The problem with personal relationships
IT-Effect is a Microsoft Dynamics partner specialising in the construction industry. 25+ employees, headquartered in Silkeborg, Denmark. 25 years of experience. Their customers first go through an implementation process spanning months, then transition into ongoing operations and support.
The relationships are close. Personal. Built on trust between individual consultants and the customer's key people. However, that's precisely the problem.
When relationships are personal, there's no systemic overview. Instead, feedback came sporadically - typically only when something had gone wrong. Happy customers rarely said anything. As a result, when a customer chose to leave, it came as a surprise, because the early signals had never been captured.
CEO Brian Busk put it simply: we knew whether the individual consultant thought things were going well. But we didn't know whether the customer agreed.
What "ad hoc" meant in practice
No structured measurement after completed projects. The support experience wasn't evaluated. Satisfaction was something you sensed, not something you measured. Moreover, in an industry where word-of-mouth referrals are the primary growth engine, that was a strategic risk.
It's like running a restaurant without ever asking guests whether the food is good. You can see whether they come back - but when they don't, you don't know why.
From gut feeling to system
We built a programme with two layers, tailored to the project-driven reality.
CSAT after every project and support interaction. Short survey - under two minutes. Measures professional quality, communication, and overall experience. Open comment field for those who want to elaborate. Importantly, timing matters: we send it while the experience is still fresh, typically within a week of project completion.
Biannual relational measurement. Captures overall satisfaction with the collaboration. Here it's not about the individual project, but the whole picture: Does the customer feel prioritised? Is support fast enough? Does IT-Effect live up to expectations as a long-term partner?
Customer Success Manager as driving force. Heidi Sonne Godiksen became the internal engine. Specifically, she ensures data isn't just collected but used. Project managers gain insight into their customers' experiences. Low scores trigger follow-up. Praise is shared internally.
CEO on the front line. Brian Busk has made customer satisfaction a standing item on leadership meetings. CSAT data is reviewed monthly. Furthermore, insights feed into decisions about resource allocation, competency development, and process improvements.
Results
- Early warning system - unhappy customers are now detected by low CSAT scores, not when they're heading for the exit
- Pattern recognition - leadership can see whether specific project types consistently score lower, and whether there are differences across teams
- Positive feedback culture - employees experience praise being shared just as visibly as criticism. Feedback has gone from something that came with complaints to an ongoing dialogue
- Stronger market position - documented high customer satisfaction turns existing customers into ambassadors
What we learned
Feedback in a small company is personal. When the score is tied to your project manager, it can feel like an assessment of the person, not the project. Therefore, we addressed it by making praise just as visible as criticism, and by focusing on patterns rather than individual scores. A low score after one project is a conversation. A pattern of low scores is a competency development need. Indeed, that distinction is crucial.
Key Points:
- Structured CSAT measurement after projects and support interactions
- Biannual relational measurement of the customer base
- Proactive follow-up on dissatisfied customers
- Customer satisfaction as a standing item on the leadership agenda
- Feedback integrated into competency development and process optimisation
Questions about the case
How do you handle that feedback feels personal to the consultant?
It's a real challenge. When feedback is linked to a named project manager, it can feel like a personal assessment. However, we solved it by making feedback a positive part of the culture from the start. Praise is shared just as visibly as criticism. Additionally, by focusing on patterns rather than individual scores, a low score after one project is a conversation. In contrast, a pattern of low scores is a competency development need.
Do you need many customers to get value from CSAT measurement?
No. IT-Effect has 25+ employees and a manageable customer base. However, precisely because of that, every single customer relationship is critical. For instance, when you have 50 customers rather than 50,000, losing a single one is felt directly. Ultimately, systematic feedback gives you the ability to act before it's too late - and that's valuable regardless of size.
