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360º appraisals

Smart360™ - Contact us for a free demonstration

Thinking outside the box with our world-first CONTEXT-TARGETED 360-Degree Feedback Technology.

Due to its unique design, the Smart360 System offers an unparalleled opportunity for employees to obtain targeted and high-quality feedback from Peers, Direct Reports, Managers and Customers (internal and/or external), with a view to improved working relationships, team synergy, job performance, and customer service.

Key Generic Features:

  • Smart360 is highly flexible, user-friendly, and intuitive, with very little administrator training required.
  • It accommodates 360 appraisals for ALL your employee levels, and not just managers (as is frequently the practice).
  • Use our (customisable) question/competency sets and rating scales, or add your own.
  • 360 feedback questionnaires can be completed internally by your own employees using Smart360 system logon, as well as by external Raters/Respondents such as external customers or other outside interest groups (using a one-click URL Hyperlink sent to them by automated email).
  • Easy monitoring of Rater response progress—presented in real-time, online.
  • The system keeps a permanent record of employee 360 appraisals in a click-accessible database, so improvement progress can be tracked over time.
  • In addition to a detailed narrative feedback report, a range of graphical reports are also available, which are easy to interpret for maximum employee self-insight and coaching.
  • Smart360 is a web-based 360-degree feedback appraisal system, built upon the latest Microsoft ASP.NET platform

How does Smart360 differ from other 360 Feedback Systems?

Most 360-degree feedback systems use the same set of around 25 to 100 questions for ALL Rater Groups. The problem with that is that from each Rater Group's unique perspective (context), a certain portion/percentage of these questions will not be relevant, e.g. how well can a PEER answer questions about customer service (especially external customer service), or a CUSTOMER about teamwork?

Most systems try to overcome this problem by using very generic questions—to fit all Rater Groups—but with equally generic and bland results.

The context-targeted technology of Smart360 enables highly targeted question sets for each individual Rater Group—covering its unique working relationship and involvement with the employee, e.g.:

  • PEERS: Questions about teamwork (and related).
  • CUSTOMERS: Questions about customer service (and related).
  • MANAGER/S: Questions about the employee's job competency and behaviors.
  • DIRECT REPORTS: Questions about the manager's management style and practices.
Smart360 technology also promotes the concept of fewer (but of course highly context-relevant) questions for each Rater Group (ideally 5 to 15 questions maximum), which means less work (and resistance) from Raters, especially if they have to do 360s for a number of their colleagues.

Smart360 allows 20 Raters per 360 appraisal (Appraisee self-appraisals excluded). Below are examples of how these can be distributed in practice:

Educational Institutions:

  • Student feedback: 12 to 15 Raters (questions about classroom presentation, student relations, etc.)
  • Peer feedback: 3 to 5 Raters
  • Principal/Dean & Department Head/s feedback: 2 to 3 Rater
Other Organisations:

  • Peer feedback: 3 to 6 Raters
  • Direct Report feedback: 4 to 6 Raters
  • Line Manager feedback: 1 to 3 Raters
  • Customer feedback: 3 to 6 Raters
The number and types of Rater Groups will depend on who you want feedback from, and can therefore be different combinations for your employees (feedback recipients)—leading to additional flexibility in the use of the system).

As mentioned above, question sets for each Rater Group are highly context-targeted towards that Rater Group, based on their unique working relationship and involvement with the employee.

This leads to dramatically more useful and actionable feedback for the feedback recipient, with resultant hugely enhanced behavior and performance improvement.


Self-Service Implementation Options

  • Smart360 can either be a stand-alone system or an optional module to Appraisal Smart.
  • It is provided online as an ASP (application services provider) internet service (no software to download), or can be installed on your own server (intranet option).

360 Bureau Service

In addition to the Self-Service options (mentioned above) whereby you need to manage the creation and administration of your employee 360 feedback appraisals yourself, we have a Bureau Service whereby we will do everything on your behalf, benefiting you as follows:

  • Minimum human resources and time required.
  • Potentially more frank and honest feedback from multiraters—as an independent, external administrator is used.
With the Bureau Service, you send us the details of Appraisees and Raters, and we will:

  • Load them into the Smart360 online database;
  • Send out email notifications and questionnaire login links;
  • Send email reminders if questionnaires are not completed by the due date;
  • Provide you with logon details so the 360 feedback reports can be viewed online (and printed out) by the respected parties (e.g. HR, line managers and/or appraisees - as you prefer).
This service can be extended by us also doing the analysis of the Rater feedback, and compiling it into a written report, with particular emphasis on the key Strengths and Development Needs of the Appraisee.