What should we measure to drive our business?
Is client satisfaction the objective measure, or is it Return on Effort that drives profitability on the web?
An adage says, “We never remember what was done or what was said, but we remember the way it made us feel. “ If this is true, then is the client experience the same as client satisfaction. The Client satisfaction report card has for a long time driven the way we score our clients and how they appreciate our business. If I am happy with you, does it mean you made me feel productive?
I spoke with a fellow project manager once, and she told me she was holding on to the employee with the worst Performance rating on her team until the project was over. I was shocked. How can the most valuable employee have the worst performance rating? The answer lies in the hard skills and the soft skills needed for an overall rating.
61% OF MANAGERS VALUE SOFT SKILLS, 32% OF MANAGERS VALUE HARD SKILLS
-DAN SCHAWBEL
Here we can see that when we need to get things done, we do not go to who is liked most and is the least friction. We tend to go with people who are reliable, fast, and get things done.
Many performance ratings measure the wrong thing because it can get very emotional instead of using the data. While I agree we are human and will work with people, we like all things equal. If we need to get something done and your life depends on it, you will go with the sure bet— the a@@hole with skills. The fastest proven way to get it done.
It is not enough to be eminently gifted. Benevolence depends on goodwill.
“PERFORMANCE OR CLIENT SATISFACTION IS BOTH ABOUT THE VALUE DELIVERED AND HOW YOU DELIVER IT” — STEPHEN CHOO QUAN
I was on a call with a web company, and after an hour on the line with a polite customer service rep, my issue was still not resolved. I ended the call frustrated with no results to show for my hour of customer care delivered.
I got a customer satisfaction form at the end to fill and based on the questions asked, I got good service, but I was not happy with the value delivered. The service agent gave no value service.
DOA is the last word we need to hear on a project. “Dead on Arrival”
We need to measure the value of our product/service to the client and not just the fluff of the client interaction. Did the client get value? And if so, then that is what we genuinely need to measure. All else is a distant second.
Here are four questions you should be asking
- Did the product or service make a change from the current state?
- Did the client notice the difference and value the effort?
- Did you do it right the first time?
- How did the client feel about what was delivered and how it was delivered?
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