ACAS has published independent research into the first year of early conciliation. The organisation claims high levels of satisfaction and success rates with the following findings

* over 80% of participants in EC were satisfied with the service they received * the majority of those surveyed said they would use Early Conciliation again if they were involved in a similar situation in the future (84% of claimants and 87% of employers) * nearly half of all claimants (48%) who used EC either reached a formal settlement or were otherwise helped by Acas to avoid a tribunal claim * claimants spent six hours on their dispute on average and employers spent 5 hours * 96% of claimants and their representatives who agreed a financial sum as part of their settlement confirmed that it had been paid * among claimants and their representatives who could not settle their case through EC and did not go to tribunal, around a quarter (26%) said that their reason for not then lodging a tribunal claim was that tribunal fees were off putting. One in five (20%) said that their reason for not putting in a claim was that their issue was resolved. * claimants and their representatives who declined EC said this was due to their issue being resolved when Acas assistance was offered, or that they felt that conciliation would not resolve their issue, or they felt that their employer would not be willing to engage'. Over half of employers and their representatives who declined EC said it was because they felt they had no case to answer.

You can read more on the ACAS site here