Using Classifiers

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What are classifiers?

Classifiers are an effective way to incorporate rich data and insights in your feedback or cohort report. Linked to an assessment or questions in an assessment, they are used for creating benchmarks based on the answers to the related question. You can also use classifiers to filter and split data and graphs in your reports. You can add as many classifiers to your assessment as you want.

You can create any number of Classifiers; they have multiple uses:

• Use them to create tailored benchmarking.
• You can split a chart by classifier.
• You can filter Cohort report data and charts by classifier.

Popular classifiers are:

• Department
• Role
• Seniority
• experience
• location
• organization

1. Classifier input options

Once you have created a classifier for an assessment it can be input into a response in multiple ways:

• By the respondent answering a single choice or drop down list question.
• The Response Add/Edit function 
• The Response CSV Upload
• The cohort respondent admin function
• The Cohort respondent CSV Upload
• The cohort respondent user function.   
• Via the classifier ID in a shareable URL.

2. Key Information About Classifiers

• Linking a classifier: Classifiers are linked to a question, a calculation or an assessment. When a classifier is linked to a calculation, the text the calculation returns becomes the classifier value. When linking to a question:
  • The question type needs to be either a single choice, drop-down list, or text.
  • You can hide this question if needed, and the system will auto-fill it when a matching value is provided in the response settings screen or csv upload spreadsheet.
  • If the question is not hidden, it is recommended to use single-choice or dropdown answers for data consistency.
  • Text box questions should be hidden.
• Organization-Specific Values: Classifier values can vary by organization. For example, if a classifier is “Department,” different organizations may have distinct values. These values are selected during input via the response add or cohort respondent add functions and passed as text fields. Read more here.

3. Create a classifier 

1. Enable the feature first. Go to Site Settings > Features, tick Use Classifier, and click Save. A Classifiers tab now appears under Features.
2. Open the Classifiers tab and click ‘Add Classifier’, then fill out the following fields:

1.  
   1. Classifier Name: This is only used internally. If marked for Admin Entry, it will appear as a label on the Response Edit screen and as a header on the CSV upload template.
   2. Classifier No: Used to identify the classifier in cohort reports or to identify the benchmark. Assign a unique number (e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.). Note: 0 is reserved for "average all responses" in benchmarking.  Please do not use 0 for the classifier number, the numbering should start from 1.
   3. Admin Entry: Tick this if you want to allow input via the Response Add/Edit function, CSV Upload, cohort respondent input, or as an external ID parameter on your shareable URL.
   4. Values Set By Organization: Select this if different organizations will have separate lists of valid values (e.g., different departments per organization). These are specified on the Organization entry Classifiers tab (either the Administrators Organization Maintenance or in the Partner Portal Organization Settings).
   5. Benchmark: Tick this if the classifier will be used for benchmarking. Ensure it is linked to the assessment or to a specific question.
   6. Calculation Type: Choose from:
      • Average: Default, calculates average score by each group identified by the classifier.
      • Cutoff %: Calculates percentile based on a specified cutoff. e.g you could show the top quartile score. 
      • Seeded: Allows you to upload specific benchmark values through a template.
      • Required if using "Cutoff %" as the calculation type. Detailed instructions here.
   7. Cutoff Percentage: This field appears if you enter the specified cutoff as a number.(e.g., to calculate the top 25% quartile, enter 75 as the value in the cutoff percentage field).
   8. Benchmark Label: Appears if benchmark checkbox is selected. This label will be used in Feedback Reporting. Use {Classifier} to pull the classifier value into the label. For example, "All {Classifier} staff would display as 'All IT staff' if you answered you were in the IT department.
   9. Benchmark Minimum Values: Specifies the minimum number of responses needed to generate a benchmark.

4. Connect a classifier to your assessment

You can connect a classifier at the assessment level, the question level, or to a calculation.

• Linking to a question allows you to create a benchmark at a more detailed level (If you, for example, had classifiers of job roles and geographies, you could show benchmark scores for responses from the same role and the same geography as the respondent.)
• Linking to the Assessment will provide a benchmark that compares to all responses rather than at the detailed level.
• Linking to a calculation sets the classifier value from a calculation result. Use this when the group is worked out from other answers, for example banding a number the respondent enters.

Linking to a question

To connect a classifier to a question, Click edit on a question in the assessment builder:

Note: The question type must be a single choice, drop-down list, or text box.

1. Head to the options tab.

2. Select the classifier from the classifier list.

Each answer to this question will now make up the classifier values.

TIP:

If you need to remove a classifier against a question, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking on the classifier.

Linking to an assessment:

1. Head to assessment settings> General tab

2. Select the classifier from the AdditionalBenchmark list.

Linking to a calculation:

1. In the assessment builder, click Edit on the calculation.
2. Open the Options tab.
3. Select the classifier from the Classifier list and save the calculation.

The calculation must return text that matches the classifier values exactly, including capitalization. For a worked example, see How do I benchmark respondents by a band that a calculation works out?.

5. Using Classifiers- Examples

Option 1: Add a benchmark based on a classifier to a graph on an individual report

Benchmarks can be established for Classifiers, allowing for benchmark reporting at a detailed level; for example, as well as comparing a response's score with "all responses," you may want to compare them with all responses from the same type of company, or the same age group or the same respondent role.  They can be compared to the average, a percentile, or an uploaded value. Classifiers are usually linked to questions in the assessment to manage this reporting but may be linked to the assessment too.

Benchmarks are reported by including the "BM" parameter in merge strings in the Feedback or Cohort reports.

This image shows how a respondent scored compared to the benchmark against the classifier 'Role in organization'. The merge string is {BarMultiHorizontal[SectionNo=ALL BM1=8]}

Option 2- Split a chart by a classifier in a cohort report

You can use classifiers to split a chart into the classifier values. The image below shows a multi-bar chart with the cohort split set to classifier.

This chart shows how each of the departments scored in the Innovation section

The merge string for this chart is {BarMulti[SectionNo=3 SplitType=C Class=4]}.

To split the graph by the classifier:

From options, we selected ‘set the cohort splits’ as ‘group by classifier’ then again from options, we selected ‘Select Classifier’ and choose the classifier we wanted to use.

Option 3- Filter rating text or a multi-chart by a classifier in a cohort report

You may want to filter a multi-chart or rating text by a classifier when building your cohort report.

You can filter by Classifier in:

• All Multi Charts
•  all types of Rating Text
•  Answer Text

You can filter by classifier when the merge string is used in conjunction with a Cohort Split by Classifier.

The filtering can be by the Classifier Value (with spaces replaced by underscores) or the Classifier Order - which is only valid when classifier values are specified by Organization.  Using a new Classifier Value merge type, you can return the value of the Classifier for a Classifier Order. 

The image below shows a multi l bar chart filtered to the IT department.

The merge string is {BarMulti[SplitType=C Class=4 ClassVal=IT]}. To build it, we selected from options ‘set the cohort splits’ as ‘group by classifier’ then again from options, we selected ‘Select Classifier’ and choose the classifier we wanted to use. Then from options we selected ‘Filter by Classifier value’ and typed in the value IT.

6. Customising classifiers by organization

Classifier Values can be customized by Organization.

• For example, if you had a classifier called Department, each organization is likely to have a differing list of departments in their organization. You can add a unique list of classifier values for a classifier in the organization settings.

Set-up Instructions

• Head to classifiers and press edit on a classifier. Select the "Values are held by Organization" checkbox.
• In Organizations> edit> Classifiers tab: add the classifier values for the relevant classifier.
• In the assessment builder, add a text box type question. In the Options tab, select the relevant classifier to link the question to the classifier.

7. Uploading Seeded Benchmarks

When a classifier's Calculation Type is Seeded, you supply the benchmark values yourself in a CSV file. The steps are:

1. Create the classifier with the Calculation Type set to Seeded, and save it.
2. Link the classifier. To benchmark against the entire assessment, select it in Assessment Settings > General > Additional Benchmark. To benchmark each answer, select it on the Options tab of the question (or calculation) instead, and not in Assessment Settings. The template cannot be downloaded until the classifier is linked.
3. Edit the classifier, download the template, fill it in and upload it with the rating you report against.

Every Benchmark Answer needs its own assessment-level row (Section, SubSection and Theme blank), and Benchmark Answer values must match the answer text or calculation result exactly, including capitalization.

For full step-by-step instructions and an example file, see Setting Up Seeded Benchmarks.

FAQs & Troubleshooting