Talk about an upgrade—feedback quality rocketed by 67%: Velera's Textio success story

The challenge that sparked change 

Imagine this: you're at a crossroads trying to make the maze of DEI, performance feedback, and talent development a bit more...well, effective. That's precisely where Velera found themselves, scratching their heads and wondering, "How can we make performance reviews not just bearable but genuinely impactful?"

Velera knew their employees yearned for constructive, development-oriented feedback while leaders struggled to draft performance reviews. They sought a solution to alleviate these writing woes and infuse fairness and bias-free feedback into every piece of performance feedback.  

They were also on a mission—a mission to diversify their leadership bench and increase support and participation for DEI. They realized that to truly move the needle, they had to look at talent mobility from every angle.  

But here's the kicker: Velera knew that bias could sneak into the performance review process quicker than you can say "DEI." The challenge was figuring out how to weave DEI into this process like a pro.  

For Velera, it wasn't just about a tool but a partnership that aligned with their ethos. Having experienced the effectiveness of Textio for recruiters, deepening their collaboration with Textio felt natural. It wasn't just about enhancing their feedback process but sparking a culture change. 

The Textio effect 

Cue the entrance of Textio for managers — an AI tool for performance feedback, not just a process, that ticked all the boxes for Velera's ambitious drive for improvement.    

Plus, with Textio’s “Write it with Textio AI” feature, managers can input a few details and quickly generate high-quality (and bias-free) feedback. The tool still requires managers to reflect on their employees' performance and consider their input.  

"Write it with Textio AI” is designed so managers learn as they write with the tool. For Velera, it wasn't just about enhancing their feedback process but sparking a culture change and giving their managers a tool to help them give high-quality feedback not only during a performance review cycle and throughout the year.  

Velera leaders appreciated Textio's real-time coaching, which ensured they could effectively apply what they learned.  

Laura Sehres, Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Velera, likened Textio to having a personal coach, highlighting its effectiveness in improving feedback quality and making the review process a breeze.  

And the results were nothing short of impressive.   

Results at a glance: 

• Increased feedback: Not just a little, but a whole 12% more! 
• Quality boost: Talk about an upgrade—feedback quality rocketed by a staggering 67%. 
• Game-changer alert: Leaders reported a writing time cutback by 50%! 

Why Textio for managers? 

Textio for managers met all Velera’s requirements and more. Velera had been utilizing Textio for recruiters, so deepening the collaboration with Textio was a natural step. The product truly wowed them, particularly the real-time coaching seamlessly integrated into Workday, simplifying its use and adoption by leaders. 

Plus, the tool is the only generative AI tool developed with bias in mind.  

Textio gathers datasets, including demographic details such as gender, race, and age, from major multinational companies to train our machine learning algorithms, focusing on specific areas like performance feedback.   

This differs significantly from other AI providers who rely on broad, indiscriminate internet data for their models. That’s AI developed responsibly.  

Real talk from Velera

"Several leaders thanked us for implementing the tool, telling us how it cut their writing time in half. We also had leaders tell us how their employees thanked them for the thoroughness of the feedback! 

In our first annual review cycle, the quality of feedback improved, AND employees received more feedback, resulting in employees receiving more high-quality feedback. The amount of feedback increased by 12%, and the quality of feedback increased to 67%," said Sehres.

Measuring success 

Velera has been using user adoption and feedback quality and quantity to see how well Textio works. They even asked employees on the mid-year pulse survey about how fair their performance appraisal process is: "Do you feel it's transparent and fair at Velera?"  

What about the impact, you ask? Well, Velera started to see the numbers do the talking. It turns out that quality feedback isn’t just the cherry on top—it’s the whole sundae. It’s what retains their workforce and keeps people engaged. 

In essence, it's all about creating those feel-good vibes that come from making progress together and not leaving a single person behind in the process. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about ticking boxes—it’s about building a community where every voice is heard, valued, and empowered. 

The Textio Community  

Textio is not just a company. It is a curious community with stellar humans who are passionate about improving feedback and many other things. Textio is the people. 

And this case study isn't just words on digital paper; it's Velera's success dance with Textio at the annual review ball. It's a testament to the vibrant potential lying in collaboration, the magical spin that 'real-time coach' assistance can give to your feedback technique, and the collective power of a tech-human effort.