Survey design and patron satisfaction analysis for zoo amusement park facilities

Zoo Survey

Thank you for visiting the Houston Zoo today. In order to help maximize the zoo-visiting experience for our guests, we have prepared a short survey to rate guest satisfaction. Your time and participation is appreciated. All answers will be ranked on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the least satisfied and 5 being the most satisfied.

How satisfied were you with your overall zoo experience today?

Least

Average

Most

How satisfied were you with zoo pricing today?

Least

Average

Most

How satisfied were you with the quality of concessions available for purchase today?

Least

Average

Most

How satisfied were you with the pricing of concessions available for purchase today?

Least

Average

Most

How satisfied were you with zoo staff friendliness?

Least

Average

Most

How satisfied were you with zoo staff knowledge?

Least

Average

Most

How satisfied were you with the cleanliness of the zoo?

Least

Average

Most

8. How satisfied were you with the displays in the zoo?

Least

Average

Most

9. How satisfied were you with the children's zoo area?

Least

Average

Most

10. How satisfied were you with the Hermann Park area surrounding the zoo entrance?

Least

Average

Most

11. If you drove to the zoo, how satisfied were you with parking availability near the zoo?

1

2

3

4

5

N/A

Least

Average

Most

Survey Analysis

This suggested survey does use appropriate measures to research the business problem. The survey should assess several different aspects of customer satisfaction at the zoo. Not only does it look at overall satisfaction, but it also breaks satisfaction down into discrete areas that help determine the overall satisfaction experience, including parking at the zoo, the park-area surrounding the zoo, pricing, refreshments, zoo exhibits, and the children's area at the zoo. By comparing a customer's overall satisfaction level with the satisfaction levels in discrete areas, the zoo can learn which areas need improvement, and which areas lead customer satisfaction.

The type of data used for the survey questions is ordinal. In fact, I utilized one of the most common forms of the interval scale, the Likert scale, to determine customer satisfaction. There are limitations to an ordinal scale, since customers have to insert their own judgment into the degrees of separation between least, average, and worst. However, I feel like this adequately represents independent variation between customers.

The survey would be an exit-survey, and the survey-takers would attempt to survey all members exiting the zoo for an entire day. There are problems with doing an exit survey at the zoo; because many zoo patrons have small children with them, they might find it inconvenient to engage in a survey. Therefore, while survey participants are taking the survey, the research team should provide entertainment for the children or some other incentive for participating in the survey. The suggestion is that exiting zoo members be offered a choice between a two free rides on the zoo train, two free frozen treats, or two free balloon animals per adult patron that completes the survey. These gifts would only cost the zoo a nominal amount, but would give parents incentives to stay and complete the survey, which is critical because the results might otherwise be skewed towards people who had enjoyed their zoo experience. The survey takers would approach each person who exited the zoo with the following introduction. "Hi, my name is [insert name], and the Houston Zoo is conducting a patron satisfaction survey today. The survey takes approximately three minutes, and each adult participant can choose between three prizes just for participating in the survey. The prizes include two tickets for the zoo train, two frozen treats, or two balloon animals. Do you have three minutes to spare to help give our zoo suggestions to improve patron satisfaction?" If patrons agree to the survey, the surveyors should walk them over to the reward table, and administer the questionnaire in person. Spanish-speaking surveyors should also be available, because Houston has a very large Spanish-speaking population. The surveyors should arrive when the zoo opens and remain until zoo closing, and the time of the survey should be noted at the top of the form.

Because the survey data was collected in an ordinal form, it will be relatively easy to analyze. The basic way to do it is to average the number received for each individual question. Total the numbers for each question, divide by the number of patrons who answered that question, and the average number will reflect overall satisfaction in the area. This type of analysis will not require complicated statistical forms, and can easily be done with just an excel spreadsheet. Furthermore, it may also be helpful to know how the answers were broken-down in groups, and not just the average. The average customer experience could be a 3, but if customers are either giving "1" or "5" responses, this average would be somewhat misleading. Therefore, the excel information might look something like this: