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“Before we achieved matrix Accreditation, the work of the learning centre wasn’t taken quite so seriously by employers. Now we have a much stronger profile – and a waiting list for people to become ULRs.”
Jan Gifford, Regional Learning Services Officer
PCS/unionLearn - PCS Civil Service Workplace Learning Centres
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Feedback
What is feedback?
Feedback (that annoying high pitched scream), is what you get through an amplifier when it picks up its already amplified output and amplifies it again. It is also what you get through the steering wheel of a car when it goes into a skid or you get a puncture, and it is what you get in the form of pain when you have a headache or have hurt yourself.
The purpose of feedback is to let you know how you are doing, and give you an opportunity to change or correct what might need changing or correcting. It should help you to identify what you might need to do to improve things, or identify what you are doing well.
For feedback to be effective it has to create a reaction. It also has to be decisive. For example, the answer ‘Not really’ to the question, ‘Is there anything we can do to improve our service to you?’ is neither one thing or the other, there is a suggestion of doubt. On the other hand, ‘Yes’ (and given area for improvement) or ‘No’ (and reason) are positive statements.
When requesting feedback, ensure that any collection process uses open questions where possible, so that there is not a bias towards inducing only positive answers.
As someone once said ‘Just because nobody complains, it doesn’t mean that all parachutes are perfect.’
All feedback, complimentary or not, formal or informal, will need to be collected and analysed. From this analysis you should be able to spot any trends, good or bad, and, if they are good, ensure that they are not ‘lost’ from your processes, or, if they are bad, they are improved or eradicated as necessary.
Also do not lose sight of the feedback from your partners and staff. Their feedback may identify where there may be gaps in your service, or their training, which if not addressed could lead to negative feedback from your clients about the services you offer. They may also provide different ways of approaching problems, which could benefit the organisation, by giving it a broader choice in the area of problem solving.
It might also be that, through them (staff/partners), you get the informal feedback from clients. Continuous quality improvement is driven by the feedback that you collect, so, love it or hate it, you shouldn’t ignore it.