PestFacts south-eastern hits the mark

In December 2015, cesar conducted a survey for subscribers of PestFacts south-eastern newsletter. The aims of the survey were firstly to gauge how the service is perceived and utilised by subscribers, and secondly to garner ideas on how to improve the service to best meet subscriber needs.

The survey was administered online and 194 subscribers responded. The majority of respondents were advisers and growers from New South Wales and Victoria.

The overwhelming response was extremely positive, with a broad consensus that PestFacts south-eastern is extremely accurate (85% respondents), relevant (80%) and timely (77%). Importantly, respondents said that the newsletter routinely assists them with pest management decisions and that it covers the major pest issues relevant to them.

With a constant need to increase the number of subscriber reports/field intelligence, respondents were asked to provide suggestions on how this could be achieved.  A good number of respondents suggested ‘making it easier to report’ (for example through the use of a reporting app), more encouragement of engagement and to publicise the service through all avenues, particularly social media such as twitter. We will continue to trial these approaches in 2016.

A number of suggestions were put forward by respondents on how PestFacts south-eastern could be improved. Common suggestions were the inclusion of pest predictions, increased advice on management options for pests, extending the service to include pastures, and extending the regional coverage of the service.

To view the survey report and full analyses click here.

If you have any queries or comments about this survey, please contact:

Alana Govender, Garry McDonald, David Baker or Paul Umina

Phone: (03) 9349 4723

Email: agovender@cesaraustralia.com