So, you’ve received your annual benchmarking report. It’s chock full of numbers rating your firm’s performance in different areas. You’ve got the charts and can see exactly where your firm stands out, and where it is lacking, compared to other similar firms.
But do you know exactly why?
Verbatim comments can help you shine light on the “why” and “how” of numbers presented in a benchmarking report. They will help you better understand your clients’ needs based on individual experiences, and ultimately improve the broader client experience.
This article explains the advantages of verbatim comments in benchmarking research.
What do we mean by verbatim quotes in research?
A verbatim is a “word for word” statement or response from a respondent or research participant. These direct quotes or responses are presented exactly as they were provided. Verbatims comments may also be called verbatims quotes or verbatim quotations.
An example verbatim comment from a client feedback survey may look like this:
“I really value the project partner maintaining regular contact with me, providing clear timelines and communication on key milestones. This makes my job easier and saves me a lot of time. I appreciate the quick response times from the team whenever I have a question or encounter an issue.”
Comments like this offer qualitative insights into the thoughts, opinions, and experiences of your clients. They capture their perspectives in their own words – in a way that simple numbers cannot. Verbatim comments can range from brief statements to more detailed narratives.
Verbatim comments can help provide human insight and shine light on the data presented by benchmarking reports.
Why are verbatim quotes useful in the report of a research study?
Verbatim comments are not always included alongside quantitative data in benchmarking reports. However, at Beaton we feel they are crucial.
This is because, as detailed and valuable as benchmarking numbers can be, they lack a “human factor”. Your clients are human. The practitioners in your firm delivering services are human. Understanding clients requires delving deeper into individual client experiences – and this is where verbatim comments can help.
“A verbatim comment is your client explaining to you why they gave you a good rating or a bad rating and what you could do better. They are really helpful at capturing the attention of leaders,” says Beaton partner Paul Hugh-Jones.
“You can present to your leadership team all the data points, but once you add the verbatims in, the data gets brought to life via a human voice.”
Perhaps your firm rated poorly on measures for “ease of doing business with”. An example verbatim comments that might explain why you received such a rating could be: “the partner was really hard to get hold of”. This kind of feedback tells a full-picture story in a way data can’t do alone.
“They also help actionability,” says Hugh-Jones.
“Perhaps you’ve identified that reliability is an issue. Some firms may receive a low rating but will often ask me, ‘Can you explain what clients want from us to improve?’ The verbatims will tell you, because clients in verbatims will suggest improvements.”
You can present to your leadership team all the data points, but once you add the verbatims in, the data gets brought to life via a human voice.
What is verbatim analysis and how does it help?
In our Beaton Benchmarks reports we not only include verbatim comments but go a step further to undertake verbatim analysis. This involves systematically analysing all clients’ comments from our research survey to identify themes, patterns, and insights on your firm. We will pick up on recurring feedback comments and quantify that feedback.
In this way we can help you understand areas where similar issues are consistently being raised by clients, and distinguish them from one-off comments in outlier situations. This guides your firm where and how to make improvements that will directly impact the client experience.
Paul Hugh-Jones explains that a Beaton Benchmarks verbatim comment analysis can also filter and sort responses from clients according to the categories you may choose. For example, we can extract verbatim analysis from clients according to an area of service or a location.
“This is the EQ bit – the emotional intelligence and understanding your clients as humans,” says Hugh-Jones.
“It can be easier to comprehend speech bubbles of what your clients have actually said, alongside their numerical rating of your service.”
Adding verbatim analysis to your Beaton Benchmarks report can capture the nuances and richness of your clients’ responses. Paired with our data it offers firms a deeper understanding of clients, their experiences, and what improvements they are seeking from your firm.
Actionable client feedback and tailored benchmarking
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