Over the past couple of years, TeacherActive has been collecting customer feedback. This is so we can continue to improve what we do and ensure any improvements we make align with what you want to see from your agency.
We request this feedback twice a year, so while we wait for the next feedback event in November, we thought now would be a good time to be transparent about what we do and why we do it!
What feedback is TeacherActive collecting?
We use a straightforward mixture of quantitative (statistics) and qualitative (reviews and feedback) data to keep the collection and analysis straightforward to calculate our Net Promoter Score. Keeping the feedback simple means we can clearly see what’s going well, and what needs our focus, so we can ask for further information if we need to.
This process is split into two parts: to gain feedback from our candidates (including but not limited to teachers, lecturers, support staff, nursery workers and care workers) and clients (such as schools, colleges, nurseries and residential units).
Why do we want your feedback?
- We want to quantify customer experience (CX) on an ongoing basis: in a way that enables us to identify areas of concern in the form of low scores or declining satisfaction. This can be done term-on-term or year-on-year, to take into account the seasonality of the education market and academic year.
- We address areas of concern where appropriate; and be sure to let you know of these changes transparently with the aim of creating an upturn in CX and satisfaction.
- We want to maximise candidate and client retention: The best relationships are built on communication. Open and honest feedback has a direct impact on the longevity of that relationship. The longer you work with a school or teacher, the more familiar you become with each other, and as long as you’re providing (and exceeding!) the right quality service and CX, we can be sure our teachers and schools trust us and that we have a good working relationship.
- We want to spread the word: It's easy for anyone to say: “Work with TeacherActive, we’re a great company” but so what, anyone can say that! Gaining real feedback on what people like about working with us enables candidates and clients to see what like-minded professionals have said about us.
- CX is at the heart of our growth strategy.
What we did with the quantitative feedback
We decided to use an established framework to benchmark ourselves, asking candidates and clients a simple question: “Would you recommend TeacherActive?” to gain Net Promoter Scores (NPS for short) for each party. This allows us to monitor our performance internally, as well as compare against external companies, competitors, and the wider business community.
All customers are asked to rate the likelihood of that statement between 0 (not at all likely) and 10 (a nailed-on yes). Detractors score 0-6, passives score 7-8 and promoters 9-10. The percentage of detractors and promoters is then entered into a standard NPS equation to give your NPS score.
NPS scores of 30-70 are considered ‘great’ and 70+ are ‘excellent’ on the scale of this worldwide benchmarking scale.
So how did we do?
Our last candidate score in June 2023 was 57 (great) and the client score was a massive 80 (excellent!) The client score comfortably beats Apple (47) and exceeds Costco (79) according to online research.
Qualitative research is also key
We didn’t want our feedback to solely rely on numbers. While these scores are important, the reasons why people like working with us enable us to, quite simply, do the things they like more often. The feedback also, in some ways more importantly, gives us comments on how we could improve which are considered and acted upon. This way, we are continually improving CX.
It’s always nice to see the reasons why people like working with us, so here’s a small selection:
From our candidates
“They are good with matching you up with work, friendly staff and as well care about your well-being, as well it feels like a family.”
“Everything from communication and most of all for giving me a chance to build my career as a teaching assistant.”
“They were very quick to fully enrol me, fast acting on finding a suitable vacancy, always answered calls and queries quickly, flexible and friendly, kind staff.”
“Good teamwork with professionalism. The staff are approachable. Fantastic training topics via My-Progression.”
“The charisma and the organisation within the team and the proactive administration are exceedingly beautiful.”
And from our clients
“Easy and clearly laid out compliance information. Consultants are great and easy to work with.”
“We have good clear and honest communication; my consultant always strives to fit me with the best candidate for my school.”
“The agent that I work with has been for 10+ years so he understands my method of working and how best to contact myself.”
“Contactable 24/7, confirmation of booking, confirming timesheets and excellent communication- very helpful and approachable.”
“They know our school and always try to help us with our need for staff last minute as well as appreciating any changes we might have to make.”
And this is an essential ongoing process
The next survey will be sent in February 2024 and our progress in pushing both scores through and as far into the ‘excellent’ mark as possible continues!
Want to find out more about our services? Head to our Contact Us page or call our head office on 0121 200 3224.
