Results of the Kalajärvi Service Centre experiment customer survey
The survey was available from 1 November to 18 November 2021. Most responded online, with only a few paper responses via the service point. A total of 125 responses is a very good number.
The 2020–2021 Kalajärvi Service Centre experiment delighted Northern Espoo residents amid the corona restrictions. The services in Ruskatalo have been found versatile and the staff friendly, and service-oriented. The new longer opening hours have benefited the majority (57%) of the respondents, and the presence of a security guard has improved security.
Some respondents have already booked premises intended for municipal residents’ hobby, meeting and teleworking needs. An increasing number of people are interested in booking premises in the future. Some would like to book premises for private use, such as children’s parties. For the time being, this is not possible because of the security costs.
The library is the single most popular service. The library’s opening hours receive both praise and criticism. The wish list includes more health centre and dentist appointment times as the clients prefer to use local services. As a rule, clients use one service at a time when visiting the service centre. The majority thinks that the service experience has improved compared to before the experiment.
People would like to see more leisure activities, events, a diversified café, flea markets and art exhibitions in the service centre. There should be things to do for young people, in particular. Many wish for activities already provided on the premises – information about the recreational groups has not reached all those interested. That said, others praise improved communications and signage, with 55% of the respondents having noticed the main door info screen in particular.
A couple of respondents found the idea of the service centre unclear and thought it was just a waste of money. Many others hoped the experiment would become a permanent service and develop further. A few respondents even say that they have moved to the area because of the good level of services.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all respondents. We received many development proposals that we will go through with the operators in the area.
More detailed survey results are available in print at the Kalajärvi service point (in Finnish).
Lucky gift card winners are Leena and Tiina.