Case Study One:
A multi-national organization was struggling with a lack of internal customer focus from its support areas (e.g., Human Resources, Finance and Operations). One of their strategic objectives was to improve this focus. Critical Metrics helped the client to develop an ongoing program to track and improve internal client focus and satisfaction.
Critical Metrics developed an on-line survey that was administered to a representative sample of managers. The survey results were reported for the overall organization as well as for each respective functional area. Key themes were extracted from a multitude of open-ended comments addressing recommendations for how the each functional area could improve, and were presented to the client in a convenient and easy to understand manner.
Having an ongoing program to track the organization’s progress allowed the client to look at progress over time. To spur the organization to act on findings in a timely and appropriate manner, accountabilities were created. Several key metrics were selected from the survey and integrated into the organization’s goal-setting program.
The survey has not remained static but has evolved after continual assessment of aspects that help or hinder the gathering of feedback. Critical Metrics gradually helped make the survey more customer-focused by shortening the survey and simplifying reporting requirements. As a result, response rates have improved from year to year.
Case Study Two:
The communication department of a financial services firm was charged with evaluating the impact of its communication efforts. Critical Metrics was retained to help them administer and analyze responses from a communication survey. The focused nature of the survey allowed for a detailed and informative analysis of all aspects of communication within the firm. Aware that views on the same issues can vary widely within a firm depending on one’s position and other factors, we presented both overall findings and findings broken down by organizational and demographic groups.
Critical Metrics helped the firm pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of internal communication, and brought the firm’s attention to areas where employees’ lack of resource awareness or understanding needed to be addressed.
As a result of Critical Metrics’ analysis, the company learned of the manner and frequency with which its employees used the resources offered to them. It also received helpful feedback on how various new media initiatives would be received by employees if they were to be implemented—which initiatives had a high chance to succeed and which did not. This type of information saved the firm from wasting resources on initiatives which may have only received a lukewarm reception from the firm’s employees.
The firm also benefited from having administered its communication survey two years in a row. A comparison of the results over time showed the company how effectively it had acted on the findings of the previous year.
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