The importance of listening to clients seems obvious. After all, if social purpose organisations are truly committed to delivering the best possible outcome for their clients, then soliciting their feedback on what works – and what does not – is essential.

The authors expected the disability sector to be one of the most advanced sectors at using client feedback, due to the new consumer-directed funding environment. Yet the benchmarking shows it to be underdeveloped. Only one of the 18 providers surveyed exhibited behaviours close to best practice: it collected feedback weekly and shared it the same day. Three providers collected no feedback at all. This is a missed opportunity for insight and for impact.

To help social purpose organisations improve their use of client feedback, this report provides a framework for an effective client feedback system in the social sector and practical advice on how to start using one. It also shares results from a benchmarking survey of Australia’s largest and most innovative disability providers. By shedding light on the current state of play, the authors hope to stimulate discussion on the issues.

While the results of the benchmarking study focuses on the disability sector, the lessons are relevant for the social sector more broadly. In fact, the recent Productivity Commission report, Introducing Competition and Informed User Choice into Human Services, suggests that other human services are soon likely to confront similar challenges to those the disability sector faces today.