One of the reasons Hallam-ICS became ISO-9001 Certified was the focus on continuous improvement. Our annual client satisfaction survey provides a forum for our clients to offer their feedback to us on the projects we worked together on in the past year. The survey augments the regular communication that occurs between our clients and project managers, engineers, and technicians.
This is the fourth year that we have completed our client satisfaction survey. Each year provides us with additional insight into how our clients feel about working with us; what we do well and how we can improve. We take the responses, comments, and results very seriously and incorporate them into our annual Strategic Planning discussions. In addition to being ISO-9001 Certified, Hallam-ICS is also 100% employee-owned and a Certified B-Corporation. Transparency is a big part of our culture and we share the results of the survey with our employees and our clients.
The survey consists of 9 questions along with an opportunity to provide comments or feedback. The table below provides a summary of our scores for the past 4 years:
The 9th question is used to calculate the Net Promoter Score (NPS). NPS is a widely accepted measure for customer loyalty and is calculated by asking the question “How likely is it that you would recommend Hallam-ICS to a Colleague? (0 equals very unlikely, 10 equals very likely).” The individual responses are categorized based upon the response:
To determine the NPS, subtract the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters:
((Number of Promoters – Number of Detractors) / Total Number of Responses) * 100
For example, in 2020 the company had 60 total responses with 50 Promoters, 8 Passives, and 2 Detractors. The NPS is ((50 – 2) / 60) * 100 = 80.0%. It is difficult to get benchmark data from similar companies in our industry but based upon discussions with similar companies along with some research, 80% is a very good NPS for an engineering and automation company.
Some highlights and observations from this year’s results:
Perhaps not coincidentally, three of these questions directly address CODES (Communication, Oversight, Documentation, Expectations, Schedule). Hallam-ICS has developed and trained all employees on the importance of CODES because each of these elements is vital to providing a positive customer experience on every project we undertake. We’re proud to see that our clients feel that we have improved our performance in these areas.
Working with Hallam is like working with someone on your own team. They care about our company like it is their own and are always willing to do whatever they can to help us be successful.
Each year, the responses from our clients indicate that they want to work with a team that has technical expertise required to complete the work, but also provides a positive working experience on the project. This is the foundation of our “50% Technical, 50% Relationship” philosophy. Our client feedback over the past four years has helped us to shape our plans for the future:
While we will continue to reinforce CODES amongst our team in the coming 12 months, we are also planning on making an investment into “Strategic Human Resources.” Hallam’s success has always been the result of hiring and retaining talented engineers who shared our beliefs and values. After all, research has consistently shown that the client experience is largely based upon the employee experience. In other words, treat your employees well and they will treat your clients well.
We are thankful for the feedback provided by our clients and plan to use their insights to continue to improve Hallam-ICS.
About the author
Keith is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a BSEE and an MBA. He has been with Hallam-ICS since 1988 as an electrical engineer, manager of integration services, CFO, and CEO. He focuses the company on understanding and meeting the needs of each individual client while at the same time delivering the highest possible level of technical expertise.
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About Hallam-ICS
Hallam-ICS is an engineering and automation company that designs MEP systems for facilities and plants, engineers control and automation solutions, and ensures safety and regulatory compliance through arc flash studies, commissioning, and validation. Our offices are located in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Vermont and North Carolina and our projects take us world-wide.