Customer Satisfaction & NPS: What’s behind the numbers?

Customer Satisfaction & NPS: What’s behind the numbers?
Posting date: 23 Jan 2023

Why do we ask for customer feedback? 

When Neil Wilson and I formed Stanton House 10 years ago, it was driven by a passion to deliver an exceptional customer experience. We both recognised that our industry does not consistently achieve this, particularly when it comes to supporting professionals looking to change jobs, and we saw a real opportunity to set ourselves apart.

We appreciate that moving jobs (be that permanent or interim) or more acutely, finding a job when you are out of work, is a life defining experience. We believe that the right job can transform a person's life for the better. It is after all, how we derive purpose in our lives, pay for the roof over our heads and support our loved ones. 

So, we set out to ensure that, regardless of the outcome of a job application (which despite best efforts cannot be guaranteed) we would 100% commit to treating all our customers with courtesy and respect. We would differentiate ourselves by delivering value and creating an exceptional customer experience – every time. 

That is a pretty high bar, and we don’t always reach it.

But we do measure it.

We believe getting customer feedback, at crucial touchpoints in the customer journey, is vital for us to learn, improve and foster long-term partnerships. 

How do we ask for customer feedback?

We ask our customers for feedback with questions that are contextual to specific interactions. For example, after we have met with a client, after we have registered a candidate, after a candidate has interviewed for a job, and so on.

We have six customer journeys which elicit a request for feedback. What’s more, this is a continual, automated process. It doesn’t just come down to a one-off monthly, or annual survey that we send out. 

What specifically do we measure?

Answers to our customer feedback questions are used to measure our Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) and our Net Promotor Score (NPS). 

1. CSAT – Are our customers happy? 

Our CSAT score tracks how satisfied clients and candidates are with our service and is calculated using the answers to multiple questions about their experience with us, at different stages of the recruitment process.

Customer feedback survey results are averaged out to give a % score over a period of time. 100% being total satisfaction and 0% being total customer dissatisfaction. 

When it comes to the answers that we count towards our CSAT score we set an incredibly high bar at Stanton House. 

Answer options to customer satisfaction questions are graded one to four:

1 = Poor level of satisfaction

2 = Good level of satisfaction

3 = Exceptional level of satisfaction

4 = The best customer experience of that nature that the customer has ever had with a recruitment company

We only count answers 3 or 4 towards our CSAT score! 

2. NPS – would our customers recommend us?

Our NPS score tracks client and candidate experience and is calculated using the answer to this one question:

‘On a scale of 0-10, how likely is it that you would recommend us to friends or colleagues?’

Respondents are grouped as follows: 

  • Promoters (score 9-10)
  • Passives (score 7-8)
  • Detractors (score 0-6)

Subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters yields our Net Promoter Score, which can range from a low of -100% (if every customer is a Detractor) to a high of +100% (if every customer is a Promoter). 

So, getting a high NPS is not easy as Passives are excluded from the calculation!

How do we score?

Over the last 12 months, we have sent out over 3,000 requests for customer feedback and our customers have given Stanton House an overall Customer Satisfaction Score of 72% and an overall Net Promotor Score of 69%.

CSAT & NPS (Overall):

CSAT & NPS (Client v’s Candidate):

To put this into context, research by Clearly Rated calculates that the average NPS scores given to staffing firms by their candidate and clients are 18% and 28%, respectively. 

Source: Cleary Rated 

Source: Cleary Rated 

Global NPS standards classify 50% NPS as excellent and 70% NPS as world-class, so anything over 50% indicates exceptionally high levels of client or candidate satisfaction.

Needless to say, we are incredibly proud of these scores and, when looking at the chart below, puts us on par with some of the most recognisable service leader brands in other industries: 

Published NPS scores for brands across industries:

What's behind the numbers?

Clients scored us highest for having researched them and their business, having a very strong understanding of their business goals and for sharing insight which gave them genuine pause for thought.

Candidates scored us highest for the exceptional interview preparation, feedback, support, and guidance they received.

We are so proud of our people for doing such a professional job!

Here's just a small sample of the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received last month:

“Stanton house is the only recruitment company I have dealt with in the 10 years since my return to the UK where applicant is treated as a valuable commodity equitable to the company seeking staff, Quality delivers quality. Rosie was outstanding, friendly warm and considerate in the unprecedented times we have had during this last 18 months.”

“Minesh negotiated a good rate for me initially while keeping it low enough to make my application the most competitive. The time sheet, approval and payment process has been perfectly smooth and on time throughout the contract.  This is much better than some agencies with a complicated process and a failure pay until chased by me. Thank you to everyone at Stanton House for an outstandingly good contract from beginning to end.”

“I find Kieran Adie to be an excellent communicator and so he's been a pleasure to deal with. Kieran kept me updated via emails, text messages and phone calls so I was never left in the dark for a moment. He managed to discuss his role with me, get my CV to the client, secure two interviews and (very nearly now!) have an offer made to me. All within 48 hours. An amazing performance!”

“Elle was a pleasure to work with. What really differentiated her from other recruiters was the genuine personal interest in my career aspirations, only putting forward roles that were suitable for my skill-set and clearly having done her research into the ins/outs of each position which was extremely helpful in making application decisions.”

I’d like to say a massive thank you to our client and candidate customers, for trusting to find you a great job or to find and hire top talent. We are thrilled and privileged to work with you all and thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback. It means the world to all of us at Stanton House.  

Do you have some feedback?

If you have any feedback, especially on how we could improve, I would love to hear it. Please do get in touch. 

Other resources

For more information on measuring and setting KPI's for customer satisfaction, read this helpful guide to ensure you're measuring the right customer service data for your business.