Member Survey results: you spoke, we listened

The improvement journey so far

To date, your feedback has driven us to make a number of important improvements. You told us you wanted greater recognition of CQI membership and IRCA auditor certification among employers. We have been working with employers to foster greater understanding and appreciation of the value of quality and our members. We have grown the number of CQI Corporate Partners, such as Crossrail, Nuvia and Boots. A new Commercial Partnerships team, led by executive director Vina Bongiorno, continues to work with employers to improve our understanding of their needs and to promote the value of competent quality professionals to them. 

We launched our new CQI membership grades, creating a structured membership pathway that provides professional recognition at every stage of your career – making Chartered Quality Professional the gold standard for the profession and more recognisable alongside chartered professionals from other disciplines.

You asked for more professional support so we improved our CPD offering, launching a new learning and development portfolio that includes 21 courses at three different levels – each tailored to support individual development through each stage of your career. We also invested in our website to offer better online learning resources.

And you asked us to represent you better. As a holder of Category A liaison status with ISO Technical Committee 176 the CQI was able to influence the development of ISO 9001:2015, making sure your views had an impact. Elsewhere, we harnessed the new CQI Competency Framework to collaborate with the Institute of Directors on the 2016 Good Governance Index, promoting the value and importance of operational governance, assurance and improvement, and the voice of the business and its stakeholders, to the board. Also, we helped more than 1,000 organisations celebrate World Quality Day.

 

Latest findings

In 2016 we revised our survey methodology to include the net promoter score (NPS) for the first time, in order to set a baseline for progress. The NPS index ranges from -100 to 100, measuring the willingness of members to recommend our products or services to others. It is used as a proxy for gauging overall satisfaction with our products or services and your loyalty to the brand. We will be using this index for all of our key customers, from corporate partners to training providers and, of course, you, our members. We ran the survey in December 2016 by email, asking for your feedback on our products, customer service and overall performance. In total, 1,452 people completed the survey between 9 December and 6 January 2017. Following the completion of the survey, we analysed the results to identify trends and areas for improvement. These results
were presented at a meeting of the CQI Board in March.

Our membership engagement scores for 2016 were as follows:

CQI: NPS -8

IRCA: NPS 7

The CQI’s NPS score is likely to have been weakened by the significant restructure of CQI membership grades, which had an impact on associate members and retired members (both groups scored us lower than others).

Percentage of respondents scoring us 7-10:

Good brand reputation 

CQI: 66%

IRCA: 83%

Delivers on promises 

CQI 62%

IRCA 70%

High-quality products and services

CQI 62%

IRCA 72%

Well-trained, professional staff

CQI 71%

IRCA 74%

Operationally efficient

CQI 56%

IRCA 66%

Products tailored and updated to the needs of members

CQI 53%

IRCA 61%

Builds strong relationships with its members

CQI 47%

IRCA 51%

Room for continuous improvement

However, other areas require further improvement and we are pleased that the following points are already reflected in our strategy and plans: 

Poor administration:
Operational inefficiency caused by our systems are a source of frustration for many. A comprehensive process review has now taken place, carried out by the CQI’s new head of membership, Gareth Kingston. 

A list of recommendations was made and these improvements will be phased in over time, including technological solutions. Plans are underway to upgrade our management system to ISO 9001:2015.

Low visibility:
You want greater visibility in industry and beyond the profession. We will build on last year’s progress, as, for the first time, Chartered Quality Professionals will be invited to provide their input to the IoD’s Good Governance Index. The new Policy team and Commercial Partnerships team have already made headway in providing more value to organisations and positioning the CQI as thought leaders in industry and business. They are helping to ensure quality is on the agenda in the boardroom.

Lack of technical detail:
Both the CQI and IRCA brands were praised as sources of high-quality, up-to-date content, but some called for more in-depth technical material.

We’re planning more new technical features in the Knowledge section online and in QW, including more detailed articles on changes to standards and clauses, quality tools and how to apply them, and contributions from our Advisory Council, branches, special interest groups and panels.

Better together

CQI acting chief executive Vincent Desmond said: “The voice of our members is vitally important, as it is for any quality organisation. I am heartened that the improvements we have made over recent years reflect the aspirations of the profession and I would like to thank you for your ongoing support and contributions.

“The CQI has undergone a period of significant change, including major improvements to our learning and development portfolio, membership structure and governance. Today, we are in a great position, with great people, to deliver more – and members have a big role to play. As the profession continues to develop at pace, the combined efforts of the CQI community will be crucial to give quality the standing it deserves.”

The CQI’s new head of membership, Gareth Kingston, said: “A clear message that came through in the survey narrative was that members are not aware of their member benefits. This is clearly something that we need to address. Your membership of the CQI affords you opportunities to engage, network, learn and develop yourself, but if you don’t know what those opportunities are or how to take advantage of them they might as well not exist. We will be working harder to ensure that no matter why you joined the CQI, you can make the most of your relationship with us.

“I am convening a group of CQI staff to coordinate all of the CQI and IRCA’s member insight gathering activity. I will make sure your voice is listened to and feedback is acted upon wherever possible.”