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Environmental Enforcement ' Looking to the Private Sector

July 2010 saw Maidstone Council embark on a year-long trial initiative with the Xfor Group, a local authority support services provider, in order to supplement its existing environmental enforcement team. Xfor’s Michael Fisher looks at how the initiative has fared.

Maidstone Council contacted us last year with a view to developing their litter enforcement programme. While some enforcement work was being undertaken, it became apparent that there wouldn’t be capacity within the council’s existing team to provide a dedicated litter enforcement service. Littering, particularly cigarette litter, was a major problem in the area.

What the council required was a firm-but-fair team that would be able to deal with the unique pressures associated with the role of litter enforcement. Our experience in this area of work and our cost-neutral approach meant we were a perfect fit.

In July 2010 we embarked on a six-month trial initiative, providing five fully-trained enforcement officers.

The primary role of the officers is to issue fixed penalties to members of the public caught dropping litter. Additionally, the officers have a secondary role in educating members of the public with regard to the impact litter has on the environment, and the benefits of disposing of their litter in a sustainable manner.

Critics of these schemes have claimed they are a costly exercise for councils, implemented during a time when councils should be looking to make savings. However, the cost for the supply of the environmental officers is essentially self-financing. It is funded solely through the penalties paid by those who commit litter and dog fouling offences.

All Xfor environmental officers are trained in legislation and are subject to vetting processes prior to deployment.

Aside from stationery (FPNs, notebooks) the real cost to the local authority is incurred through the use of legal services, such as the cost of taking to court a percentage of those people who don’t pay FPNs. However, this is vitally important, as it reinforces the message that if people don’t pay there is a high possibility that they will be summonsed to court where more often than not those prosecution costs are recovered.

Trying to change behaviour is difficult. Since we began our contract with Maidstone Council, we’ve issued nearly 4,000 fixed penalty notices, but the impact on the town has been significant. There is clear evidence that the Maidstone public are now using the bins and smoking receptacles provided by both the council and private businesses within the town centre.

Martyn Jeynes, Environmental Enforcement Operations Manager holds on to this belief -as those responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of our borough we took the opportunity to take a stance and really change behaviour. It continues to have its challenges and moments of difficulty but overall we maintain our belief that the opportunity presented by the partnership with Xfor provides a unique opportunity for the public and private sector to join forces and really start to change behaviour and restore civic pride into their borough and our big society.”

KBR Installs Award Winning Wireless Mesh Solution to 18 Towns and Villages throughout Northumberland

Northumberland County Council (NCC) prides itself on the range and breadth of services it delivers to the 300,000 people throughout England’s most northerly shire, which covers a vast area from the Tyne and Wear conurbation to the Scottish Borders.

Before 2008, Northumberland relied largely on leased lines for their internet connectivity and as they operate from hundreds of sites throughout the county, this proved to be a very expensive solution.

Challenge:

The council identified that by switching from leased lines to a more cost effective wireless delivery they could also take advantage of a variety of other benefits that could be utilised across the local authority.

By investing in a wireless mesh network platform, the council could begin offering shared services for its multiple offices and introduce home worker capabilities to its staff. The council also wanted to offer region-wide Wi-Fi connectivity which could be utilised by the local business community.

Strategy:

KBR is the leading wireless network solutions company that was commissioned by NCC to install and deploy full wireless mesh delivery to provide high speed connectivity and Wi-Fi at street level, across the county, for use by local authority staff and local businesses.
Working with KBR, NCC began developing the Northumberland Open Network to bring secure and resilient wireless connectivity to the region with the aim of delivering a managed costs effective network with provision for multiple stakeholder groups.

KBR has installed several hundred SkyPilot mesh nodes to cover 2000 km2 of the County of Northumberland.

Starting in the key towns of Alnwick and Berwick, KBR worked to integrate a wide range of council premises including; registrars, schools, libraries, colleges, local businesses, social services, highways depots and fire stations.

Results:

The council has been able to save hundreds of thousands of pounds per annum compared with the previous cost of leased lines.

A second major benefit of using a wireless mesh is that hubs can be rapidly decommissioned and redeployed. When new buildings are acquired or existing buildings vacated, hardware can be installed or removed quickly without expensive disconnection or reconnection fees. These savings are compounded by the indirect savings realised through IT centralisation and simplified network management.

Robin Price, Managing Director, KBR said: -This technology has never been deployed on this scale anywhere in the UK. We are delivering cost efficiencies, resilience and the opportunity for mobile and home working options for council employees.”

Winning the UK CEED National eWell–Being Awards 2010 ‘Better ways of Working’, KBR’s deployment for Northumberland has made the region a frontrunner for wireless mesh technology.

As a result, the council is also currently leading the way in delivering the next generation of broadband infrastructure which has placed the county at the forefront of e-commerce across the UK.

SkyPilot wireless mesh solutions have currently been deployed by KBR in Allendale, Alnwick, Amble, Ashington, Bedlington, Berwick, Blyth, Choppington, Cramlington, Haltwhistle, Haydon Bridge, Hexham, Morpeth, Newbiggin, Ponteland, Prudhoe, Seahouses and Seaton Delaval.

For more information call: KBR on: +44 (0) 191 492 1492 / Web: www.kbr.co.uk

SAS UK comment on bogus claims

I’m heartened by today’s announcement of a new initiative to tackle the vast sums of money lost to fraud in the UK. However the DWP estimates that error accounts for double the losses caused by fraud. With every penny lost to fraud and error being lost to front line services, one thing is clear: battling this widespread waste has to be a top priority.

The vast figures involved are less surprising when you consider that 25% of civil service respondents to a recent survey said that ‘promptness’ rather than ‘accuracy’ was the most important factor when allocating public funds. Insightful understanding of an individual is only possible if their records are cross-checked and integrated, ensuring inconsistent claims are stopped before they pollute the wider government network.

Graham Kemp, head of public sector, SAS UK

Evance offers finance packages for the R9000 wind turbine

Evance Wind Turbines, a world leading manufacturer of small wind turbines, has partnered with SolarVentus, investors in renewable energy, to offer free electricity to landowners in England, Scotland and Wales.

Under this finance package, an R9000 wind turbine is installed free of charge in exchange for a 25 year lease. In return the landowner can use as much of the generated electricity as required, free of charge, and SolarVentus receive the income generated from the Feed-in Tariffs (FiTs).

To benefit from this free electricity the proposed location for a turbine needs to be suitable, that is, open and with an average wind speed of greater than six metres per second. Once a site is accepted the process is hassle free for the landowner as a site survey, planning applications and installation are all managed by SolarVentus. Also as SolarVentus retain ownership of the equipment they cover the costs of maintenance and insurance.

The Evance R9000 is one of the most efficient small wind turbines on the market generating 13,186kWh of power a year when the annual mean wind speed is six metre per second.

Kevin Parslow, CEO of Evance Wind Turbines, said: -The Feed-in Tariffs represent an attractive investment opportunity for landowners. However, not everyone is able to fund the upfront costs, around £25,000, so this finance package enables landowners with suitable sites to reduce their energy bills and reduce their carbon emissions.

Landowners who are interested in this offer are encouraged to check the wind speed of their proposed site to ensure potential suitability or contact Evance for advice.

Lease finance package available for businesses and government organisations

Evance has also partnered with a finance company which specifically funds environmental capital purchases, to provide a lease finance package designed to help businesses, schools and local government purchase an R9000 wind turbine.

In the right location a small wind turbine will lead to substantial savings and generate an income through Feed-in Tariffs – a positive investment in renewable technology for a reduced carbon footprint.

This finance option has been designed to enable businesses, schools and government organisations to purchase the Evance 5kW turbine over a 5 year period without the upfront investment. All income generated from the Feed-in Tariffs will be available to the user of the turbine – stated Parslow.

For more details on these finance packages please contact Evance:

www.evancewind.com or 01509 215669

MUNRO REVIEW OF CHILD PROTECTION ' UNISON RESPONSE

UNISON, the UK’s largest union, today welcomed Professor Eileen Munro’s review of social work, and its focus on tackling bureaucracy to help social workers to get out from behind their desks and into their communities.

But the union warned that the avalanche of cuts hitting councils – including to early help services and admin support in social work departments – will set back the cause of giving social workers more time to focus on children and families.

Helga Pile, UNISON national officer for social work, said:

-Tackling bureaucracy is key to boosting social work. But the avalanche of cuts hitting councils means that children’s services are haemorrhaging staff. Many are making cuts of up to 25% to the admin workers who provide vital support to social workers.

-Reports are already emerging of social workers spending hours filing, data inputting, organising meetings and booking taxis for contact visits – all because their admin support has been taken away. This is a crazy situation.

-Professor Munro rightly stresses the importance of early help services – but sadly this comes too late for the hundreds of children’s centres and early help projects that are already closing this year, and for those facing the chop when the second year of cuts hits councils.”

UNISON reiterated its call for the government to put its weight behind the union’s social work contract. This ten-point plan sets out the minimum conditions needed for social workers to practise safely and effectively.

GMP Take Possession of New Force HQ

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) take possession of their new Force Headquarters in Central Park.

Police leaders and partners gathered to witness the building developers Ask:Goodman present a ceremonial key to Cllr Paul Murphy of Greater Manchester Police Authority (GMPA) and Chief Constable Peter Fahy of GMP to signify completion of the construction.

GMPA Chairman Cllr Paul Murphy said: “This new HQ building will be the most modern, fit-for-purpose police building in the UK and that is something GMPA is extremely proud of. A project of this scale and size takes an incredible amount of hard work and commitment from everyone involved and I’m delighted we’ve made excellent progress throughout.

We are at the start of an exciting new era of policing and it is extremely reassuring to know that the police officers and staff who work to keep Greater Manchester communities safe have the 21st Century tools they need to do a good job.”

Ken Knott, Director of Ask:Goodman, said; -The handover of the Force HQ building is a momentous day for Ask:Goodman and Central Park. A building of this scale and distinction always creates a huge impact and we are looking forward to seeing it in use. With a dedicated tram stop for Central Park and over 1,000 people working at Force HQ, the Park’s vibrant business community will receive a considerable boost.”

Now the main building work is complete, the next exciting phase is the post contract fit out of the six storey building which will see the installation of IT, furniture and audio visual equipment prior to staff moving in later in the year.

GMP Chief Constable Peter Fahy said: “This building was clearly approved before the spending cuts but actually will prove to be an excellent investment for the future. Over the long term it will enable us to reduce our accommodation costs and allow staff to work in new and innovative ways. The purpose of headquarters is to support those who provide the frontline service to the public. This wonderful building will help us to keep headquarter costs to the minimum but is also a vote of confidence in the future of GMP and we are very grateful to the Police Authority and of course to the tax payers of Greater Manchester for providing a state of the art facility.”

The new development replaces the Force’s current headquarters, Chester House, in Old Trafford, which is beyond economic repair. The flexible design of the new building and the modern network that has been installed should go a long way towards future-proofing the headquarters and will help ensure GMP is able to meet the challenges of policing the Greater Manchester area for years to come.

Press releases about court stories

Press releases about court stories

Many public authorities, charities and businesses issue press releases, or post stories online, about court cases they have won.

These can be legally dangerous. Here are some safeguards:

1. You should aim to cover the case yourself, rather than pick up information from colleagues etc.
2. Court reports are covered by absolute privilege, which is an IMMUNITY to a libel action, provided:
i. Your report must be fair – give both sides, especially if key allegations are denied.
ii. It should be published straight away.
3. It must be accurate – check name spellings, ages, addresses (don’t give house numbers), job titles, the charge and the plea. If a court case is wrong and appears on your website, or has been published as a press release, you may lose privilege.
4. It may be libellous if you add other material – eg quotes – to the court report. Additional material is not usually privileged.
5. If you don’t cover the case yourself, stick to the bare facts.

Dangers

There may be strict restrictions on reporting court cases. Court cases should always be covered by someone who is experienced in this field. Mistakes can be costly – they may even be criminal offences.

Three safety-first rules are:

1. Do NOT name under-18s, or use their ages, addresses, schools, colleges, workplaces, or any details that could lead to their ID.
2. CHECK ages of defendants, witnesses etc – they may be under 18. If they are, see 1 above.
3. Do NOT name anyone who claims they have been a victim of ANY sexually-related offence, or use their ages, addresses, schools, colleges, workplaces, or any details that could lead to their ID.
4. CHECK if a defendant faces another trial / case. Reporting ONE trial could prejudice the NEXT one.
Court stories published by public authorities and councils

Court stories published by public authorities, councils and some charities are seen as PRESS RELEASES – and, from the media’s point of view, are covered by qualified privilege.

This means they are protected from libel actions arising from publishing your release – even if it is wrong. You may have included wrong facts or inaccurate quotes.

The media are NOT in any danger here. But they may have to publish a correction / clarification.

Cleland Thom delivers media law training and consultancy to a number of corporation and public authorities, including GPSJ, United Utilities, World Trade Group, Herts County Council, London Borough of Brent and Three Rivers District Council.

workshops.ctjt.biz/workshop/media_law_consultancy.html

Civica acquires PSCAL

Civica, a market leader in specialist systems and business process services that help organisations to achieve a more cost-efficient way of working, has announced that Civica UK Ltd, the company’s wholly owned subsidiary, has acquired PSCAL Limited (-PSCAL”).

PSCAL specialises in financial management software and related services for the National Health Service. It is the leading supplier of commissioning, contract and costing software, supplying more than 200 primary and secondary health care organisations.

The acquisition extends Civica’s presence and expertise in this market at a time when effective financial management is increasingly critical for health care providers who face rising demand for services set against increased spending constraints and significant changes in the procurement, commissioning and delivery of services.

Simon Downing, Civica chief executive, said, -I am delighted to welcome PSCAL to the Group. The company’s customer base, product set and specialist insight extend our capabilities at a time of significant structural, demographic and financial change in the health sector. The combination of Civica and PSCAL is ideally placed to help customers transform financial and service level management.”

Lizo Ngqobongwana, director at PSCAL, said, -The acquisition is an exciting step for our customers, employees and partners. From GP commissioning and payment-by-results to patient level costing and service line reporting, timely and accurate financial management has never been more important in the NHS, and I look forward to building on our respective strengths and market leadership in order to deliver increasing value to customers.”

011 Conference Awards nominates Policy Review TV for 'Best Virtual or Hybrid Conference'

Policy Review TV has been nominated in two categories for the 2011 Conference Awards, making the shortlist for Best Virtual or Hybrid Conference and Best Sponsorship Initiative. The Awards, hosted by Michael Portillo on 17 June in Westminster, recognise standards of excellence throughout the industry.

The company, which won a ‘Conference Triumph in the Face of Adversity’ award in the 2010 competition, allows conference delegates to attend ‘virtually’ by live streaming the conference audio and video online in high quality. ‘Virtual delegates’ can interact as it happens via the online channel and twitter – and there is a permanent on-demand catch-up service, similar to the BBC iPlayer.

The event for which the company has been nominated was a discussion forum entitled -Preventing a Funding Crisis in Higher Education, addressing the outcomes of the Comprehensive Spending Review and discussing the implications of the Browne Review. Lord Browne himself spoke at the event, along with Minister of State for Universities and Science, David Willetts MP, John Denham MP and NUS President Aaron Porter.

The event was attended by 100 and yet achieved 1,980 virtual delegates online, which was made freely available to anyone who wanted to take part. In addition over 5,900 people have watched the on-demand archive video.

Edward Gamble, Managing Director of Policy Review TV, says:

I am absolutely thrilled with our nomination. This was a crucially important event that discussed a number of significant issues, made even more high-profile with the level of student dissatisfaction about student tuition fees.

This event brought out the big players, and put them in front of the opinion-forming audience they needed to engage with at a critical time and importantly it was live and available afterwards on-demand.

We met the client’s need to provide an affordable, interactive and fast service. As the ‘Best Virtual or Hybrid Conference’ award makes its debut this year, this shows the increasing use of online TV to meet modern campaign needs. This takes online TV to a higher level for mainstream management.

I’m proud that our service enables people to ‘attend’ events at a fraction of the cost of being there in person, and with reduced need to travel, there are significant environmental benefits too.

Council iPhone app achieves success in national public sector awards Trafford

Innovative initiatives in a national public sector awards programme. Developed by e-commerce The iPhone app recently launched by Trafford Council has been nominated as one of the UK’s most experts, boxsail, the new app recorded over 1,100 downloads in its first six weeks and has been given positive reviews by local residents. Find it at www.trafford.gov.uk/itrafford or download it free direct from the Apple store.

-With funding pressures now a major concern for Councils, the need to challenge current practice and develop new ways of delivering service excellence has never been so great,” comments Deepak Sharma, MD of boxsail. -The new iPhone App offers residents a new and immediate way of accessing their local Council services, but crucially also provides Councils with a highly cost-effective means of engaging with a growing number of consumers. We hope the success of the Trafford pilot will encourage Councils across the UK to adopt the new App which can easily be adapted to fit individual requirements.”

Executive Councillor Alex Williams adds: “I am delighted that this application has been recognised at a national level and to be shortlisted is a major achievement. The application has been well received by our residents and demonstrates just one example of how we are developing innovative methods to ensure we are providing first class services to our residents in an efficient, convenient and cost effective way.”

Created to make it easier and more convenient to access services and contact Trafford Council, the free to download ‘Council Services’ app brings together key features in one easy to use format. By far the most popular is the bin calendar which uses postcodes to give the correct information. Other features are increasingly well used such as the ‘Report an Issue’, where residents can report up to 45 different issues from a missed bin collection to a broken street light, and ‘Find My Nearest’ which locates libraries, parks and other local amenities using GPS signals.

www.boxsail.co.uk/mobile-iphone-android-apps/mobile-iphone-android-video.html

WARP IT LAUNCH

There is a growing consumer consciousness that consumption based on finite resources is not viable, and for the first time the public are maybe even linking economy to resource use.

UKplc has made great strides in recycling and composting. For many people and organisations it is now time to look further up the chain and improve efficiencies there. More and more organisations are developing waste minimisation and resource efficiency strategies.

There are massive carbon and waste gains to be made by improving manufacturing and procurement efficiency. The real environmental effects of making a product sit just below the surface.

For the average consumer product, 10% of the raw materials used to make a product are found in the final product. That means the chair you are sitting on actually generated a further 90% of waste during primary and secondary manufacture. More alarmingly, the amount of waste generated for a single laptop computer is close to 4000 times its weight.

All the good stuff we throw away represents just a small proportion of the waste taken to make it.

That is why it is so important to get maximum value out of surplus resources by redistributing the resource to someone who can use it.

Redistribution is the 5th R. Reduce Reuse Recycle Repair and Redistribute

To deal with business to business resource redistribution Daniel O’Connor, an ex Local Authority waste and sustainability officer, at Scarborough BC and Durham CC respectively, has developed www.WARP-it.co.uk.

WARPit is a bespoke online resource redistribution network. WARPit makes it very easy for individuals in an organisation to share loan or give surplus resources to individuals inside the same organisation in the first instance. If resources are not required within the primary organisation they can be stored or passed onto local national and international partners, including large organisations, schools, charities and SMEs.

Daniel said -This tool is great to redistribute resources in one organisation- but really comes into its own when organisations start reciprocally sharing surplus resources- it means lower costs on a few counts. The tool is great for LSPs.”

WARPit brings the unused into use, saving money, freeing up space, avoiding carbon emissions and landfill.

The obvious environmental benefit of WARPit is that it keeps stuff circulating, maximising use and extending the life span of equipment. The big environmental saving is that we do not have to buy new products- saving waste carbon emissions and of course purchasing costs.

Daniel says -We are seeing savings in the order of hundreds of thousands of pounds- and payback times are measured in days- rather than years!”

He went on -But the collaboration between organisations is the really exciting part. The WARPit network enables resources to be transferred legally and safely from areas where they are not needed to somewhere where they are. That might be in the same organisation- or it could be to an organisation carrying out similar activities locally such as universities, councils, hospitals, SMEs charities or schools.”

-And because of the reciprocal sharing nature of the social network- users feel that they can declutter and give away or loan resources they would usually keep because they know they will be able to get the same resource back later when they need it. Users learn that -what goes around comes around” literally.”

-People embrace this co operative collaboration behaviour to be more efficient but also much more connected with their colleagues within the organisation and with partner organisations. This will have great potential to improve work between organisations”

So the concept of ownership is changing, instead of purchasing new equipment organisations are seeking to use what is already there or share resources. As Mark Levine said in the NewYork Times, sharing is clean, crisp, urbane, post modern. Owning stuff is dull selfish and backward” A bit extreme but it shows where we are going with the concept of ownership.

The effectiveness of the system increases as more join, as there are more resources circulating and the system serves its community better. The co- operative principle is always the same- many hands make light work, and the greater the collective benefit to the community.

-In these times of improved efficiencies organisations must look across the road at their neighbours and look to share resources both physical mental and social.” Said Daniel

GCHQ announces smartphone security guidance for public sector workers

The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) has announced guidance for public sector technology chiefs to enhance data protection on lost or stolen smartphones. The advice focuses on configuration instructions, secure applications and training for staff members for security procedures on smartphones including iPhones, Windows Phone 7, Nokia and Blackberry devices.

Sophos’s public sector business development director, Graeme Stewart, notes that while the concept of mobility is continuing to gather momentum, the requirements and policies for smartphone working should remain the same as those for mobile working on laptops- secure, control and audit.

-Many organisations are focusing on encouraging employees to bring their own kit to work and to access corporate resources when they’re out of the office to allow staff to be more mobile, and more productive, commented Stewart. -However, there is a second issue here that is often overlooked, which is organisations buying equipment that was designed for the consumer space, but using it in a corporate setting. Quite often, this kit is not enterprise ready, as it is not shipped with the right software on board to enable control, audit and remediation in the event of a problem.

-The consumerisation of technology across all sectors is a space that is continuing to move rapidly, continued Stewart. -It’s essential that all staff treat security on their mobiles and laptops in the same way as they would on office-based equipment. If organisations are issuing consumer designed devices to help employees work more efficiently and effectively, they must ensure that data protection policies are consistent across the company, regardless of the equipment used.

For further information, please visit Graeme’s public sector blog at:

publicsectorsecurity.wordpress.com/2011/04/12/mobility-picks-up-pace-with-gchq-announcement

Graeme Stewart is available to discuss smartphone security for public sector organisations in more detail at Infosecurity Europe, Earl’s Court, London, 19th – 21st April 2011. If you would be interested in arranging a meeting with Graeme at the show, or a phone briefing, please contact Fiona Halkerston or Lindsey Challis on 020 7401 7968 or by reply.

Is your website legal?

Making websites legal

Basic information

European E-commerce Regulations require your clients to provide certain information on your website and to make it easily accessible.

There will be new rules about the way you handle cookies soon, too. Watch this space!

The site should state:

  • The name of your ISP.
  • Your email address (separately from the contact form).
  • Your company’s registered and postal address and registration number.
  • Your VAT number.
  • Details of any professional body that you belong to, plus information about the body’s membership.
    You have to stick to these rules, even if your site does not engage in e-commerce.
  • Disability Discrimination Act

    The Disability Discrimination Act says that businesses – including the media – must avoid treating disabled persons unfavourably. This covers newspaper, radio, TV and magazine websites, too.

    Web editors need to make sure their websites comply.

    1. The RNIB said in 2005: ‘A disabled person can make a claim against you if your website makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult to access information and services. If you have not made reasonable adjustments and cannot show that this failure is justified, then you may be liable under the Act, and may have to pay compensation and be ordered by a court to change your site.’
    2. The DDA does not stipulate website design standards – it leaves you to make sure your site conforms.
    3. Service providers have a duty to make adjustments before there’s a problem, not wait until someone complains.
    4. This means you should make sure:

  • Anything that makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for a disabled person to use your site, or anything on it, is amended.
  • Any features which make it impossible or unreasonably difficult for a disabled person to use a service on the site are amended.
  • 5. In practice this means:

  • Make sure your site is built to W3C standards for good website design. That means valid html and valid css.
  • Pass Priority 1 W3C WCAG at least – see www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/
  • Ask visually impaired people and deaf people to test the site.
  • Act quickly if someone contacts you about accessibility with your site.
  • Make sure the site is accessible for the deaf – provide scripts for video / audio downloads, and use simple language.
  • 6. There are excellent practical tips at: www.userite.com/checklist.htm
    7. If you’re a business, contact forms must be answered within 24 hours.
    8. There are other rules if your site has message boards. We will look at these another time.

    Cleland Thom delivers media law training and consultancy to a number of corporation and public authorities, including GPSJ, United Utilities, World Trade Group, Herts County Council, London Borough of Brent and Three Rivers District Council.

    See: workshops.ctjt.biz/workshop/media_law_consultancy.html

    What customer-centricity really means and why it matters so much

    More than thirty years of earning my living from trying to help people forge better relationships with their customers has convinced me that if we’re to get better at dealing with customers in our professional lives, we need to improve how we communicate with and relate to people in all areas of our lives.

    The approach simply has to be holistic as well as sincere. Anything less will not work. If we’re indeed to dazzle our customers, we must continually refine our people interaction skills both in our personal lives and in our professional careers.

    That great eighteenth-century literary gentleman and practical philosopher, the legendary Dr Samuel Johnson, pithily observed:

    If a man does not make new acquaintance as he advances through life, he will soon find himself left alone. A man… should keep his friendship in constant repair.

    The use of ‘friendship’ in the singular is important. Johnson regards the man’s own, outwardly-projected friendship as being what needs to be kept in constant repair rather than the friendships he enjoys. Johnson’s pithy aphorism is truly customer-centric.

    What applies to the friendship we extend to our friends also applies to our customer relationships, whether they’re commercial customers of a profit-making organisation or of a public body such as a government organisation or local authority.

    In order to think about all our customers in the way we should be thinking about them, we need a broader definition of ‘customer’ than the usual one found in the dictionary and employed in everyday speech.

    A suggestion for an alternative definition would be:

    A customer is any person, anywhere and in any capacity, whom you want to influence to want what you are offering him or her.

    This definition encompasses the people you care about in your personal life as well as your commercial customers. You offer the people in your personal life your friendship and affection, and you want them to want it and to offer you the same. As for the customers in your professional life, whatever you’re supplying to them, you want them to want the very best iteration of what you can supply to them… until you can supply something even better.

    This last point is particularly important: it’s vital to know what benefit your customers are really getting from you, which is another way of saying that you need to know what business you are really in. If you do know that, it will be easier for you to make continual iterative improvements in your products and services, because you’ll be making the improvements in the right direction.

    Andre Heiniger, the former chairman of Rolex, was famously quoted in Mark McCormack’s What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School as saying that Rolex was not in the watch business, but in the luxury business. Yet you don’t need to be heading a major global brand like Rolex to be obliged to do some hard thinking and research about what benefits your customers are really getting from you. Many businesses don’t entirely understand this.

    For instance, we might consider typewriter companies in the years before the 1980s, when word-processors began to make a dent in the typewriter market before taking it over almost completely.

    During the late nineteenth century, and for much of the twentieth century until the 1980s, typewriter manufacture was big business. Yet the only typewriter manufacturer that survived to be big in selling word-processors was IBM, the manufacturer of the famous ‘golfball’ typewriter (which used a golfball-shaped printing head that moved too fast for the eye to see). IBM was a special case, as it only made typewriters as a sideline; its original business had been manufacturing punched-card electromechanical ‘tabulator’ business machines that were the world’s first automatic data processing devices and, incidentally, the direct ancestor of the first electromechanical digital computer, funded by IBM and completed in 1944.

    Most organisations that specialised in selling typewriters failed to make the transition to word-processors because these organisations had not fully grasped what they were selling. They thought they were selling typewriters, but in fact, what they were selling were machines that allowed customers to create, produce and print out documents.

    If the typewriter manufacturers had understood this, they would have jumped at the chance to sell word-processors.

    Again, I’d emphasise that the new, broader definition I offer above of the customer is about you wanting to influence someone to want what you’re offering them. Merely influencing someone to like what you are offering them isn’t enough.

    No-one is going to buy something from you merely because they like it; they have to feel they need it. They’re only going to part with their money if they really do feel they need it.

    Extensive experience in the market research industry indicates that asking respondents whether they like a sample of a new product fails – or at least almost always fails – to predict whether a new product will succeed in the marketplace. The reason appears to be that just because we like something, it doesn’t mean that we feel we simply must have it as a vital part of our lives. Likewise, when we fall in love, we feel so strongly about the person that we regard our lives as being in some deep, vitally important and glorious way incomplete without them.

    Falling in love, and loving some particular product or service, may seem very different types of expressions of emotion, and while of course at one level they are, there are genuine and meaningful similarities. The difference between the affection we have for, say, our favourite food and drink brands, and for the holiday destinations we love, or for the restaurants and cafe’s where we most like to be, or for all the physical objects we care about and surround ourselves with… the difference between the affection we have for all those things and the affection we have for someone we love, is perhaps more a question of degree rather than the fundamental nature of what our affection’s actually like.

    An organisation that is truly customer-centric is doing everything it can to focus on, and minister, to the agenda of its customers. If an organisation wants to be customer-centric, it needs to induce people to want what it has to offer them by correspondingly seeking to win their love, or at the very least their genuine affection, for what it’s offering.

    If customer-centricity was something you could just install by loading a program or following a set procedure, everyone would have it. But the very fact many customers are frequently dissatisfied, if not extremely dissatisfied, with the quality of the products they obtain – and with the levels of service they receive – proves that customer-centricity is very far indeed from being something that everyone has.

    Ultimately, customer-centricity is delivered not by an organisation but by the people who work for it. And if those people are not passionate about wanting customers to love what the organisation is offering, the organisation is not going to be customer-centric.

    The secret of customer-centricity is that everyone – not only the Board or other senior management – within any organisation must find within themselves the energy, discipline and imagination to see the world from their customers’ point of view, and if necessary to adjust their behaviour towards their customers, and the nature of what the customers are being offered, accordingly.

    On the face of it, the secret of being customer-centric is straightforward. Putting it into practice, however, requires energy, discipline, imagination… and smart and incisive hard work.

    Putting the secret into action requires the right attitude. You have to want to care about your customers’ agenda as if it was your own agenda, or your family’s.

    This is not easy. We seem to be programmed by evolution to care mostly about our own agenda and that of our immediate family.

    But many extremely worthwhile things – medical care to take just one example – are not necessarily planned by evolution. After all, to take this example, if there were no doctors, nurses or hospitals, and we left things purely to evolution, nature would simply just take its brutal course.

    Caring about the agenda of people other than ourselves and our family (and at most also our closest friends) is also very possibly unnatural. In the days when we lived in caves, weren’t the tribe who lived on the other side of the mountain our deadly rivals for food?

    But that was then, and this is now. In my book, I quote The Independent columnist Christina Patterson’s remark that I think summarises why customer-centricity is so important not only for the business world, but also for all of the human world.

    A society can’t function, or at least it can’t function very well, without the realisation that people outside your family are as real as the people in it. There has, in recent years, been a growing emphasis on the ‘hard-working family’ as the seat of all that’s good: parents battling for their darlings’ rights and now, God help us, even clubbing together to start schools. There’s a name for a community that puts family first. It’s called the Mafia.

    How right Christina is. As for organisations, whether they operate in the private or public sector, research that Charteris has carried out suggests that in many large organisations, only about 30 percent of activity is devoted to customers’ interests. The other 70 percent? Well, it consists of the organisation’s agenda – often simply internal stuff – rather than activities that add value to the customer’s agenda.

    The problem is that, as organisations grow, they tend to focus excessively on their own agenda.
    Many of us have at some point in our careers helped to run a small business, or a semi-autonomous department of a larger business, which can amount to much the same thing. Don’t you remember the buzz you had when you went to work then (or now, if you still do)? Don’t you recall the excitement on Sunday evenings of looking forward to getting to work on Monday morning and making a difference to your customers’ lives?

    How often do people running small businesses or a semi-autonomous department of a larger business, ignore the customer’s agenda? Not, I think, often, because quite apart from the inevitable pressing financial incentive to meet customers’ needs, the physical and emotional proximity of the customer makes it much easier to generate customer-centricity than when one is working within a large organisation.

    But unfortunately, as an organisation grows in size, its customers become increasingly remote physically and emotionally from the people who work at the organisation. This has been a problem since the earliest days of industrialisation.

    Also, when an organisation is becoming larger and more complex, it accumulates more and more of its own internal ‘stuff’ that it wants to focus on.

    In our professional lives, if we take the trouble to reverse the usual percentage and to devote 70 percent of our energies to meeting our customers’ agenda and only 30 percent to our own internal stuff, we will be customer-centric.
    That insight is extremely useful in a practical sense, because if we are truly customer-centric, we will succeed in our professional lives, and very likely succeed to a tremendous extent. This being so, don’t we all want, ideally, to be customer-centric?

    And shouldn’t we also apply the same thinking to our personal lives… at least if we aren’t already?

    Well, that depends on just how great you want other people to think you are!

    (Stephen Hewett – brief biography)

    Stephen Hewett began his career as a pilot and then worked as an aviation company executive before joining The John Lewis Partnership, where he rose to become Development Manager, Research and Expansion. After 15 years at John Lewis, Stephen joined the business and information technology consultancy Charteris plc, where he is now Head of Business Consulting at Charteris plc.

    In his spare time he enjoys walking in the countryside near his home in Buckinghamshire where he lives with his wife Carolyn and their energetic black Labrador Oscar. Stephen is almost as enthusiastic about science fiction as he is about business and the customer. He is also a keen amateur photographer.

    ‘The Customer-Centric You’ is Stephen’s first book.

    ‘The Customer-Centric You’ is available from Management Books 2000 Limited, Forge House, Limes Road, Kemble, Cirencester, GL7 9AD. Tel: 01285 771441 Fax: 01285 771055 www.mb2000.com ‘The Customer-Centric You’ is also available from amazon.co.uk and from all good bookshops.

    Charteris Tel: 020 7600 9199 www.charteris.com

    Innovative ballot box wins vote of confidence at electoral conference

    A new ballot box designed to meet the demands of modern elections was officially launched at the Association of Electoral Administrators’ (AEA) Annual Conference 2011.

    UK-based Versapak has developed a user-friendly foldable ballot box, which aims to overcome common problems with handling and storage, while a unique top panel makes the insertion of voting slips easier than ever. The improved functionality has been achieved alongside the strictest possible security credentials, underpinned by a patented tamper-proof seal.

    The box, based on the results of detailed market research among users, has been designed to offer electoral professionals a new level of security, simplicity and ease of use.

    In creating its ballot box, Versapak has drawn from almost 40 years of experience as a specialist manufacturer of tamper-evident pouches and bags for clients including the NHS and Royal Mail.

    Versapak, whose products are developed in the UK and ethically manufactured in Europe, unveiled its innovative ballot box at the AEA Conference in February.

    Julie Goddard, business manager of Versapak’s public sector division, said: -By listening closely to the administrators who manage elections, we have developed a new kind of ballot box that solves a lot of common complaints. Obviously we put an extremely high priority on security, but we’ve tried to make our ballot boxes simpler, both for the voter and the election official.

    We’ve considered the ease with which these boxes can be moved around, the ability to store them efficiently, the simplicity of opening, the high standard of locking mechanisms and even the way a voter inserts their paper.

    The new ballot box is the most advanced of its kind on the market yet a very competitive pricing structure has been drawn up to help local authorities take full advantage.

    As the manufacturer, Versapak also offers flexibility on size, quantity and customisation, including appropriate branding, for example.

    The organisation and administration of elections is a difficult and demanding task so we want to be as helpful as possible, said Julie. -Circumstances can change very quickly and if, for instance, a client needed an additional 400 boxes on top of their initial order, we can act on that immediately.

    Versapak, established in 1973 and based in Kent, also offers electoral administrators a wide range of supplementary products including mailing pouches, trolleys and security sacks.

    The company’s first product was a reusable mailing pouch called a Versapak, which proved so successful that it was widely accepted by postal systems and courier companies throughout the world.

    Being reusable, durable and distinctly user-friendly, Versapak’s range of pouches and bags are significantly more cost-effective than others in the market. Those that also incorporate Versapak’s patented security seal system provide a secure, tamper-evident means of transporting documents and other important items.

    Today, Versapak’s products are widely used and many are custom-made. They include specially-manufactured pouches for Royal Mail, protective hold-alls for the NHS and cash handling bags for leading retailers.

    Versapak mailroom furniture is manufactured using hardwearing and robust materials. Specially designed for the mailroom, it is strong and practical. With a range including benches, cupboards, mailsort units and desks, most items can be tailored to suit your individual needs. Versapak also supplies a large range of mailroom equipment, such as trolleys and mail sacks.

    For further information, visit: www.versapak.co.uk

    ARMACELL INSULATION CHOSEN FOR DUCTING OVERHAUL OF ICONIC BUILDING

    Class O Armaflex materials have been selected to provide both thermal and acoustic insulation for air conditioning ductwork during a major restoration project undertaken at the Belfast City Hall. This magnificent listed building, which was opened in 1906 and survived severe wartime damage, is located in the heart of Belfast and is a source of great civic pride. Guided tours are popular with tourists and locals alike, to view reception and banqueting halls which are complemented by the stained glass windows and select foreign marbles used in their design and construction.

    The building, which is depicted on all banknotes in Northern Ireland, has recently undergone extensive renovations which included a comprehensive overhaul of the air conditioning system. This project presented several challenges, including space as the existing ductwork had not been designed to accommodate the thickness of modern insulation which provides better thermal efficiency. A second problem involved suppression of the mechanical droning sound generated by the air-handling units which was at odds with the subdued, relaxing ambience required for the lavish interiors of the city hall.
    The application of 1716m2 Class O Armaflex materials has successfully resolved both the thermal and acoustic problems at the same time. Internally lining the ductwork walls with 25mm thick Armaflex insulation has ensured that energy saving targets were achieved, while noise propagation generated by low frequencies through frame resonance has also been reduced to an acceptable level.

    The dual combination of thermal efficiency and acoustic attenuation provided by the Armaflex materials effectively halved the insulation thickness requirements. This minimised the material costs, as well as reducing the installation to a single application process, further reducing both time and costs for the work undertaken.

    The internal lining of ductwork is unusual in the UK, but is established common practice in many other countries including the USA. The Class O Armaflex insulation is 100% dust and fibre free, ensuring that it is safe to use within air ducting, without any risk of fibre migration into the air stream or the building interior. It is also the only insulation material to feature built-in Microban anti-microbial protection, which together with the closed-cell structure lining helps prevent both bacterial and mould growth on the insulation lining. This is an essential consideration when looking to minimise the onset of harmful ‘sick building syndrome’, particularly where ducting has been internally lined.

    Consultant Mott McDonald, who initially identified Class O Armaflex as the appropriate material for use on the project, confirms that both client and the project contractors Sharpe Group were also suitably impressed with his choice. Mott believes that -Class O Armaflex performed well beyond our expectations. We have been looking for an integrated thermal and acoustic insulation for some time and this product is really ideal.”
    Further information is available from:

    Armacell UK Ltd, Mars Street, Oldham, Lancashire OL9 6LY

    Telephone: 0161 287 7040 Fax: 0161 633 2685

    e-mail: info.uk@armacell.com
    www.armacell.com/uk

    PURPOSE ENGINEERED DUCTWORK INSULATION

    Modern commercial buildings are designed to be air-tight and can utilise a system of ducted warm air to maintain comfortable occupancy temperatures. However, un-insulated ductwork is subject to inevitable temperature losses which represent over 50% of the system energy requirements. To help eliminate these losses, Armaflex purpose engineered ductwork insulation can provide both thermal and acoustic properties. Information on these products is provided on a dedicated micro-site, forming part of the Armacell website (www.armacell.com/uk).

    The distribution and continuous re-circulation of ducted filtered air is subject to the gradual accumulation of general pollutants which can lead to breathing difficulties and symptoms of ill health for the building occupants. Typical contaminants can include natural gasses such as carbon dioxide, in addition to harmful volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), industrial fibres, acidic particles and general dust, mould spores and bacteria – which can all contribute towards the impact of ‘sick building syndrome’ identified by illnesses and lost working days.

    Armaflex duct system products, however, are purpose designed to provide an easy-to-clean and efficient insulation with zero ratings for ozone depletion and global warming potential. They are suited for applications in schools, hospitals, office complexes and large public buildings, providing combined thermal and acoustic properties to help maintain safe and comfortable environments within workplaces or public areas.
    Armaflex products are both clean and efficient, free of dust and fibres, formaldehyde and other dangerous gasses. They also feature a closed-cell structure with an in-built water vapour barrier. This eliminates the possibility of fibre migration and moisture ‘wicking’ with the effect that Armaflex remains dry and mould is denied the moisture it needs to grow. The incorporation of Microban anti-microbial protection enhances the inherent resistance against mould growth to ensure that the quality of the ducted air is not compromised. Highly stable thermal values are maintained, as well as excellent acoustic properties to minimise noise transmission through the ductwork. Combining these attributes reduces overall weight, and minimises both material requirements and costs for system installations.

    Further information is available from:
    Armacell UK Ltd, Mars Street, Oldham, Lancashire OL9 6LY
    Telephone: 0161 287 7040 Fax: 0161 633 2685

    e-mail: info.uk@armacell.com
    www.armacell.com/uk

    NEW ARMAPLUS SERVICES FOR THERMAL

    The new ArmaPlus website from Armacell, specialists in flexible rubber insulation, brings together a comprehensive suite of tools designed to provide expert advice and assistance to an international customer base. Online tools include the cornerstone ‘ArmWin AS’, an online calculation engine for determining necessary thicknesses and likely heat losses. This is supplemented by useful consumption calculators and the powerful yet easy to use ‘Specification Builder’ that allows anyone to create unique project specifications using standard pre-defined clauses.

    The site operates as an information access portal for consultants, contractors, specifiers, distributors and individual end users. Application and project support is provided in the form of downloadable application manuals and videos together with a detailed technical library, comprising material safety data sheets, an extensive glossary of terms and wide ranging product documentation.

    Navigation of the intuitive ArmaPlus site has been simplified by the addition of icons, that provide a distinct visual language. These icons relate to individual tools within the ArmaPlus service and make it even easier to move from service to service.
    For more complex queries the ArmaPlus technical support service is always available. Qualified personnel can be contacted on +44 (0) 161 287 7038, or email armaplus.uk@armacell.com. As well as bespoke calculations or specifications, the support service team can discuss any related technical enquiries, and provide advice and assessments on individual installation problems.

    Armacell have set industry standards throughout the world in the field of flexible technical foams covering an extensive range of thermal and acoustic insulation cladding materials, sandwich core and edge protection foams together with custom seals and gaskets. These are designed for wide-ranging applications including:

    Preventing the formation of condensation
    Absorbing both sound and vibration
    Retention of either heat or cold in process lines and equipment

    Energy savings and increased plant efficiency can be realised, leading to growth potential in many markets. In fact, success in the global oil and gas business has resulted in the establishment of a separate international team for this market by Armacell.

    Further information is available from:
    Armacell UK Ltd, Mars Street, Oldham, Lancashire OL9 6LY

    Telephone: 0161 287 7040 Fax: 0161 633 2685

    e-mail: info.uk@armacell.com
    www.armacell.com/uk

    ARMACELL ADDS ANTI-MICROBIAL PROTECTION

    Class O Armaflex engineered foam insulation materials, including sheets, tubes and coils are now supplied with built-in anti-microbial protection providing continuous and lifelong protection against the proliferation of potentially infectious agents. These products are particularly appropriate for use in buildings with high occupancy levels, such as offices, hospitals, schools and leisure centres etc, but can be used anywhere to provide added 24/7 protection against harmful microbes such as bacteria, mould and mildew.

    The protection is provided by Microban anti-microbial product protection, a proven technology which is incorporated into the manufacturing process of the insulation materials. On contact, this protection penetrates the cell walls of micro organisms, disabling their ability to function, grow and reproduce. Because the anti-microbial protection is an inherent part of the insulation material, the protection provided is permanent and cannot be removed during handling, washing or general wear. The effectiveness of the protection is also maintained in conditions of heat and cold as may be expected in applications for thermal insulation materials.

    Microbes are a wide group of often microscopic organisms, which can be responsible for illness and disease in humans, particularly leading to respiratory problems. Given ample food and moisture, any surface can support microbial and bacterial growth. Where left unchecked, this can result in rapid rises in infection counts, which in conjunction with other elements can often collectively contribute to a ‘sick building syndrome’.
    The Armaflex products also provide passive protection to supplement and complement the active protection provided by Microban. The passive elements, forming part of the engineered structure of the product, include a closed-cell foam construction which is an effective water vapour barrier. The material is also non-wicking and small surface damage does not compromise the integrity of the barrier. Armaflex is also free of dust and fibrous materials to prevent any combination of mould spores and bacteria which could cause or aggravate respiratory infections. This combination of active and passive protection ensures suitability of the product for use even in sensitive areas.

    Class O fire rating is also incorporated into the Armaflex range of products as well as excellent thermal properties, designed for both rectangular and circular ductwork as well as general pipework, flanges and valve boxes. The products are formaldehyde free and protection against UV exposure, impact damage and weathering can also be provided.

    Microban® is a registered trademark of Microban Products Company.

    Further information is available from:
    Armacell UK Ltd, Mars Street, Oldham, Lancashire OL9 6LY

    Telephone: 0161 287 7040 Fax: 0161 633 2685

    e-mail: info.uk@armacell.com

    www.armacell.com/uk

    An interview with Mark Hunter MP

    Mark Hunter MP ( Cheadle) speaks about the economy, VAT increase, child grooming and more.