The six measures are central to RateUs, they are the basis on which the customer, or member of staff, rates the service or support they are receiving. They provide key performance indicators in relation to impact and outcomes.

In the staff module they provide critical evidence to managers about the perception of staff in key areas including diversity and effective supervision and appraisal.

When an organisation is performing well in all six areas it does not necessarily mean all is perfect, however, it is an excellent foundation. If ratings are low, it is an indication that a service may be operating below par, or worse - vulnerable people may be at risk.

These measures have a sequence, a logical order. They are based on the principles that a rapport needs to be established and maintained. People need to be enabled to make informed decisions. There needs to be a plan that all parties are engaged in, and this needs to be reviewed. Critically, the organisation needs to meet the expectations of the customer - the delivery. Finally, there needs to be mechanisms in place for customers to complain and make representations if things go wrong.

In order to enable the user of the service to rate the measures, each area is underpinned by two questions. These questions vary, depending on the type of service area - for example, the questions for care services are different to those for services which provide education or training (particularly in relation to Delivery). However, the measures themselves remain constant, regardless of the service type. This allows for benchmarking, not only within a service, but across service types.

Respect
This is the most complex and most essential measure. It is a word that is commonly used but most difficult to define. When people are shown respect it demonstrates that they are valued, appreciated and considered. Wikipedia says that 'Respect adds general reliability to social interactions. It enables people to work together in a complimentary fashion, instead of each person having to understand or even agree with each other every time'.

In simple terms, if customers are not respected it is unlikely that the rest of the core measures will be fully effective; and, if they are able, customers will go elsewhere.

In relation to staff, if they do not feel respected they will not give of their best. Where staff feel respected and valued this is a powerful indicator that an organisation has embraced and promoted diversity awareness.

Listening
Active listening is part of a cycle of behaviour that demonstrates respect. If somebody is respected, people value what they have to say. If people listen and value what people say, it leads to a respect for the person.

Survey after survey reports on customers and staff who do not feel listened to. And, as Marks and Spencers learned, if you do not listen to your customers it can have a major impact on your business.

Information
Good information is essential in order to ensure that both customers and organisations understand each other. Information is a two way flow - customers need good information to make informed decisions. Organisations need good information in order to provide a service that meets the customer's needs and expectations!

In the staff module this core measure tests out how well the organisation keeps staff informed of developments. This a key factor within the Investors in People (IIP) award, together with engaging staff in an open and honest supervision and appraisal system ....

Planning and review
Providing a service is not like making widgets - customers are individuals who have very specific and personalised needs and wishes. For this reason planning and review is one of the most critical core measures.

In order to deliver, an organisation needs to design an individualised plan. In order to ensure that the plan continues to be appropriate it needs to be reviewed on a regular basis. The questions in relation to this area not only explore if this cycle is occurring, but also if the customer actually feels a part of the process.

For staff, the planning and review element links to supervision and appraisal. This also feeds through to performance management systems. Staff need to feel totally engaged with this process.

Delivery
This is the crux of the service, that the organisation is delivering. Service evaluation traditionally centred around activity or process. Purchasers of services and regulators are now interested in evidence of impact or outcomes.

Measuring impact is not easy, but at RateUs we believe that the best person to make this judgement is the person receiving the service. Customers answer two simple questions that allow them to rate how well the organisation is responding. Is it really making a difference, does it meet their expectations! Ratings allow the organisation to focus their responses and drive up quality. In addition, reports generated by RateUs provide evidence of quality improvement and trends.

Complaints
Ultimately the best organisation will get it wrong sometimes. There must be mechanisms in place to allow a customer to complain. Most importantly (and following the whole theme of these measures) the customer must feel as though they can complain at any time (i.e. the organisation is receptive to criticism).

In services to vulnerable people, on rare occasions, people can be at risk. In these cases it is imperative that the organisation has as many systems as possible to allow the customer to alert somebody immediately. One of the central aims of the RateUs system is to allow customers to respond and comment in as many ways as possible to the people providing the service. In addition, the fact they have some influence and 'control' (they are rating the organisation) makes subtle differences to the way they are perceived.

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Each measure is underpinned by two questions (taken from care questionnaire)