NQA’s Customer Experience 2019-2020 – What You Told Us

29 July 2020

Clause 10, “Improvement”, is a fundamental part of Annex SL and forms an instrumental role in the ongoing maintenance of any business management system.

Here at NQA, our organizational goals are no different and we regularly look for feedback from our clients and industry stakeholders.

In the last twelve months we have had over 1300 responses to our Never Stop Improving Survey and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to tell us how we did and more importantly share the results with you!

Overall Net Promoter Score

The Net Promoter Score is a globally recognised metric that measures the willingness of a customer to recommend a company’s products or services to others. The NPS is an index that ranges from -100 to +100.

On average the Professional Services Benchmark is +46. This question is a mandatory question in our Never Stop Improving survey and our latest figure is something we are particularly proud of.

Our Quoting Process

97% of you told us that our sales team are responsive, professional and helpful
97% of you agreed or strongly agreed that you received an accurate quote in a timely manner.

Did you know that we aim to get a quote over to you within 1 working day and quite often you will receive this the same day that you supply us with your information!

Our Audit Planning Process

93% of you agreed or strongly agreed that when planning and scheduling your audit NQA’s communication was responsive, professional and met your needs
94% of you agreed or strongly agreed that when planning and scheduling your audit the audit date(s) were notified and booked in a timely manner
95% of you agreed or strongly agreed that when planning and scheduling your audit the audit programme and expectations were clearly presented

Did you know NQA continued to conduct the majority of your scheduled audits throughout the COVID-19 period despite lockdown measures – we really tested the technology!

Did you know NQA has successfully delivered nearly 5000 remote audits days this year already, helping you maintain your certification throughout the uncertain times.

Our Auditors

97% of you told us that you think our Auditor (s) are fair, professional and courteous
97% of you told us that you think our Auditor (s) are knowledgeable about the standard(s) and our industry
97% of you told us that you think our Auditor(s) focused on the important issues (e.g. strategic objectives, key risks and opportunities)
92% of you told us that NQA's Auditor(s) are consistent in their approach (as a team or with previous Auditors)

Did you know we regularly train our Auditors (both employed and associates) to ensure they are calibrated as a team and up to date on the latest industry developments – we do this at least twice per year!

The Audit Itself

94% of you agree or strongly agree that NQA’s audit findings will help you improve your business and drive trust and confidence in your products/services
97% of you agree or strongly agree that NQA’s audit findings were presented in a timely manner (report and any non-conformities)

Did you know that on the majority of occasions our Auditor will leave you with your report on the final day of the audit!

Remote Audits

93% agreed or strongly agreed that your remote audit conducted during COVID-19 added as much value as my usual audit
97% agreed or strongly agreed that your remote audit was easily accessible and smooth running
92% agreed or strongly agreed that you would be interested in having part of your audit conducted remotely using a similar method in the future

Did you know NQA are on the technical working group with UKAS for the future of remote audits – the blended audit approach – watch this space as we help move the industry forward in this area!

Next Steps

Our improvement ambition is to push our net promoter score above 70 and keep it there! We have listened carefully to your feedback and have implemented the following values to make sure we continue to push ourselves to improve:

Ensure consistency and continuity of auditors where ever possible
Increase our back office KPI’s to ensure that we respond quickly and effectively
We have made our process lean to ensure you get your certificate in a quicker timeframe
Increase our communications with you in advance of the audit – you will now be contacted almost 6 weeks prior to your audit to discuss the arrangements and audit plan giving you more time to prepare
Included access to our e-learning portfolio of courses for you and your colleagues within our standard day rate helping you and your organisation to continually improve

We would love to hear your direct feedback on how you have found working with NQA. Please contact our Commercial and Customer Experience Director, Laura Fletcher.