with the help provided from cleaning staff?
Very satisfied Fairly satisfied Neither satisfied nor Dissatisfied Fairly dissatisfied Very dissatisfied
24.Could the Cleaning service be improved?
Yes No
/
/ If YES, please explain how it could be improved?
/ Wardens /
25.Have you met your warden team?
Yes
No
26.Are they approachable/helpful?
Yes
No
Not Applicable
27.Are issues dealt with quickly?
Yes
No
Not Applicable
28.Please use the space below to explain how the service offered by the warden team could be improved?
/ Complaints /
29.Have you had the need to complain?
Yes
No (Go to question 30)
/
/ a.If YES, was the complaint given in writing?
Yes
No
/
/ b.Was the complaint responded to promptly?
Yes
No
/
/ c.Was the complaint resolved fairly and to your general satisfaction?
Yes (Go to question 30) No
/
/ If No, please give details:
/ Facilities /
30.Please rate the following facilities:
Very good / Good / Average / Poor / Very Poor
a.Launderette
b.Telephone Service
c.Resnet Network
d.Bradford Halls Reception
e.Hub Reception
31.Overall, how would you rate the facilities available to you at the Halls of Residence?
Very Good
Good
Average
Poor
Very Poor
32.Would you consider booking the Halls of Residence again?
Yes
No
Undecided
33.Would you recommend the Halls of Residence to a friend?
Yes
No
Undecided
34.Please use the space below to provide any further comments on the facilities available:
/ Final Section - General Comments /
35.Please use the space below to provide any additional comments:
Bottom of Form