Howell Area Chamber of Commerce 2009 Annual Membership Survey

Results of the chamber's Annual Membership Survey are in, and feedback from members included compliments and critique, as well as many detailed comments with ideas and suggestions for programming, event details and general operations. The chamber will be considering the valuable input received and will put changes in action where feasible and as appropriate.

Click here to review the results summary of the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce 2009 Annual Membership Survey.

Members mark business issues for 2010 in Annual Membership Survey

The 2009 Howell Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Membership Survey was recently conducted online and the results are in. The survey acts as a planning tool for the chamber’s future direction and serves as a scorecard for members to weigh in on services and programs.

The overall response rate from chamber members was 50 percent higher for this year’s survey from 2008. Results of the survey show the chamber ranked high in overall job performance for the year.

Decreasing sales and profitability, effects of the weakened auto industry, marketing/communication and competition are the most important issues members expect to face in 2010.

“We are excited about the marked increase in respondents for this year’s survey, and appreciate the time and consideration chamber members put into their responses. Each year the feedback we receive from our chamber members provides a foundation for guiding the planning, programming and services we offer to best meet our members’ needs and serve the community,” said Pat Convery, chamber president. “To help ensure a solid return on your investment in chamber membership, the input and candid response we receive to the survey is critical and we were pleased with the outcome.”

When asked to rate the job the chamber is doing, 42 percent chose “excellent” and 51 percent chose “very good” or “good;” with “fair” and “poor” by two percent.

When asked if the chamber fulfills its mission to be a “catalyst for a vital business environment and an exceptional community,” 52 percent “agreed” and 35 percent “strongly agreed” while 8 percent remained “neutral,” two percent selected “disagree” and two percent marked “strongly disagree.”

“We are delighted we were able to boost the percentage of chamber members who rated the chamber with high marks and hope to continue that trend in the coming year,” Convery said.

Decreasing sales and profitability (30 percent), and effects of the weakened auto industry (17 percent) were the top issues chosen by respondents as their “biggest business issue for 2010.” Marketing/communication (11 percent) and competition (nine percent) were other top choices.

Approximately 70 percent of respondents had contact with a chamber staff member both by phone and in person; 71 percent had contact at a chamber event and approximately 88 percent also experienced personal contact with the chamber by e-mail. Social networking played a role in communications this year as well, with 16 percent of members reporting contact with the chamber via Facebook or Twitter.

“While we value the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of electronic communication, we aim to uphold a high level of personal contact with our members as well,” Convery said.

Fifty-five percent rated their treatment by chamber staff as “excellent,” 27 percent rated it as “very good” and seven percent rated it as “good.” One rating was marked “fair” and none for “poor.”

Readership remains strong for the chamber’s business publication Business Views. Sixty-one percent are regular readers. Twenty-six percent read it “all of the time,” 35 percent “most of the time” and 25 percent “some of the time.” In 2009, Business Views moved to an electronic publication and readers indicated their satisfaction with its current distribution format with graphics, article headlines and links, versus a short-text-only email message devoid of graphics or images.

Respondents were allowed to select multiple answers to the question “Why are you a member of the Howell Area Chamber of Commerce?” The top choices were “support the community” with 80 percent, “the chamber is an advocate for business” received 72 percent, “networking/business contacts” at 66 percent, and “exposure” was chosen by 55 percent.

Dozens of members took the time to make comments and suggestions on the survey. All will be reviewed by staff and the board of directors. The complete report was presented to the 2010 chamber board of directors at its February meeting.