Standards
How We Measure
Trusted Firms Global certification is based on Net Promoter Score (NPS) — a globally recognised measure of client loyalty and satisfaction.
The core question
“How likely are you to recommend [Firm Name]?”
0 to 10 scale
Promoters (9–10)
Loyal advocates — likely to refer and stay.
Passives (7–8)
Satisfied but not enthusiastic. Vulnerable to competitors.
Detractors (0–6)
At risk. May generate negative word-of-mouth.
NPS = % Promoters minus % Detractors — range is -100 to +100. Professional services firms typically achieve 40–70. Gold-certified firms typically achieve 80+.
Why NPS?
Simple, universally understood by clients
Predictive of client retention and referral behaviour
Consistent and repeatable, so performance can be tracked over time
Already the industry standard in professional services client measurement
Additional experience drivers assessed
Beyond the NPS question, clients rate their experience across a set of service quality dimensions aligned to the six Trusted Firms Global standards: Responsiveness & Reliability, Clarity & Communication, Expertise & Proactive Value, Relationship & Trust-Building, Service Accountability & Follow-Through, and Staff Recognition & Celebration of Excellence. Driver questions are adapted for industry context. The specific measurement framework is proprietary to Client Culture.
How the client population is sourced
Where the client population comes from is the key differentiator across tiers. At Standard, the list is drawn from the firm’s own records rather than a hand-picked subset, but completeness is not vouched. At Verified and Gold, it is drawn from the firm’s raw billing file including invoice amounts — a reconcilable source where selective omission is detectable.
Standard tier
Completeness is not vouched at Standard — the public claim is independent measurement and certified status. Client Culture’s manual integrity review monitors client-list shrinkage, response rates, and score distributions as a quality check.
Verified & Gold tiers
The client population is drawn from the firm’s raw billing file, including invoice amounts, and coverage is reconciled against firm size and across cycles — so selective omission is detectable.
Independence
Service quality reviews are conducted by Client Culture on behalf of certified firms. The firm does not see individual client responses until after the assessment period closes. The assessment is conducted independently, against the published certification standard.
Trusted Firms Global certification is administered by TFG Certification Pty Ltd; the quality reviews are conducted by Client Culture Pty Ltd. Both are independent of the firms certified — neither the certification decision nor the measurement is influenced by the firm being assessed.
Verification levels
Manual integrity review — client-list shrinkage, response rates, and score distributions checked. Completeness is not attested at this tier; the public claim is independent measurement, not a score.
Client population reconciled from the raw billing file (incl. invoice amounts); coverage cross-checked against firm size; year-over-year shrinkage monitored.
All Verified checks plus sustained-coverage review across a full year, quarterly-or-more cadence, and evidenced detractor follow-up.
Appeals
Firms that disagree with a certification decision may request a review via our contact form.