Did You Reference Check Your Behavioral Assessment

It’s often said that exceptional customer service is a table stake in today’s world. That would be nice if it were true, but start asking questions of your friends and colleagues about the companies they deal with and it won’t take long before you start hearing tales of woe and neglect.

When you enter into an arrangement with a service provider to help you do your job, you’re also entering into a relationship with that company. When it comes to behavioral assessment tools designed to improve your recruiting and development programs, customer service is a key issue to explore.

Not all behavioral assessment providers are created equally. Some have a great tool and put all their investment into that, ignoring the service side of their businesses. Some have the opposite strategy. Many more fall somewhere in between. There are pros and cons to each approach and which one is best for you depend upon your needs and comfort level.

If you’re considering a behavioral assessment tool, be sure to talk to existing customers—and former customers if you can – about their experience with support.

Here are some key questions to ask about what kind of support is available:

•          What paid support/training is available?
•          What free support is available?
•          How is support provided? Online, self-help, telephone?
•          What is the process to get me up and running?
•          What’s happens after that?

Approach this the same way you would when reference checking a candidate.

The right level of support is critical to making behavioral assessment work, but it’s just one area to look at. In our eBook, 6 Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Talent Assessment Tool, we provide a framework for asking the right questions and assessing the results. Download it for free here.