Annual Associate Survey Results

The Annual Associate Survey has provided valuable information from Associates, and we thank you for your response.

The 2023 Associate Survey has resulted in a 30% response from Associates, which is a decrease from 2022’s response rate of 35%, and 31% result in 2021.

Associates were asked to respond to 20 questions in a variety of question formats including scaling from 1-5 (1=low 5=high). The lowest average ranking this year was 3.10 compared to 3.20 in 2022 and the highest was 3.90 compared to 4.00 in 2022.

The total average overall for 2023 was 3.50. This compared to 3.60 in 2022.

The survey has provided a range of responses that will assist CT Management Group in developing an improvement plan for areas where comment or ranking has been lowest. As well as highlight areas we are performing well in.

Some associate comments from the survey include:

1. Engagement with me as an associate is good.
2. Supportive management.
3. CT are great at checking in and providing opportunities for placements.
4. Pre commencement, post commencement, contract expiry check in and post completion are sufficient.
5. Excellent contact between assignments.
6. Phone calls from Alf and Malcolm checking on availability and discussing potential projects is welcome.
7. Timely feedback is always provided and appreciated.
8. Reinstating the associate day is a great move. As is the associate training. Could supplement these with some associate interaction or planning events online?
9. I’m delighted to see that the Associates Day is returning.
10. The sessions on service reviews were excellent.
11. Informative and relevant, always a worthwhile read.
12. Greater value than most providers.
13. I think CT clients get great value for money. The Associates have so much experience and things like informal coaching and mentoring come into play with staff at the client’s sites.
14. I know that Councils could get assistance outside of CTMG at a lower cost, but they do not have the corporate backup that CTMG offers.

Additional Opportunities

The survey indicated additional opportunities for improvement including:

1. Regular contact with Associates
2. Early advice of the detail before meeting the client.
3. Would be great to provide broad access to the CT file library for projects.
4. Contact at the end of day one would be good to provide feedback or to indicate things are satisfactory or otherwise. (Project Surveys have been implemented for client and Associate)
5. Early advice of upcoming projects for planning of time purposes.
6. Would be pleased to offer input and feedback once new software is at a test phase and would like to see the project planning checklist to provide feedback to improve processing before site project work.
7. Semi-regular meetings or forums will assist.
8. Further testing would be beneficial i.e., CAPEX evaluator etc.
9. Would be keen to understand the suite of products offered by CT.
10. More training or information is always handy.
11. Yes, have asked to learn more but haven’t had the opportunity.
12. Community consultation services for LG to help them comply with the new(ish) LGA. Most are done by “specialist” communication companies, but they fail Council Officers in that the Officers are left with information that is of little to no value in technical areas of the business.
13. Northern Territory Council’s and other organizations. They are always desperate for competent people.
14. Social housing asset management is a sector that has a growing awareness of the similarities and differences from mainstream asset management. I think this could be a niche area for CT. RMIT recently has done a partnership with IPWEA NZ, which I think also speaks to the gap in this sector advice and support.
15. I am unclear about the final reporting product- hence would appreciate an understanding of the reporting activity- also some feedback on how our reports are helpful and if better information is required.

The Survey response have assisted us in setting priorities for the next year around.

1. Further training and information sessions being prepared.
2. Inception Meetings – review timing and information provided at these meetings.
3. Consultation with key associates around new or updating of software products
4. Special interest groups involving our new Principals across our key service areas be developed in line with our Products and Services Compatibility Statements.
5. Non – active associate profiles are advertised bimonthly on our website and emails sent to clients however a targeted approach to communicating with non-active Associates be introduced.