Benchmarks / SurveyBench / Why Quaymark's customer score fell / Particle-1

Measured by Spring Prompt

Particle-1: 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
97 of 100
Analysis rating
1,193
Head to head, this task
won 8 of 13

Scorecard

Numbers 12 of 12 right

QuestionIts answerTrue
What is the Q3 2026 wave's NPS across all respondents (percentage scoring 9-10 minus percentage scoring 0-6), unweighted?✓12.912.9
Weighted to the shipments-a-month mix of all 4,720 active accounts, what is the Q3 2026 wave's NPS?✓17.717.8
Re-weighted to the shipments-a-month mix of the Q1 2026 wave's respondents, what is the Q3 2026 wave's NPS?✓20.320.3
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?✓2121
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 points4.12 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)✓NoNo
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?✓4 points3.9 points
How many Q3 2026 respondents who send shipments to the Republic of Ireland scored 0-6?✓1313
Weighted to the shipments-a-month mix of all 4,720 active accounts, about how many accounts would score 0-6?✓1,0011,001

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

Do not reverse the per-shipment fee wholesale now. Prioritise investment in live shipment tracking and proactive delay alerts, because these are the broadest improvement request, dominate detractor comments and matter across shipment bands. In parallel, design an optional monthly subscription or fee cap targeted at small/low-volume shippers, where fee dissatisfaction is concentrated, and test it before any full reinstatement. Keep named account managers as a targeted service for selected 100+ or complex accounts, not as the main platform investment. Treat Ireland as an urgent operational investigation: 13 of 14 Ireland respondents are detractors, so diagnose haulier/collection/delivery failures there immediately even though the base is small.

What would change it

A controlled test showing that an optional subscription materially improves small-shipper retention and NPS without cannibalising revenue would justify a broader subscription return. Conversely, if tracking/alerts pilots fail to reduce tracking-related detractors or delay complaints, the product investment case should be re-ranked. If Ireland operational data show a systemic, fixable service failure, Ireland remediation should take priority over broader commercial changes.

Findings

  1. The 11-point NPS fall between Q1 and Q3 should not be presented to the board as a clean loyalty trend: the waves are not comparable because Q1 was phone interviews by account managers with a selected group, while Q3 was an online survey of all active accounts.

    High confidenceBase 521

    Q3 NPS is +12.9 (35.9% promoters minus 23.0% detractors, n=521) versus Q1 +24.0 (40.5% minus 17.0%, n=412). Re-weighting Q3 to the Q1 shipments-a-month mix gives +20.3, not +12.9.

  2. Fee sensitivity is concentrated among smaller shippers. A broad return to the subscription would be a blunt response; an optional subscription or fee cap for small/low-volume accounts is better supported.

    High confidenceBase 521

    Q5 says the per-shipment fee is worse for 49.2% of under-20-shipment accounts, versus 25.3% of 20-99 and 14.6% of 100+ accounts. Q6 subscription take-up is 44.5% likely among under-20 accounts, 29.9% among 20-99 and 37.5% among 100+. Among 100+ accounts, 31.2% say the fee is better.

  3. Tracking and proactive delay alerts are the strongest product priority: they are the most requested improvements overall and dominate detractor comments.

    High confidenceBase 521

    Q4 shows 28.6% dissatisfied with shipment visibility (13.4% very plus 15.2% fairly). Q7: live tracking 41.3%, delay alerts 34.2%, and 65.6% select at least one of tracking or alerts. Among 45 detractor open answers, 68.9% mention tracking/visibility or late/missed collections or deliveries.

  4. Ireland is a severe but statistically fragile signal: almost all Ireland shippers are detractors, but only 14 respondents answer the Ireland question. This warrants urgent operational investigation, not a broad conclusion yet.

    Low confidenceBase 14

    Among the 14 respondents who ship to the Republic of Ireland, 13 score 0-6 (92.9%), giving NPS -93 versus +16 among non-Ireland respondents.

  5. Named account managers are a niche need, even among larger accounts, and should not displace tracking/alerts as the main investment.

    Medium confidenceBase 48

    Only 14.2% of all respondents select a named account manager in Q7. It rises to 31.2% among 100+ shipment accounts, but 72.9% of that group select tracking or delay alerts.

  6. The Q3 online sample is low-response and skews towards small accounts, so unweighted results overstate small-shipper experiences relative to the active customer base.

    High confidenceBase 521

    521 completions from 4,720 invited accounts is an 11.0% response rate. Under-20-shipment accounts are 61.2% of completes but 40% of the active population; weighted Q3 NPS is +17.7 versus unweighted +12.9.

Caveats

  • Q1 and Q3 are not a like-for-like trend: Q1 was phone interviews by account managers with 640 selected customers, while Q3 was an online survey of all 4,720 active accounts. The apparent 11-point NPS fall cannot be interpreted as a clean loyalty change.
  • The Q3 wave has a low response rate (11.0%) and self-selection; under-20-shipment accounts are heavily over-represented (61.2% of completes versus 40% of the active population), so unweighted tables should not be read as base-wide estimates.
  • The Ireland estimate rests on only 14 respondents, so 13 detractors and NPS -93 are directionally alarming but statistically unstable.
  • Q5 and Q6 are recall/hypothetical questions without a price point, so they indicate appetite for optional subscription pricing rather than prove take-up or revenue impact.
  • Open-text answers are available for only 186 of 521 respondents and for 45 detractors, so theme counts are illustrative rather than representative.
  • The 100+ shipments-a-month Q3 base is 48, and the Q1 versus Q3 change in promoter share for that band is not statistically significant (answer 0); segment findings for large accounts should be treated cautiously.

Next steps

  • decisionApprove a tracking and proactive delay-alert roadmap, starting with live status visibility and exceptions for late collections/deliveries.
  • experimentRun an A/B or pilot of an optional monthly subscription or fee cap for small/low-volume accounts versus the current per-shipment fee.
  • researchInvestigate Ireland operations urgently with account and haulier-level root-cause review, then interview a small sample of Ireland shippers.
  • experimentPilot a named account manager only for selected 100+ shipment or complex accounts.
  • monitorSet up a consistent, weighted NPS and segment dashboard, using one survey mode, and monitor fee, tracking and punctuality scores quarterly.

Open-text themes it coded

Speed and ease of booking 72Poor tracking and shipment visibility 42Late or missed collections and deliveries 29Per-shipment fee and cost concerns 21Customer support responsiveness 6Damage and claims 5

The survey it planned

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

  1. S1

    Are you the main person at your business who books shipments with Quaymark?

    One answer
    • Yes
    • No

    Continues if Yes

  2. S2

    Has your business booked at least one shipment through Quaymark in the last three months?

    One answer
    • Yes
    • No

    Continues if Yes

  3. S3

    Is your business based in the UK?

    One answer
    • Yes
    • No

    Continues if Yes

  4. Q1

    Using a 0 to 10 scale, where 0 is not at all likely and 10 is extremely likely, how likely are you to recommend Quaymark to another business that ships pallets or parcels?

    Scale

    Scale 1-11: Not at all likely (0) to Extremely likely (10)

  5. Q2

    What are the main reasons for the score you gave in the previous question?

    Open text
  6. Q3

    In the last three months, which of the following, if any, have caused problems for your business when using Quaymark? Please select all that apply.

    Any that apply
    • Higher costs than expected because of the per-shipment fee
    • Unclear invoices or charges
    • Late or missed collections
    • Limited online tracking visibility
    • No proactive alert when a shipment was delayed
    • Difficulty getting help from Quaymark support
    • Something else
    • None of these
  7. Q4

    If both pricing models were available and the total cost to your business was broadly the same, which would you prefer?

    One answer
    • Per-shipment fee: £3.50 per shipment, reduced for accounts booking 100 or more shipments a month
    • Monthly subscription: from £25 a month for the smallest accounts
    • No preference
    • Don't know
  8. Q5

    How would you rate the per-shipment fee on value for money for your business?

    Scale

    Scale 1-5: Very poor value for money to Very good value for money

  9. Q6

    How has the change from a monthly subscription to a per-shipment fee affected how many shipments you book through Quaymark?

    One answer
    • Decreased a lot
    • Decreased a little
    • No change
    • Increased a little
    • Increased a lot
    • Don't know
    Judges: assumptive

    It assumes the business experienced the change from subscription to per-shipment pricing. The screeners also admit businesses that joined after the change, and there is no not-applicable response.

    Assumes the respondent's business was a customer under the monthly subscription and went through the change. Accounts that joined after the per-shipment fee was introduced cannot answer, and no display logic or 'not applicable' option is provided.

  10. Q7

    Please rank these possible improvements from 1 (would help your business most) to 3 (would help your business least).

    Ranking
    • Better online shipment tracking
    • Proactive alerts when a shipment is delayed
    • A named account manager
  11. Q8

    If Quaymark could make only one of these changes, which would help your business most?

    One answer
    • Reverse the per-shipment fee and bring back the monthly subscription
    • Invest in better shipment tracking and proactive delay alerts
    • Add account managers for mid-sized customers
    • No preference
    • Don't know
  12. Q9

    In the last three months, how often have you contacted Quaymark support?

    One answer
    • Not at all
    • Once
    • 2–3 times
    • 4 or more times
    • Don't know
  13. Q10

    How satisfied were you with the support you received from Quaymark?

    Scale

    Scale 1-5: Very dissatisfied to Very satisfied

    Routing Shown only if Q9 is: Once; 2–3 times; 4 or more times

Sample plan

Invite all 4,720 active UK business accounts by email to the main booking contact, with two reminders. Target about 520 completes. Precision note: the required ±5 percentage points at 95% confidence for the share scoring 9–10 within each of three account-size bands needs about 385 completes per band at worst-case p=0.5 (about 1,155 total), so 520 completes cannot meet that precision for all three bands. If fieldwork is capped at about 520, set minimum quotas of 170–175 completes per account-size band (<20, 20–99, 100+ shipments a month) and report approximately ±7–8 percentage points, or increase fieldwork to about 1,155 completes to meet the brief. Use the database account-size field for quotas and only weight if response differs from the active-account profile.