Editorial note: the ranking on the front page is a starting line. It orders names after checks against public files and each agency's own website. It does not replace a side-by-side look at what the agencies say when asked the same questions in the same order.

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Build the grid before the calls

Editorial: Draw a table with the questions down the left side and one column for each agency. Keep the question order identical for every agency, and read each question with the same wording every time. A grid works only when each agency answers the same question, so do not skip a question because one agency gave a pleasing answer on a different call.

Tag where each answer came from

Editorial: Beside every answer, write one short tag: Website, Paper, or Spoken. A website answer can be checked against the page on the day you read it. A paper answer is the agreement or proposal itself. A spoken answer is what someone said on a call or during a visit, and it counts only after it is turned into written terms. Blank cells matter. A blank means the agency has not answered yet, so record it as a gap, not as a yes.

Questions for the grid

  • Who sets the schedule, and who changes it when a visit moves?
  • What is the route when the usual aide cannot come?
  • Who takes a complaint, and where is the route written down?
  • Which tasks are inside the agreement, and which sit outside it?
  • Who is the contact after office hours?

Read across the rows

Editorial: When the grid is finished, read across each row. Look for the question where one agency's answer is firm on paper and the other's is only spoken. Look for the question where both answers are blank. A ranking can tell you which name to look at first. The grid tells you which promise you can hold each agency to. For the ranked names and the order behind them, see the St. Louis ranking list, then return to your grid before you choose.