How Client and Project Team Sentiment Data Can Revolutionize Staffing Strategies

What if you could predict when a project might veer off course — not by analyzing deadlines or budgets, but by tapping into how your team and clients actually feel about the work? In today’s data-driven landscape, organizations have plenty of KPIs to analyze, but the real game-changer lies in understanding the emotions and satisfaction levels that traditional metrics miss. Project sentiment data, a critical yet often overlooked factor, could be the key to unlocking smarter staffing strategies and better project outcomes.

According to a new report from the Resource Management Institute (RMI), the majority of professional services organizations (PSOs) recognize the value project sentiment data would have in driving better staffing outcomes. But most Resource Management (RM) practitioners admit they lack the tools to surface this critical feedback in real time. This gap means that while most organizations know what’s at stake, they are often flying blind when it comes to how their team members and clients feel during the course of a project.

Why Sentiment Data Matters

In a recent Enterprise Times article, Kantata’s Vice President of CX Operations Melissa Korzun outlined why tracking project sentiment is so crucial: “Even a detailed project plan and statement of work can be interpreted differently from either side of the deal — especially if your team’s and your client’s priorities are not fully aligned.” According to Melissa, getting data on how the project is perceived throughout project delivery — and not just after the project is completed — equips decision-makers to “improve project quality and better understand what’s most important to project stakeholders so you can deliver results.”

When asked what one change would most improve the incorporation of client project satisfaction into resource management, respondents to RMI’s Staffing Strategies survey emphasized the need for real-time insights. Whether it’s client feedback or internal team sentiment, having that data at the right moment can be transformative. In fact, 89% of RM practitioners say that real-time feedback during project delivery would be useful, giving them the insights necessary to make pivotal adjustments and avoid delays or dissatisfaction.

But only 23% of RM practitioners currently receive frequent updates on client satisfaction, and a mere 18% get similar updates on resources they’ve staffed on projects. Even more telling, 81% say that client satisfaction data is stored separately from other project data, creating silos that hinder decision-making.

The Missing Link: Real-Time Feedback Loops

The challenges revealed in the report highlight a crucial need: a unified platform where feedback from both clients and team members is surfaced in real time. Without it, teams are left making staffing decisions based solely on traditional metrics like project timelines and budget adherence, while missing the human factors that can make or break a project.

For example, a project that appears to be on time might still face significant risks if team members are feeling overwhelmed or if clients are dissatisfied with early deliverables. Real-time sentiment data can act as an early warning system, enabling teams to pivot before small issues balloon into major problems.

Here’s what one respondent suggested: “If we had project status surveys at set milestones, we could adjust resourcing based on real-time feedback. This would help us get ahead of potential risks before they escalate.”

How Kantata Pulse Addresses This Gap

Kantata Pulse, Kantata’s new solution, tackles this exact problem. It delivers real-time project sentiment data, offering project managers and resource management teams the complete view they need. By combining both traditional KPIs and sentiment data in one place, Kantata ensures that organizations are no longer operating in silos or making decisions without all the necessary information.

The benefits of such a tool are immense:

• Increased Visibility: A more holistic understanding of both project progress and client/team satisfaction, all in one place.
• Proactive Adjustments: The ability to make changes based on real-time feedback, helping avoid costly delays or dissatisfaction.
• Unified Data: Breaking down silos and integrating satisfaction data with other core project insights for more strategic decision-making.

As the Staffing Strategies report from RMI illustrates, organizations that don’t embrace real-time sentiment data are leaving valuable insights on the table. Kantata Pulse is the missing piece in the puzzle — empowering PSOs to not just deliver projects, but to do so with the right people, at the right time, and with full visibility into how everyone is feeling along the way.

Looking Ahead

The professional services industry is evolving, and so must the tools that support it. By integrating project sentiment data into your resource management processes, your organization can not only optimize staffing but also ensure higher client satisfaction and team engagement.

Don’t let gaps in feedback lead to missteps in your projects. It’s time to surface those hidden insights and take staffing strategies to the next level with Kantata Pulse.