You see the hundreds of reviews that have been posted for Consulting partners throughout the site.  Here’s more information on how to write or send a review request.

I’m an Enterprise Software Customer, why would I do this?

You are an innovator and have helped your company move to a Enterprise Cloud Software. As a trailblazer, you now have the opportunity to help others who are moving to the cloud and share your story. Raven Intel is the first and only consolidated source of customer reviews about implementation and project consulting. We welcome and appreciate your input and experience in this community!

Can I do this survey anonymously?  Who sees this?

Yes. We ask you to leave your work email so we can verify the authenticity of our reviews, but will keep your information and company information completely anonymous. If you provide express permission on the survey to share your survey with your partner, we will. If you would prefer that we do not, we will hold your company and name totally private.

How long is this survey going to take to complete?

The average is 5 minutes from start to finish. You may finish it in less than that.

If I complete a survey, is someone going to try to sell me something?

No, nor will your information ever be sold or used for any marketing or email purpose.

Why would trust Raven? How do you make money? Is this pay-to-play?

Raven Intel is a community where Enterprise Software customers can find easily find their perfect consulting partner. It is where real customers rate their implementation partners and process. It is a free service to customers.

Raven offers an paid subscription service that allows consulting firms to pro-actively seek customer endorsements through a vetted survey process, as well as purchase advertising space (similar to Glassdoor or TripAdvisor) for brand recognition.

At no time is survey data changed (no matter if a customer is a Subscriber or not) and all survey responses are thoroughly reviewed for authenticity and vetted via LinkedIn credentials.

What do we ask in the review?

We ask customers to tell us how likely they are to recommend their partner on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best. This is the NPS, the Net Promoter Score. It tells you a lot about a project if the customer would recommend a provider to their peers.

Was the project properly scoped?

Did the consulting partner understand the client’s overall objectives and goals? And, did the consulting partner properly understand what it would take to complete the project? If the project is properly scoped, it means most importantly that the project achieves its objectives, and also that there are fewer change orders, fewer delays, and less panic.

Was the project on budget?

Everyone wants to know that a project won’t cost more expected than promised, so we ask end-users whether the project was on budget, under budget or over budget.

Was the project on schedule?

We’re asking end users to tell us how the closely the schedule compared to expectations. All projects are different, so we’re not asking how long the project took overall, but how long it took with respect to the plan, whether that was for a two month project or a two year project.

Was the team as promised?

We all want to know whom we’re going to be working with and whether or not they are qualified. A contributing factor to all of the KPIs is the composition of the team executing the project. If a partner promises you a good mix of experience and expertise at the right price, but you get a bait-and-switch it is likely to impact whether or not the partner can deliver on-time, on-budget and on-scope.

I’m part of a Consulting Firm, what is the benefit of getting reviewed?

If your customer grants permission, we will share the survey with you. In many cases, Consultants can use this information to share success publicly. The endorsement of customers / an independent 3rd party is extremely powerful, as is any customer feedback.

Are you going to try to steal my customer or give my competitor my customer’s information?

No.  Their information will remain totally private and will never be used for anything other than the survey. We do not solicit customers in any way, nor would we ever provide their data to any other party.

My reputation is my product. Why would I open myself up to bad reviews?

With any community that invites reviews, a negative rating is a possibility. The good news is that negative reviews, when managed properly, can actually be an asset in sales and marketing efforts, and they can even improve services. Even the best consultants have had an implementation go wrong, a project get delayed, or a cost overrun. All customers have to do is a Google search to see this. Alternately, 68% of consumers trust reviews more when they see both positive and negative reviews. Having a few negative reviews humanizes your brand and signals to buyers that the reviews aren’t fake or being filtered.

How should I position this with my customer?  Do you have a sample invite I can send them?

————

Dear {Customer Name} –

I’m requesting your feedback on a recent project that we’ve worked on together.  This 5-minute survey will review your satisfaction with the project and will help identify best practices and opportunities for improvements. 

This survey is facilitated by Raven Intel, an independent, 3rd party company that specializes in customer reviews for Enterprise Software consulting projects.  Your review will help build out our firm’s presence on Raven Intel and help other customers learn from your experience.

• Time Commitment:  5 minutes    
• Your Privacy:  Your personal data will never be shared without your permission, will be used only to validate the authenticity of this survey and will not be stored without your permission
• Your Feedback:  Your review will be part of our profile on Raven Intel (anonymously)

Thank you in advance for your feedback and partnership!

Please click here to start your review.

————

As a paid subscriber, you have the ability to comment on reviews (positive or negative) and ensure you are represented in the best possible way.  On the flipside, very little exists today that shows objective endorsements of your services. Guiding customers to review your work allows you an authentic, wide platform to communicate great work and attract more new customers as a result.

What do we ask in the review?

We ask customers to tell us how likely they are to recommend their partner on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best. This is the NPS, the Net Promoter Score. It tells you a lot about a project if the customer would recommend a provider to their peers.

Was the project properly scoped?

Did the consulting partner understand the client’s overall objectives and goals? And, did the consulting partner properly understand what it would take to complete the project? If the project is properly scoped, it means most importantly that the project achieves its objectives, and also that there are fewer change orders, fewer delays, and less panic.

Was the project on budget?

Everyone wants to know that a project won’t cost more expected than promised, so we ask end-users whether the project was on budget, under budget or over budget.

Was the project on schedule?

We’re asking end users to tell us how the closely the schedule compared to expectations. All projects are different, so we’re not asking how long the project took overall, but how long it took with respect to the plan, whether that was for a two month project or a two year project.

Was the team as promised?

We all want to know whom we’re going to be working with and whether or not they are qualified. A contributing factor to all of the KPIs is the composition of the team executing the project. If a partner promises you a good mix of experience and expertise at the right price, but you get a bait-and-switch it is likely to impact whether or not the partner can deliver on-time, on-budget and on-scope.

–Below is a sample invitation.  Feel free to personalize / copy and send to a customer.–

Dear {Customer Name} –

I’m requesting your feedback on a recent project that we’ve worked on together.  This 5-minute survey will review your satisfaction with the project and will help identify best practices and opportunities for improvements.

This survey is facilitated by Raven Intel, an independent, 3rd party company that specializes in customer reviews for Enterprise Software consulting projects.  Your review will help build out our firm’s presence on Raven Intel and help other customers learn from your experience.

• Time Commitment:  5 minutes
• Your Privacy:  Your personal data will never be shared without your permission, will be used only to validate the authenticity of this survey and will not be stored without your permission
• Your Feedback:  Your review will be part of our profile on Raven Intel (anonymously)

Thank you in advance for your feedback and partnership!

Please click here to start your review.