181
Completed Surveys
July 1 – September 30, 2026
Averages of the CEI question survey results by question:
1. Staff connected with this eFile (e.g., File Coordinators, Reviewers, Senior Reviewers, etc.) were helpful and responsive.
2. Comments and suggestions in response letters, calls and messenger were clear and actionable.
4.6/5
Indicating an average response between “Agree”
and “Strongly Agree”
3. I felt the review was:
- Highly inconsistent
- Somewhat inconsistent
- Somewhat consistent
- Highly consistent
- I don’t know
4. Please provide any other feedback specific to this file: [optional open text field]
5. Please rate your overall experience with this particular review.
1 – highly negative experience
10 – highly positive experience
4.5/5
Indicating an average response between “Agree”
and “Strongly Agree”
3.7/4*
Indicating an average response between “Somewhat
consistent” and “Highly Consistent”
*This average rating is calculated from Responses 1-4 as including ratings of 5 (or “I don’t know”) would have skewed the average upward. There were 4 ratings of “I don’t know” in this data set.
See feedback themes below.
8.8/10
Indicating a positive average overall experience.
Key Themes and Actions Taken from Open-Text Feedback:
1. Multiple reviewers on a file resulted in some delays (n=3). Some respondents noted that due to vacation coverage, review comments were not always clear and that, even after revisions were made, a subsequent reviewer would challenge revisions.
Action Taken: The team was reminded to make thorough notes for vacation coverage reviewers to ensure seamless transition between reviewers. File distributors were also reminded to attempt to keep the file with the same reviewer (or the minimum amount of reviewers possible) at every opportunity to encourage continuity on the file.
2. Unclear comment and next step (n=2): Respondents identified that review comments were not always worded in a clear manner, and that suggestions made to resolve the comment were not always clear.
Action Taken: The review team continued to discuss comment structure, wording and ways to direct clients to appropriate solutions. While reviewers can not solve all creative and copy challenges, they continue to be encouraged to do their best to provide examples or suggested modifications to help provide clear direction.
Using the CEI and Tagging System
The CEI is intended to gather feedback on the client’s experience working with the reviewer, including the clarity, helpfulness, consistency, and timeliness of the review. Concerns about a specific ruling, interpretation of the Code, or application of PAAB guidance are best submitted through the tagging system, where they can be assessed independently.
Key Takeaways:
- Survey Completion Rate is 21.5%, with this data capturing 181 responses out of 838 surveys sent. Data should be interpreted with this in mind, as this is a relatively low sample size.
- Ratings for all questions, on average, have been positive. This data set is reflective of the complete quarter. Results have remained generally positive and consistent with the data from all quarters of 2023-2026
Why Do CEIs Matter?
Completing the CEI benefits both clients and PAAB!
How?
- Helps improve future review experiences industry-wide
- Encourages clarity and consistency in reviews
- Ensures positive reviewer practices are recognized and propagated
- Identifies training needs for reviewers and process improvements
- Provides measurable accountability across the review system
We continue to encourage you to be as specific as possible when providing feedback in order to help us best understand your experience with PAAB and create a meaningful action-plan to improve or disseminate best practices. Thank you for your continued participation in the CEI surveys!
Confidence in confidentiality
As a reminder, client tags trigger internal audits for validation by PAAB’s Director of Pre-clearance Services, Yin Man. Any tags pertaining to Yin are validated by the Commissioner and removed from the report provided to Yin. No Reviewer or Senior Reviewer is EVER aware of tags generated by clients. The CEI Surveys follow the same processing flow. You can be confident in the confidentiality of the tagging system and CEI Surveys. For additional reassurance, the tagging system, tag assessments, and documented actions taken will periodically be reviewed by an external auditor.
If you’d like to learn more about the client tagging system, check out the Client Tagging System Advisory. You’ll also find links to useful videos on tagging a review and tagging phone calls.
If you’d like to learn more about CEIs, see Customer Experience Index.
PAAB Quarterly CEI Report - July 1 – September 30, 2026
A Quarterly Review of the eFiles Customer Experience Index (CEI)
The CEI Survey launched on February 13, 2023. This review of the CEI data accounts for the data captured between July 1 - September 30, 2026.
