A facility management service provider, facing challenges with subcontractors, engaged Chris Hadley Consulting to conduct comprehensive customer research aimed at enhancing service quality. The company had already recognised that while a majority of their projects met high standards, a persistent minority were plagued by inconsistencies that were hindering overall performance and the ability to elevate service levels long-term.

To address this, a detailed quarterly interview programme to better understand current issues was proposed. This programme was designed to engage a diverse cross-section of the company’s clients through telephone interviews, ensuring a broad and representative feedback collection. Interviews focused on key problem areas in service delivery and included measures such as the Net Promoter Score (NPS) to gauge customer loyalty. Additionally, the interviews allowed for open-ended comments, giving clients the freedom to suggest specific improvements.

Findings were presented via an Excel spreadsheet, complete with charts and verbatim responses. A second spreadsheet was created to track these insights over time, aiding the company in monitoring progress and adjusting strategies accordingly.

The results confirmed the company’s suspicions: a small segment of complex projects, often subcontracted, were indeed diminishing the overall service quality. This pattern pointed to a need for targeted improvements in managing and overseeing subcontracted work. Subsequent discussions helped the company identify feasible solutions to these sporadic yet significant issues.