{"id":1240,"date":"2020-02-20T15:59:44","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T05:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/workplaceculturematters.com.au\/?p=1240"},"modified":"2025-07-05T13:34:33","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T03:34:33","slug":"are-customer-surveys-an-effective-performance-assessment-tool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/workn.net.au\/?p=1240","title":{"rendered":"Are Customer Surveys an effective Performance Assessment Tool?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Determining what tools to use to assess how an employee\u2019s performance should be evaluated can be tricky for employers. In some professions and industries, it can be an easy decision. For example, employees in sales can be assessed based on the dollar amount of sales each month, or employees in manufacturing can be assessed on the quantity of items produced. In professions and industries that primarily provide customer service, the decision on how an employee\u2019s performance can be evaluated becomes tricky. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer service cannot be quantified like sales and production. For these professions and industries, employers may choose to rely on customer feedback to evaluate employee performance. However, employers risk the employee making an unfair dismissal claim for using this method if the way customer feedback is collected and evaluated is not carefully considered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nwas shown in a Fair Work Commission (the FWC<\/strong>) case where an employee\u2019s\nperformance was assessed based upon the responses to the company\u2019s customer\nservice surveys. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr\nKris Brennan v ASG Brisbane Pty Ltd T\/A Audi Indooroopilly<\/em> [2019] FWC 7630<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr\nBrennan was employed as a Service Advisor for Audi Indooroopilly. Service\nAdvisors are the contact point for Audi customers who require or want\nmechanical work for their vehicles. Mr Brennan\u2019s performance was assessed using\nthe average score of the five-question customer service survey, known as the\nCustomer Experience Marker (the CEM<\/strong>). Mr Brennan and the other Service\nAdvisors at Audi Indooroopilly were required to have a CEM score above the\nnational average for each surveying month. In February 2019 Mr Brennan received\na first and final warning letter. The warning letter set out that if Mr\nBrennan\u2019s CEM score did not improve, his employment may be terminated. Mr\nBrennan\u2019s CEM score continued to be below the national average. On 22 March\n2019 Mr Brennan attended a meeting with Mr Nicholson, Aftersales Manager, who\nprovided Mr Brennan with a letter of termination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\ndetermining that Mr Brennan was unfairly dismissed Commissioner Hunt disapproved\nof the requirement for the Service Advisors to have a CEM score above the\nnational average. Commissioner Hunt set out the following deficiencies in relying\non the CEM:<\/p>\n\n\n\n