USDA Rural Development Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire
USDA Rural Development
Final Version
Thank you in advance for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. USDA Rural Development’s mission is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for all rural Americans. Gathering your feedback helps to ensure that we are delivering on our mission to you and to all of Rural America.
CFI Group, an independent third-party research group, is administering this survey. This brief survey asks about your satisfaction with our products and services as well as ways that we can improve our service to you. Your answers will remain anonymous and will be combined with those from other respondents for research and evaluation purposes only.
This survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes and the U.S. Office of Management and Budget Control No.1090-0007authorized its use for Rural Development.
WATER PROGRAM AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONDENTS: Pages 2-6 only
BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY RESPONDENTS: Pages 7-12 only
MULTIFAMILY HOUSING RESPONDENTS: Pages 13-17 only
WATER PROGRAM AND ENVIRONMENTAL
ASK A1-A2 TO ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
A1. How did you find out about the USDA Rural Development program? (Open End)
A2. What is the approximate driving time to the nearest Lender or Rural Development office?
Less than 15 minutes
More than 15 minutes but less than 30 minutes
More than 30 minutes but less than 1 hour
More than 1 hour but less than 2 hours
More than 2 hours
ASK B1-B4 TO Water Program and Environmental (Direct) only
B1. How recent was your last rate increase?
Less than 3 years
More than 3 years but fewer than 5 years
More than 5 years but fewer than 10 years
More than 10 years
B2. What is the current average rate for water or sewer service to rural household in your service territory?
B3. Have you received no-cost assistance from either of the following Rural-Development funded technical assistance providers? (Select all that apply)
Rural Water Associations
Rural Community Assistance Partnership
(IF B3=1 and/or 2 ASK B4)
B4. How satisfied were you with that experience?
Think about the loan application process for the USDA Rural Development program in which you participated, please use a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent” to rate the loan application process on the following:
Ap7. Ease of submitting application, and amount of paperwork required not being too burdensome
Ap8. Responsiveness/communication regarding the status of your application
Ap9. Timeliness of decision
Ap10. Clarity of terms of the loan
ASK AP11-AP14 TO ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
Ap11. Did the USDA RD office communicate with you timely on what items are needed on your application?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
Ap12. Have you ever applied in the past for a Rural Development program loan and been rejected?
Yes (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
No (Continue)
Don’t Know (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Ap13. Why were you rejected? (Open end)
Ap14. Were you determined to be eligible for the USDA Rural Development program, but funding was not available?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
ASK CS1-CS5 TO ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
CS1. Have you had contact with a representative of the USDA Rural Development program in the past year?
Yes (CONTINUE)
No (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Don’t Know (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Thinking about the customer service that you received from USDA Rural Development program, please rate the representative on the following using a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent.” If a particular question does not apply please select N/A.
CS2. Courtesy and professionalism of the USDA representative
CS3. Knowledge of USDA representative with respect to laws and regulations of their program
CS4. Ability to answer your questions regarding other program areas
CS5. Timeliness in responding to your question or request and providing follow up
ASK I1-I2 TO ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
Thinking about the information that you receive or access concerning programs from USDA Rural Development, please use a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent” to rate the information on the following. If a particular question does not apply please select N/A.
I1. Ease of accessing information from Rural Development
I2. Clarity and ease of understanding information from Rural Development about the loans program
OP4. How does this application process compare to other funding agencies application processes? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is much worse than other application processes and 10 is much better than other application processes.
ASK ACSI1-ACSI3 to ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
ACSI1. Overall, how satisfied are you with USDA Rural Development? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is very dissatisfied and 10 is very satisfied?
ACSI2. How well do the programs and services from USDA Rural Development meet your expectations? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means falls short of expectations and 10 means exceeds expectations.
ACSI3. How does USDA Rural Development compare to the ideal agency or organization that promotes economic opportunity and improvement of the quality of life for in rural Americans? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means not very close to the ideal and 10 means very close to the ideal.
ASK O1-O3 to ALL RESPONDENTS Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
O1. Using a 10-point scale where “1” means “Not very likely” and “10” means “Very likely,” please rate how likely are you to recommend programs from the USDA Rural Development to others who might benefit from RD Programs, if you were asked?
O2. Do you plan to apply to the USDA Rural Development program again in the future?
Yes (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
No ((CONTINUE)
Don’t Know (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
(IF NO)
O3. Why would you choose not to apply again in the future?
ASK M3 TO Water Program and Environmental (Direct) only
M3. What trade shows or similar events do you attend to learn about funding opportunities?
ASK OE2 TO ALL RESPONDENTS Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
OE2. Please share any other comments that you have about programs from USDA Rural Development.
D1. Please indicate the type of Internet access you have.
Dial up
High speed/Cable/DSL
Wireless
Other (Specify)
Do not have Internet access
Don’t Know
D4. Do you serve hard to finance areas such as persistent poverty and tribal?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
D5. What could the USDA do to collaborate with you and help you better serve hard to finance areas?
D6. Please indicate any of the following Rural Development Programs with which you are familiar. (Select all that apply.)
Telecom Programs
Distance Learning & Telemedicine Programs
Single Family Housing Programs
Community Facilities Programs
Cooperative Programs
Water and Environmental Programs
Broadband Programs
Multifamily Housing Programs
Business & Industry Programs
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programs
D7. Have you ever recommended Rural Development Programs to others?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
D8. Please name the organizations to which you recommended Rural Development Program(s).
D9. Please check the following if you can substantiate your loans or services include:
Small Disadvantaged Businesses
Individuals with Disabilities
Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Native Hawaiian of Other Pacific Islander
White
ASK A1-A2 TO ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
A1. How did you find out about the USDA Rural Development program? (Open End)
A2. What is the approximate driving time to the nearest Lender or Rural Development office?
Less than 15 minutes
More than 15 minutes but less than 30 minutes
More than 30 minutes but less than 1 hour
More than 1 hour but less than 2 hours
More than 2 hours
ASK A3 TO Business and Industry (Guaranteed) only
A3. Why did you seek obtaining a Rural Development Guarantee?
ASK AP1-AP6 TO Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed) and Business and Industry (Guaranteed) only
Think about the loan application process for the USDA Rural Development program in which you participated, please use a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent” to rate the loan application process on the following:
Ap1. Ease of explaining program to loan recipient
Ap2. Ease of submitting application, and amount of paperwork required not being too burdensome
Ap3. Timeliness of underwriting process
Ap4. Timeliness of decision process
Ap5. Required reporting (annual reports, budget info, etc.) for loan servicing
Ap6. Did you ever lose a loan because the underwriting process took too long?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Don’t Know
ASK AP11-AP14 TO ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
Ap11. Did the USDA RD office communicate with you timely on what items are needed on your application?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
Ap12. Have you ever filled an application in the past for a Rural Development guaranteed loan and been rejected?
Yes (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
No (Continue)
Don’t Know (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Ap13. Why was your application rejected? (Open end)
Ap14. Was your application determined to be eligible for the USDA Rural Development program, but funding was not available?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
ASK CS1-CS5 TO ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
CS1. Have you had contact with a representative of the USDA Rural Development program in the past year?
Yes (CONTINUE)
No (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Don’t Know (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Thinking about the customer service that you received from USDA Rural Development program, please rate the representative on the following using a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent.” If a particular question does not apply please select N/A.
CS2. Courtesy and professionalism of the USDA representative
CS3. Knowledge of USDA representative with respect to laws and regulations of their program
CS4. Ability to answer your questions regarding other program areas
CS5. Timeliness in responding to your question or request and providing follow up
ASK I1-I2 TO ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
Thinking about the information that you receive or access concerning programs from USDA Rural Development, please use a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent” to rate the information on the following. If a particular question does not apply please select N/A.
I1. Ease of accessing information from Rural Development
I2. Clarity and ease of understanding information from Rural Development about the guarantee program
ASK I3-I5 TO Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed) and Business and Industry (Guaranteed) only
I3. Information regarding changes to Rural Development guidance (e.g. regulations, policies and procedures) being available in a timely manner
I4. Responsiveness of state offices
I5. Consistency of communications and information between the state and local offices
ASK IT1-IT8 to Multi-Family Housing and Business and Industry only
IT1. Does your organization use LINC – Lender Interface Network Connection for reporting loan status?
Yes (CONTINUE)
No (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Don’t Know (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Thinking about the on-line system LINC – Lender Interface Network Connection that you use to report loan status to Rural Development loans, please use a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent” to rate the information on the following. If a particular question does not apply please select N/A.
IT2. Accessibility of system
IT3. Ease of using system for reporting
IT4. Functionality of system
IT5. Does your organization use Pay.gov for making payments to the government?
1. Yes (CONTINUE)
No (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Don’t Know (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Thinking about the on-line system Pay.gov that you use make payments, please use a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent” to rate the information on the following. If a particular question does not apply please select N/A.
IT6. Accessibility of system
IT7. Ease of using system for making payments
IT8. Functionality of system
Now think about how the loan guarantees you obtain for your customers through USDA Rural Development compare to other loans from SBA, FHA, Freddie MAC, Fannie Mae and other sources. Please use a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent” to rate the information on the following. If a particular question does not apply please select N/A.
OP1. Profitability of product compared to other loan products
OP2. Ease of selling in secondary market
OP3. Loan program being easy to explain and not overly complex
ASK ACSI1-ACSI3 to ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
ACSI1. Overall, how satisfied are you with USDA Rural Development? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is very dissatisfied and 10 is very satisfied?
ACSI2. How well do the programs and services from USDA Rural Development meet your expectations? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means falls short of expectations and 10 means exceeds expectations.
ACSI3. How does USDA Rural Development compare to the ideal agency or organization that promotes economic opportunity and improvement of the quality of life for rural Americans? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means not very close to the ideal and 10 means very close to the ideal.
ASK O1-O3 to ALL RESPONDENTS Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
O1. Using a 10-point scale where “1” means “Not very likely” and “10” means “Very likely,” please rate how likely are you to recommend programs from the USDA Rural Development to others who might benefit from RD Programs, if you were asked?
O2. Do you plan to apply to the USDA Rural Development program again in the future?
(IF NO)
O3. Why would you choose not to apply again in the future?
ASK O4 TO Business and Industry (Guaranteed) only
O4. What benefits resulted from you obtaining a Rural Development B&I loan guarantee?
O5. What kind of project(s) have you financed with B&I guaranteed loans?
M1. What regional banking events do you visit?
M2. Which regional and local rural development organizations do you work with?
ASK OE1 TO Business and Industry (Guaranteed) only
OE1. What recommendations do you have on improving the Rural Development Guarantee product and/or process?
ASK OE2 TO ALL RESPONDENTS Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
OE2. Please share any other comments that you have about programs from USDA Rural Development.
D1. Please indicate the type of Internet access you have
Dial up
High speed/Cable/DSL
Wireless
Other (Specify)
Do not have Internet access
Don’t Know
D2. Do you use secondary markets to sell USDA Rural Development loans?
D3. Do you make loans to business cooperatives?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
D4. Do you serve hard to finance areas such as persistent poverty and tribal?
D5. What could the USDA do to collaborate with you and help you better serve hard to finance areas?
D6. Please indicate any of the following Rural Development Programs with which you are familiar. (Select all that apply.)
Telecom Programs
Distance Learning & Telemedicine Programs
Single Family Housing Programs
Community Facilities Programs
Cooperative Programs
Water and Environmental Programs
Broadband Programs
Multifamily Housing Programs
Business & Industry Programs
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programs
D7. Have you ever recommended Rural Development Programs to others?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
D8. Please name the organizations to which you recommended Rural Development Program(s).
D9. Please check the following if you can substantiate your loans or services include:
Women Owned Businesses
Small Disadvantaged Businesses
Individuals with Disabilities
Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Native Hawaiian of Other Pacific Islander
White
MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING
ASK A1-A2 TO ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
A1. How did you find out about the USDA Rural Development program? (Open End)
A2. What is the approximate driving time to the nearest Lender or Rural Development office?
Less than 15 minutes
More than 15 minutes but less than 30 minutes
More than 30 minutes but less than 1 hour
More than 1 hour but less than 2 hours
More than 2 hours
ASK AP1-AP6 TO Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed) and Business and Industry (Guaranteed) only
Think about the loan application process for the USDA Rural Development program in which you participated, please use a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent” to rate the loan application process on the following:
Ap1. Ease of explaining program to loan recipient
Ap2. Ease of submitting application, and amount of paperwork required not being too burdensome
Ap3. Timeliness of underwriting process
Ap4. Timeliness of decision process
Ap5. Required reporting (annual reports, budget info, etc.) for loan servicing
Ap6. Did you ever lose a loan because the underwriting process took too long?
1. Yes
2. No
3. Don’t Know
ASK AP11-AP14 TO ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
Ap11. Did the USDA RD office communicate with you timely on what items are needed on your application?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
Ap12. Have you ever applied in the past for a Rural Development program loan and been rejected?
Yes (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
No (Continue)
Don’t Know (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Ap13. Why were you rejected? (Open end)
Ap14. Were you determined to be eligible for the USDA Rural Development program, but funding was not available?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
ASK CS1-CS5 TO ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
CS1. Have you had contact with a representative of the USDA Rural Development program in the past year?
Yes (CONTINUE)
No (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Don’t Know (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Thinking about the customer service that you received from USDA Rural Development program, please rate the representative on the following using a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent.” If a particular question does not apply please select N/A.
CS2. Courtesy and professionalism of the USDA representative
CS3. Knowledge of USDA representative with respect to laws and regulations of their program
CS4. Ability to answer your questions regarding other program areas
CS5. Timeliness in responding to your question or request and providing follow up
ASK C6 TO Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed) and Business and Industry (Guaranteed) only
CS6. Responsiveness of state offices
ASK I1-I2 TO ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
Thinking about the information that you receive or access concerning programs from USDA Rural Development, please use a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent” to rate the information on the following. If a particular question does not apply please select N/A.
I1. Ease of accessing information from Rural Development
I2. Clarity and ease of understanding information from Rural Development about the loans program
ASK I3-I5 TO Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed) and Business and Industry (Guaranteed) only
I3. Information regarding changes to Rural Development guidance (e.g. regulations, policies and procedures) being available in a timely manner
I4. Responsiveness of state offices
I5. Consistency of communications and information between the state and local offices
ASK IT1-IT8 to Multi-Family Housing and Business and Industry only
IT1. Does your organization use LINC – Lender Interface Network Connection for reporting loan status?
Yes (CONTINUE)
No (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Don’t Know (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Thinking about the on-line system LINC – Lender Interface Network Connection that you use to report loan status to Rural Development loans, please use a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent” to rate the information on the following. If a particular question does not apply please select N/A.
IT2. Accessibility of system
IT3. Ease of using system for reporting
IT4. Functionality of system
IT5. Does your organization use Pay.gov for making payments to the government?
Yes (CONTINUE)
No (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Don’t Know (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
Thinking about the on-line system Pay.gov that you use make payments, please use a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent” to rate the information on the following. If a particular question does not apply please select N/A.
IT6. Accessibility of system
IT7. Ease of using system for making payments
IT8. Functionality of system
Now think about how the loans you obtain for your customers through USDA Rural Development compare to other loans from FHA, Freddie MAC, Fannie Mae and other sources. Please use a scale from “1” to “10” where “1” means “poor” and “10” means “excellent” to rate the information on the following. If a particular question does not apply please select N/A.
OP1. Profitability of product compared to other loan products
OP2. Ease of selling in secondary market
OP3. Loan program being easy to explain and not overly complex
ASK ACSI1-ACSI3 to ALL RESPONDENTS: Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
ACSI1. Overall, how satisfied are you with USDA Rural Development? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is very dissatisfied and 10 is very satisfied?
ACSI2. How well do the programs and services from USDA Rural Development meet your expectations? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means falls short of expectations and 10 means exceeds expectations.
ACSI3. How does USDA Rural Development compare to the ideal agency or organization that promotes economic opportunity and improvement of the quality of life for in rural Americans? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means not very close to the ideal and 10 means very close to the ideal.
ASK O1-O3 to ALL RESPONDENTS Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
O1. Using a 10-point scale where “1” means “Not very likely” and “10” means “Very likely,” please rate how likely are you to recommend programs from the USDA Rural Development to others who might benefit from RD Programs, if you were asked?
O2. Do you plan to apply to the USDA Rural Development program again in the future?
Yes (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
No ((CONTINUE)
Don’t Know (SKIP TO NEXT SECTION)
(IF NO)
O3. Why would you choose not to apply again in the future?
M1. What regional banking events do you visit?
M2. Which regional and local rural development organizations do you work with?
ASK OE2 TO ALL RESPONDENTS Multi-Family Housing (Guaranteed), Business and Industry (Guaranteed) and Water Program and Environmental (Direct)
OE2. Please share any other comments that you have about programs from USDA Rural Development.
D2. Do you use secondary markets to sell USDA Rural Development loans?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
D3. Do you make loans to business cooperatives?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
D4. Do you serve hard to finance areas such as persistent poverty and tribal?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
D5. What could the USDA do to collaborate with you and help you better serve hard to finance areas?
D6. Please indicate any of the following Rural Development Programs with which you are familiar. (Select all that apply.)
Electric Programs
Telecom Programs
Distance Learning & Telemedicine Programs
Single Family Housing Programs
Community Facilities Programs
Cooperative Programs
Water and Environmental Programs
Broadband Programs
Multifamily Housing Programs
Business & Industry Programs
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programs
D7. Have you ever recommended Rural Development Programs to others?
Yes
No
Don’t Know
D8. Please name the organizations to which you recommended Rural Development Program(s).
D9. Please check the following if you can substantiate your loans or services include:
Women Owned Businesses
Small Disadvantaged Businesses
Individuals with Disabilities
Hispanic or Latino
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Native Hawaiian of Other Pacific Islander
White
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | How do you use the market news (select all that apply) |
| Author | Jcioffi |
| Last Modified By | sgrow |
| File Modified | 2010-01-07 |
| File Created | 2010-01-07 |