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Inside This Issue Mathews & Company Needs Flexible Tools |
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I. 2 V. 1 Nov/Dec 2003 Thanks for subscribing! Welcome to Hostedware's bi-monthly newsletter: Hostedwire. You'll find subscription management instructions at the bottom of this newsletter. |
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Contact Hostedware Hostedware Corporation |
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Editor's LetterGreetings! Welcome to the second issue of Hostedware's newsletter: Hostedwire. We'll be publishing on a bi-monthly basis to bring you information, ideas and insight into using web surveys and online testing solutions for your research, education and performance improvement needs. In this issue, I'd like to spend some time introducing you to Dan Greenfield, a member of our special projects team who's been with Hostedware from the beginning. In future issues, I'll introduce you to other staff members. Introducing Dan GreenfieldFrom the beginning, Dan has helped improve Hostedware applications and says, "I've got to admire how far we've come. It's amazing to join a company at its inception and contribute to its growth." His biggest project, for an international Fortune 100 company, was a challenge he especially enjoyed. "Their annual compliance questionnaire had an enormous scope--9 language translations, 200+ questions, respondents in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Europe. Since participation was mandatory, every employee had to be accounted for. "This is not an easy feat with thousands of employees across a dozen countries. When that last response came in, it was a great day--it's the best part of my job knowing that a project was a success and the customer is happy." Coincidentally, Dan is mentioned in one of our customer case studies inside this issue (Mathews & Company). I encourage you to read on! If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, or comments, please send me an email. I can't wait to hear what you think about the new newsletter and what you'd like to see in future issues. And, if you'd like to be featured in a future case study, let me know--we'll be covering a customer in every issue.
Sincerely, |
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Mathews & Company Meets Client Needs for Custom Surveys
When Dick Mathews, President, and Jim Polito, Vice President, went out looking for a firm to help them perform online customer satisfaction surveys three years ago, they found that there are a lot of surveying companies out there. Finding the right combination required persistenceGetting exactly the right combination of service, support, and pricing was important to Dick, and Jim set about comparing the vendors. When a Mathews & Company client recommended Hostedware, Dick and Jim decided that they had found exactly the company they were looking for. Recently, Mathews & Company worked on a project with Hostedware that cemented the relationship. Mathews & Company had a client (a large insurance company) that had decided to expand their surveying. Mathews & Company wanted to find exactly the right solution for them. Help desk feedback required more flexibility"We had been doing an annual survey for this client for the past three years," Jim explains. "But they wanted to expand the options for their employees to provide feedback on their satisfaction with their computer help desk on a transaction basis." Jim continues: "What we needed was some very specific and detailed reporting. We were concerned that Hostedware might not be able to provide the level of customization that would be necessary to get the job done right. But Hostedware went above and beyond to produce precisely the reports that both Mathews & Company and our client needed." Tracking trends means problem preventionHostedware provided the tools to create custom reports that compile employee satisfaction with the help desk for the past month and in year-to-date formats. "The Hostedware reports allow our client to track trends and stop problems before they get out of hand," Jim says. "Now the client can see how satisfied employees are with the technology support they're getting on a continuous basis." Mathews & Company doubled business with clientThis extension of Hostedware's service allowed Mathews & Company to double the business they did with this client. Plus, they have introduced a series of surveys to measure satisfaction with the implementation of new projects. So, with Hostedware's support, Mathews & Company now provides a full array of customer feedback tools to their client. "Hostedware has helped us with smaller projects, too," Jim says. "And what consistently impresses me is their support. They're very responsive, especially Dan Greenfield. Dan's helped us from day one, and he always gets back to us with a solution immediately." A lot of companies do surveys; service stands apartOverall, Jim and Dick believe the support, service, and customization available from Hostedware easily top other options available. "A lot of companies can do surveys," Jim says, "but Hostedware is unique because they provide very customized reports that you simply can't find from anyone else." Dick agrees. "Hostedware is at the top of our list when we look to provide customized service on a fast turnaround basis at highly competitive fees." | |||||||||
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FAQ: Access and Navigation Controls
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Focus on FeedbackIn a perfect world, employers would understand exactly what each employee needs to excel at their job, know how to save the company lots of money, and be able to forecast the future. Unfortunately, that perfect world doesn't exist; instead, we have employee feedback. Seeking out employee feedbackNo one knows the methods, systems, and procedures of the organization better than the company employees. Why not ask their opinions? You may receive some surprising answers, and employees will feel like management is approachable if they're asked to give their views on certain questions. Information can be collected by an automated system that includes online-based surveys, verbal collection methods, or the old stand-by paper and pencil. "Employees are the company," says Paul Davis, president of Scanlon Leadership Network, East Lansing, MI. "You can't possibly meet the needs of employees without getting their feedback. All of our 28 member companies in the network use some form of feedback." Demonstrate importance of employees by asking their opinionsWhen you seek feedback and act on those observations you're sending a very strong message to employees that lets them know they are important to the company. Davis says he seeks employee feedback because he believes every organization has at least three critical stakeholders: employees, customers, and investors. With feedback you can improve quality, productivity, and customer service. Uncover future problems, ways to save moneyWhen feedback responses are examined, employers might find what's going right with the company and what things are going astray. They might find opportunities to save money and ways to increase their bottom line. Using feedback effectively, companies can serve their customers better. They might also learn some of their managers should not be managers and uncover those employees who'd make great supervisors. "In one company, employees told the owner that his hand-picked successor was not a good fit for the company and he was removed," says Davis. "In another company, an employee offered a suggestion that saved the company over one million dollars per year." And, in still another company, an employee originated a new product idea that became a billion-dollar-a-year industry. Get more participation with clear goals"Feedback goals need to be established at the beginning," says Cyndi Larson, assistant professor at National University, San Diego, CA. "That way you'll get more participation from the employees. Employees need to understand why they are being asked for this information." Larson says employers should clearly state their goals up front or risk employees being reluctant to fully cooperate in the information gathering process. Encourage future participation by responding to all feedback"Research says that during the survey employees feel their opinion matters," Larson says. "However, if nothing is done with the collected information it can create resentment and feelings of being devalued." That's why it's so important that employers express their appreciation for all feedback gathered, even that feedback that may not be appropriate to the situation. When employees share their opinions on the state of the organization and identify challenges and problems that need to be addressed, they've taken a risk that must be acknowledged if employers want employees to feel comfortable to share in the future. Questions to ask employees for useful feedbackMagna Donnelly, co-founder of the Scanlon Leadership Network came up with 10 creative and thought-provoking questions to ask employees:
Online surveys are easier to complete, give faster resultsOnce you've selected goals and the questions you'll ask, you'll need to decide on a format. Between reduced response times, eliminated postage and mailing expenses, and ease of use for employees, online surveys often make the most sense according to Larson. "As organizations continue to become more technically savvy it will be easier to use automated tools." Get best results from employee feedbackEnsure you're making best use of the employee feedback you gather by: being up front about the purpose of the questions, planning the survey or questionnaire with goals in mind, asking thought-provoking questions, and implementing gathered information. Taking the time to gather and put into effect employee feedback will help prevent problems, stop waste, and may just increase company profits. It'll also make employees feel important and help uncover new ideas. By following these tips, your future employee surveys will result in more useful feedback and happier employees. | ||||||||||
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Certifying Students Without Boundaries
The Federation of Dining Room Professionals (FDRP) publishes books and training materials to support their programs to certify dining room professionals in 10 countries and all 50 states. Through partnerships with the preeminent culinary schools in America, their programs currently reach hundreds of students annually. Because "certification is only as valuable as the organization that promotes it," Bernard says maintaining impeccable testing standards is critical. Online testing allows greater expansionFDRP sells their materials in bookstores, culinary colleges and universities across the country. Online, their materials are available around the world in two languages. Because the FDRP doesn't have contact with every student taking their certification examination, they needed a way to offer access without pre-registration. Bernard searched for a way to administrate the exam without contacting each student and most of the testing programs available didn't offer the right solution. However, Hostedware was able to generate access codes specific to each certification level so that the system can generate a test according to the student's progress. Tests are automatically constructed from a random selection of questions. The system knows how many questions to select and from which categories based on the access code entered by the student. Another benefit of this system is that the access codes don't expire. Because tests are generated randomly, students can re-take the test as many times as necessary without needing a new code. The code is valid until the student passes the test, which was important to Bernard. "This program guarantees certification as long as you use it--you can take and retake tests until you pass--there's no need to buy a new access code," he says. Question bank prevents cheatingSo often, professors have to go to the work of randomizing their own tests or creating multiple tests for their classes. But the FDRP's tests are automatically randomized. The test bank currently has 500 questions available. Each question is categorized by chapter so that the computer can automatically compile tests. This also makes it easier for students to retake the test without the administration headaches of checking test versions. Bank structure takes tests beyond the classroomThe question bank is also ideal for large restaurant organizations that need a way to ensure each employee is held to high standards. Bernard offers these companies customized tests to meet their specific needs. Using the current test bank, restaurants are able to test applicant and employee knowledge of fundamental areas such as dietary restrictions and serving procedures. This streamlines the hiring and promotion process by standardizing interview requirements. Bernard believes that the blind nature of the tests will also offer restaurants some protection from discrimination lawsuits. Reporting functions provide instant feedbackCurrently, test results are automatically emailed to the test-taker, the professor, and, at the choice of the school/corporation, the dean or upper management. This enables professors and managers to easily report grades and compare scores throughout entire classes. By considering the questions most students missed, professors and trainers can evaluate the quality of their lectures. Automatically sending the reports to upper management or the school's dean also ensures a standard level of performance throughout the program and enables the test administrator to see each professor/trainer's strong and weak areas. Bernard credits Hostedware for these automatic functions and with the FDRP's impressive penetration into the academic world. Because some of the features the FDRP needed weren't originally available from Hostedware, he's had a first-hand look at Hostedware's ability to quickly add new features and respond to customer needs. He says, "I've never, never, NEVER had a problem that wasn't fixed within 24 hours of my call." The partnership between the companies has ensured the FDRP is well situated for future expansion and that the testing parts of their certification process are held to the highest standards. | |||||||||
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FAQ: Licensing Know-How
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Check new spam laws before sending survey invitesOn January 1, 2004, a new law will take effect in California that may change the way you invite people to take your surveys. For a look at what this new law may mean to your marketing emails, take a look at this article on MarketingProfs.com (http://www.marketingprofs.com/3/klais1.asp). What to do with survey announcement emailsStart by ensuring your list is entirely opt-in (people have requested your emails) rather than opt-out (you email people you think may be interested and include unsubscribe directions). Consider also keeping a record of all subscribers (the date they subscribed and their IP address). Following the requirements of this new law may take more time, but it'll also get you on track to meet future requirements (and with bills being bandied about on both the local and national level in the US and in Europe, there are likely to be future legal requirements). Hostedware's approach to spamHostedware will be adding additional levels of protection to our mailing capacity in coming months as well to help you prevent any of your survey participants from believing they've been spammed. And, along with those changes, we'll also be tightening our own list. Another change we'll be making to our own list will be to add a double opt-in requirement. This means that everyone wishing to subscribe will have to respond to an email confirmation. Double opt-in is quickly becoming the standard for email newsletter lists and can help you ensure all your readers really want to receive the information you send. Confirm your Hostedwire subscription to make a differenceHostedware is starting a scholarship fund to help students receive higher education in the fields of research, education and performance improvement. To get this scholarship fund started, we'll be donating a quarter ($0.25 US) for every Hostedwire subscriber who replies to this newsletter with "Subscribe" in the email subject or body to confirm their newsletter subscription. Alternatively, you can email me and let me know you have added editor@hostedware.com to your address book or spam filter's white list. With over 4,000 subscribers, that would mean a donation of more than $1,000 if each one of you sends me an email. So, please respond to this newsletter today so I can add our donation in your name. Just click "reply" or send a new email to editor@hostedware.com to confirm your subscription to receive the Hostedwire newsletter. |
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with "subscribe" in the subject line. Copyright 2003 Hostedware Corporation. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Newsletter design by The Write Exposure | ||||||||||
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