Originally published 20 December 2003. This article is retained from the tCI archive. Law, policy or practice may have changed since publication.
The Consultation Institute has just discovered a discarded copy of a Best Value Report on Christmas delivery services sub-contracted to a certain S. Claus Ltd …..
We note that the suppliers have undertaken extensive consultation with the customer base who reacted positively in general. The focus group seems to have been well attended and we are pleased to see that young people were very well represented. Their complaint that too many electronic items arrived with instructions that parents had difficulty understanding seems well founded - and we note that most children believed that implementation was best done by themselves anyway.
Receipt of correspondence is still a problem. They are still overwhelmingly postal and we would like to see increased take-up of SMS or e-mail through the new e-gov website. Children in homes without old-fashioned chimneys still express concern that they may be discriminated against - and we recommend that the sub-contractor continues to take account of the requirements of this hard-to-reach group!
Our principal concern is that once again this consultation has not identified all the relevant stakeholders. Retailers appear to be adequately covered, as were the broadcasting organisations. Parents are known to be vocal, and make excellent use of the complaints system.
One important omission however is the supply chain itself. Enquiries made by the audit team reveal that the reindeer once again feel inadequately consulted. They point to unrealistic timescales and would like an input into the impact of the GPS system on existing working practices. Issues about diet, accommodation and shift systems also need to be addressed and we urge the supplier to set up a consultative committee to consider these and other grievances.
The reindeer point out that it is they who actually deliver - and that if Mr Claus and his Managers don't listen to them - what faith can the millions of young customers have - that their views will be heard?
The Audit team suggests that good consultation internally with your own team should give your customers confidence that they will also be taken seriously.
Trigger points
- Who are the reindeer in your organisation?
- Are they properly consulted?
This is the 4th Tuesday Topic; a full list of subjects covered is available for Institute members and is a valuable resource covering so many aspects of consultation and engagement