At Prosono, one of our core values and beliefs is that progress is achieved through discomfort. As a management consulting firm, we know our clients often buy our services for our expertise and experience, but the art of each engagement for our team is quickly learning how to create value to our clients.
When we started our business, we knew there was value and opportunity in how quickly we could improve both our services AND our internal projects. We needed a mechanism to help us ensure the outcome of the project we promised, and that was why we decided to use Net Promoter Score (NPS). For those unfamiliar, NPS is a common indicator for assessing customer satisfaction and engagement with your brand. NPS is designed to be a powerful an indicator of customer allegiance, helping organizations accurately predict if a customer will refer you to others or use your services again.
Believing in the power of habits and behaviors, Prosono built a delivery approach that revolves around 2-week intervals where we ask our clients and project teams for formal feedback using NPS. The result of this practice has been transformative for our business, clients, and team.
First, we have learned that listening to your customers during moments of challenge is insanely helpful: In one project, for example, prior to asking the client for NPS feedback, we thought the client was dissatisfied with the content and structure of an entire deliverable, so we planned to make a substantial change. Upon asking for an NPS and feedback, we learned it was just the format of the deliverable that needed to change. In another project, we thought we were meeting the client’s needs, but when they gave us an 8 (we always ask what would make the score a "10"), the client shared some very harsh feedback about their client experience noting they needed better communication, stronger project management and more insight to their expectations. In both cases, we were able to completely address their issues and deliver the project on time, while earning their trust and respect as a partner.
Second, requesting NPS scores and feedback drives us to continuously improve. In any industry, management consulting included, companies either adapt or die. By getting consistent bi-weekly feedback, our services, our teammates, our messaging…you name it… improve constantly. There are few things that better drive improvement than getting consistent customer feedback.
Third, if you listen closely to not only what is said, but what is unsaid, you can yourself state what the client may not want to say. Humans are challenged with providing feedback, as it can lead to confrontation or fear. So, by putting this tool in place for our team, it has forced us to lean in to giving and receiving constructive feedback while also excelling at hearing what people are saying or not saying. The key to any service industry is learning how to listen to our stakeholders, and Prosono is getting better at doing that, thus improving our skills, delivery and client experience.
I could go on but suffice it to say that NPS is an invaluable tool for driving both business success.