Claude Opus 5.5: Why Quaymark's customer score fell

The decision: whether to reverse the per-shipment fee and bring back the subscription, invest in shipment tracking and proactive delay alerts, or add account managers for mid-sized customers. The brief and the data →

Verdict: ✓ Sound research
Research score: 100 of 100
Analysis rating: 1,646
Head to head, this task: won 10 of 11

Scorecard

Numbers 12 of 12 right

Question		Its answer	True
What is the Q3 2026 wave's NPS across all respondents (percentage scoring 9-10 minus percentage scoring 0-6), unweighted?	✓	12.9	12.9
Weighted to the shipments-a-month mix of all 4,720 active accounts, what is the Q3 2026 wave's NPS?	✓	17.7	17.8
Re-weighted to the shipments-a-month mix of the Q1 2026 wave's respondents, what is the Q3 2026 wave's NPS?	✓	20.3	20.3
Among respondents who scored 0-6 and answered the open question, what percentage of answers mention tracking (not being able to see where shipments are) or late or missed collections or deliveries?	✓	68.9%	68.9%
How many of the open-text answers mention the per-shipment fee or its cost?	✓	21	21
What is the 95% margin of error, in percentage points, on the Q3 2026 wave's unweighted share of respondents scoring 9-10?	✓	4.1 points	4.12 points
Among accounts booking 100 or more shipments a month, is the change in the share scoring 9-10 between the Q1 2026 and Q3 2026 waves statistically significant at the 95% level? (1 for yes, 0 for no)	✓	No	No
What percentage of the accounts invited to the Q3 2026 wave completed it?	✓	11%	11%
Among Q3 2026 respondents booking fewer than 20 shipments a month, what percentage said the per-shipment fee is worse for their business than the subscription?	✓	49.2%	49.2%
Among accounts booking fewer than 20 shipments a month, by how many points did NPS fall between the Q1 2026 and Q3 2026 waves?	✓	3.9 points	3.9 points
How many Q3 2026 respondents who send shipments to the Republic of Ireland scored 0-6?	✓	13	13
Weighted to the shipments-a-month mix of all 4,720 active accounts, about how many accounts would score 0-6?	✓	1,001	1,001

Traps in the data 8 of 8 handled

✓The Q1 wave (+24) was phone interviews by account managers; the Q3 wave (+13) was online. Interviewer-administered scores, especially when the interviewer is the customer's own account manager, run higher, so part of the fall may be the change of method rather than a change in loyalty.
✓Accounts booking fewer than 20 shipments a month are 61% of Q3 respondents against 30% in Q1 and 40% of active accounts, and they score lowest (Q3 NPS +5). Re-weighted to Q1's mix the Q3 NPS is +20.3, and to the active-account mix +17.8, so much of the 11-point fall is a change in who answered.
✓The commercial director believes the fee caused the fall. Among detractors who explained their score, 69% mention tracking or delays and 18% the fee; only 39% of all respondents say the fee is worse than the subscription (49% of small accounts, 15% of the largest).
✓Respondents who ship to Ireland (base 14) are nearly all detractors (NPS -93).
✓45% of small accounts say they would be likely to choose a monthly subscription if offered: a stated intention about a hypothetical, with no price given.
✓521 of 4,720 invited accounts completed (about 11%); unhappy customers and small accounts may be more likely to respond online.
✓Among accounts booking 100 or more a month (bases 98 and 48), the promoter share moved from 49% to 52%, NPS +38 to +38: not significant.
✓The 69% figure is a share of the 45 detractors who answered the open question, not of all respondents or all customers.

The analysis

Recommendation

Invest first in shipment tracking and proactive delay alerts, alongside holding hauliers to account on missed and late collections. This is the main driver of low scores across all volume bands. Do not reverse the per-shipment fee wholesale. Larger accounts mostly rate it the same or better, and fewer than 40% would choose a subscription. Instead, model an optional subscription or volume cap for low-volume accounts using billing data, and test it before deciding. Do not add account managers for mid-sized customers: demand is around 16% and no open-text answer asks for one. Answers to stakeholders: (1) Commercial director: no, the survey does not show customers want the subscription back. The fee annoys about half of small accounts, but tracking and lateness explain far more of the low scores. (2) Chief executive: no, do not tell the board loyalty fell 11 points. On a like-for-like mix the gap is about 3 points, and even that is confounded by the switch from phone to online. Report the weighted current NPS of about +18 as a new baseline. (3) Operations director: probably yes, a localised one. 13 of 14 Ireland shippers are detractors, mostly over punctuality. But 14 people cannot size it, so check Irish lane on-time data now.

What would change it

Several findings would change this. Billing data showing that small accounts pay materially more under the fee and are churning or reducing volume faster since March would raise the priority of a subscription option. Operational data showing that tracking events already exist but hauliers are mostly late would shift investment towards haulier performance management rather than tracking features. A pilot showing that delay alerts do not reduce chasing contacts or improve scores would also change it. A properly sampled Ireland check showing many Ireland-shipping accounts with poor on-time rates would make Irish lanes an immediate operational priority. Evidence that 20-99 accounts with account managers retain or grow materially better would reopen the account-manager option.

Findings

The reported 11-point fall in NPS is mostly caused by the two survey waves sampling different customers in different ways. It is not good evidence that loyalty fell. Most of the fall disappears once the waves are put on the same customer mix. What remains cannot be separated from the change from phone to online interviewing.

High confidenceBase 933

The headline NPS fell from +23.5 (Q1, phone, n=412) to +12.9 (Q3, online, n=521). In Q1, 24% of respondents booked 100 or more shipments a month; in Q3, only 9%. Re-weighting Q3 to the Q1 customer mix gives +20.3, a gap of about 3 points. NPS within each volume band: 100 or more +38 to +38; 20 to 99 +26 to +21; fewer than 20 +9 to +5. For the 100+ band, the share scoring 9-10 went from 49.0% (n=98) to 52.1% (n=48), which is not significant. Q1 respondents were chosen and interviewed by their own account managers, which usually pushes scores up.
On a like-for-like basis, the best current estimate of Quaymark's NPS is about +18, not +13. The unweighted figure is too low because small accounts are over-represented among respondents.

Medium confidenceBase 521

Small accounts are 61.2% of respondents but 40% of the customer base. Weighting the band NPS figures (+5.0, +21.4, +37.5) to the 40/42/18 customer mix gives +17.7. The weighted share scoring 0-6 is 21.2%, about 1,000 of 4,720 accounts. The margin of error on the 35.9% scoring 9-10 is ±4.1 points.
Poor tracking and late or missed collections and deliveries are the main reason for low scores, and the most-wanted improvement in every volume band. These problems are linked: customers find out about delays only by chasing.

High confidenceBase 521

31 of 45 detractors who explained their score (68.9%) mention tracking or lateness. Only 8 of 45 (18%) mention the fee. Across all 186 open answers, about 42 mention tracking and about 30 mention lateness, against 21 mentioning the fee. In Q7, 65.6% chose live tracking or delay alerts (69.2% of detractors; 72.9% of 100+ accounts), against 22.6% choosing lower fees. 48.4% of detractors are dissatisfied with tracking (Q4) and 44.1% with punctuality (Q3).
The per-shipment fee is a real grievance for small accounts, but it is a secondary driver of scores. Customers do not want the subscription back wholesale. An optional subscription for low-volume accounts is worth testing against billing data.

Medium confidenceBase 521

The fee is rated worse than the subscription by 39.0% overall, 49.2% of small accounts (n=319), 25.3% of 20-99 accounts and 14.6% of 100+ accounts. It is rated better or the same by 50% overall and by 73% of 100+ accounts. Only 39.5% say they are likely to choose a subscription (44.5% of small accounts), and 36.7% say they are unlikely. Among those who rated the fee worse (n=203), 61.6% are likely to choose one. These are stated intentions, so they overstate actual take-up.
There is little demand for named account managers, including among mid-sized customers. The interest that exists is concentrated in the largest accounts, which are already the most loyal.

Medium confidenceBase 521

A named account manager was chosen by 14.2% overall and 15.6% of 20-99 accounts (n=154). It was chosen by 31.2% of 100+ accounts, but that is n=48, about 15 people. No open-text answer asks for one.
Respondents who ship to Ireland are overwhelmingly detractors, and their complaints are mainly about punctuality. The size of this group is unknown, so it needs operational investigation rather than a strategic response yet.

Low confidenceBase 14

13 of the 14 respondents who ship to Ireland scored 0-6 (92.9%, NPS -93), against 21.2% of others (n=496). This gap is large enough to be real even on 14 people. Their open answers (Q033, Q115, Q150, Q296, Q339, Q013, Q295) mostly describe late or missed collections and deliveries. Ireland shippers are 2.7% of respondents. There is no Q1 comparison and no population count.
Fast, simple booking is the product's clear strength and the reason promoters give. It should be protected in any change.

High confidenceBase 186

About 79 of 186 open answers praise quick booking, typically 'about two minutes'. Some customers praise booking but criticise tracking in the same answer (e.g. Q087, Q196, Q494).

Caveats

The Q1 and Q3 waves cannot be compared directly. Q1 was by phone, conducted by customers' own account managers, with respondents they chose themselves (412 of 640 called). Q3 was an online census with 521 of 4,720 completing. Mode, interviewer and selection effects cannot be separated from any real change in loyalty.
Q3's response rate was 11.0%. People with strong views, especially complaints, may be over-represented. Weighting corrects the volume mix but not this kind of bias.
The tables are unweighted, and small accounts are over-represented (61% of respondents vs 40% of accounts). Headline figures should be quoted weighted: NPS about +18.
Results for the 100+ band (n=48) and for Ireland shippers (n=14) rest on small bases. Differences of under about 15-20 points in the 100+ band are not reliable.
Only 186 of 521 respondents (36%) explained their score, and only 45 of the 120 detractors. Theme counts are indicative, and the coding of borderline answers (e.g. Q162 'costs more') is a judgement call.
Subscription interest (Q6) is a hypothetical, stated intention, asked without a price. It cannot predict take-up or revenue. Q5 asks for perceptions; it does not measure actual spend.
Tracking complaints are partly caused by haulier punctuality. Better tracking and alerts reduce the cost of chasing but do not make collections and deliveries on time.
The Q1 wave has no Ireland breakdown, so no trend for Ireland shippers is possible.

Next steps

decisionApprove building live shipment status and proactive late-collection or late-delivery alerts, starting with the hauliers that carry the most volume.
experimentPilot delay alerts with a random half of accounts for 8 weeks before full rollout.
researchAnalyse each account's spend and shipment volume before and after March 2026 by volume band, including churn and volume change. Model an optional subscription or price cap for accounts booking fewer than 20 shipments a month.
researchPull on-time collection and delivery rates and complaint volumes for Irish lanes and the hauliers serving them, and count how many accounts ship to Ireland.
monitorSet a haulier punctuality scorecard (missed collections, late deliveries) and review it monthly with partner hauliers.
monitorRerun the survey online each quarter using the same method, weight it to the shipments-a-month mix, and report the result from this wave (about +18) as the baseline. Add an Ireland boost and prompts for detractors to explain their score.

Open-text themes it coded

Tracking gives little or no visibility; customers have to chase 42Late or missed collections and deliveries 29Per-shipment fee costs more or is harder to budget than the subscription 21Quick, simple booking 79Customer support hard to reach or slow 6Damaged goods and slow claims 5Works fine, new, or no strong view 22

The survey it planned

2 screening questions and 10 questions, as the model wrote them.

S1
Which of these best describes your involvement in booking shipments through Quaymark for your business?
One answer
- I book all or most of our shipments
- I book some of our shipments
- I manage or approve bookings that colleagues make
- I am not involved in booking shipments
Continues if I book all or most of our shipments; I book some of our shipments; I manage or approve bookings that colleagues make
S2
In the last three months, has your business booked at least one shipment through Quaymark?
One answer
- Yes
- No
- Not sure
Continues if Yes
Q1
How likely are you to recommend Quaymark to a business colleague or contact who needs to send freight?
Scale

Scale 1-11: 0 - Not at all likely to 10 - Extremely likely
Q2
What is the main reason for the score you just gave?
Open text
Q3
In the last three months, which of these, if any, have caused problems for your business when using Quaymark? Please select all that apply.
Any that apply
- Getting a price or quote
- Making a booking on the website
- Collections not happening on time
- Deliveries arriving late
- Goods damaged or lost
- Not enough information when tracking a shipment
- Not being told about delays
- Getting a reply or a fix from customer support
- The cost of shipping with Quaymark
- Invoices or billing
- How the haulier's driver or staff behaved
- Something else
- None of these
Q4
Quaymark is considering several changes. Please put these in order of how much they would matter to your business, with the most important at the top.
Ranking
- More detailed live tracking of each shipment
- Automatic alerts as soon as a shipment is likely to be delayed
- A named account manager for your business
- Faster and more helpful customer support
- Lower overall prices
Q5
When did your business start booking shipments with Quaymark?
One answer
- Before March 2026
- In March 2026 or later
- Not sure
Q6
Until March 2026, Quaymark charged a monthly subscription. Since March 2026, it has charged a booking fee of £3.50 for each shipment, which is reduced for accounts booking 100 or more shipments a month. For your business, how does the per-shipment fee compare with the monthly subscription for value for money?
One answer
- Much better value than the subscription
- Somewhat better value
- About the same
- Somewhat worse value
- Much worse value than the subscription
- Don't know
Routing Shown only if Q5 is: Before March 2026
Q7
Thinking about how your business uses Quaymark, which way of paying would suit your business better?
One answer
- A booking fee for each shipment, as now
- A fixed monthly subscription with no fee per shipment
- No preference
- Don't know
Q8
In a typical month, about how many shipments (pallets and parcels together) does your business book through Quaymark?
One answer
- Fewer than 20
- 20 to 99
- 100 or more
- Not sure
Q9
In the last three months, has anyone at your business contacted Quaymark customer support?
One answer
- Yes, once
- Yes, more than once
- No
- Not sure
Q10
Is there anything else you would like Quaymark to change, or to keep the same?
Open text

Sample plan

WHO IS INVITED: All 4,720 active accounts are invited. This is a census, not a sample. Each invitation goes to the main booking contact recorded in the customer database, with a unique link tied to the account ID. Account size (fewer than 20, 20 to 99, or 100 or more shipments a month) is taken from booking data: the monthly average over the last three months, matching the fee discount threshold. Each response is tagged with that size, so segment quotas and analysis do not depend on self-report. Q8 is kept as a check against the database figure.

PRECISION CONFLICT TO RAISE WITH THE BOARD: Measuring a 9-10 share to within plus or minus 5 points at 95% confidence needs about 384 completes per segment if the segment is large. The formula is n = 1.96² × 0.25 / 0.05². For a small segment, use the finite-population correction n = 384 / (1 + 383/N). For example, a segment of 600 accounts needs about 234 completes. Across three segments that comes to roughly 700 to 1,150 completes, not 520.

If completes are capped at 520 split evenly (about 173 per segment), the margin is about plus or minus 7.5 points.
If they are split in proportion to the customer base, the smallest segment (probably 100+) would be much less precise.

RECOMMENDATION:

Do not close the survey at 520. Keep it open to all accounts, with two reminders over two to three weeks.
Set a minimum target per segment equal to its finite-population-corrected requirement, using actual segment counts from the database.
Publish the achieved margin for each segment.
If the board holds to 520, it should formally accept margins of about plus or minus 7 to 10 points.

QUOTAS AND WEIGHTING: Use minimum quotas per account-size segment and no caps. Weight results to the true mix of accounts by size within the active base.

NON-RESPONSE: Unhappy customers may be more likely to respond. To check, compare respondents with non-respondents using database data: segment, tenure (before or after March 2026), booking volume and support-ticket history. Weight or caveat as needed.

FIELDWORK RULES:

Account managers must not send, chase or comment on the invitation. The email comes from a neutral research address.
The invitation says only that the survey is about customers' experience of Quaymark. It does not mention pricing.
One response per account.

QUALITY CHECKS: Remove completes faster than one third of the median completion time, and blank or nonsense answers to the open questions. No attention-check question is used: this is a known-customer list, not a panel, and the 10-question limit is better spent on content.

TIMING: About 4 to 5 minutes (10 questions, 2 of them open).