Natalie Noted Praises and Concerns on a Survey, Then Got a Phone Call

image of a mother and son at The Village #feedbackempowers
image of a mother and son at The Village #feedbackempowers

Natalie can’t say enough about how much she loves The Village for Families & Children, a Connecticut nonprofit that has provided behavioral-health services to her family for years. So it was particularly hard for her to mention on a recent Listen4Good survey — which The Village administered to get clients’ opinions about its programs– that she was unhappy with something.

“I said it because I love The Village and I thought that they’d want to know or help,” she says of noting on the survey that it was hard for her and her husband, both disabled, to afford the long bus rides to and from The Village.

She also answered Yes to the final question on the survey, which asked whether clients wanted to include their name and phone number so they could be called by someone at the organization.

About 50 out of 300 survey respondents left their personal information. A clinical manager at The Village who called Natalie suggested that on Natalie’s next weekly visit with her eight-year-old son, who is being treated for ADD, ADHD, and a disruptive behavior disorder, a therapist could help her look into insurance coverage for a cab or other alternatives.

“We are glad to hear about issues, like with transportation, and that is low-hanging fruit we can address right away,” says Toral Sanghavi, who oversees The Village’s feedback process. “But the calls are also an opportunity to build real relationships with clients, hear whatever they want to say, both positive and negative.”

For Natalie, it was a simple and satisfying equation: “I wanted to talk and they wanted to talk to me.”