We are in a relationship economy. I have heard this said many times over the last few months. Shirley mentioned it at the last Institute of Customer Services event in Edinburgh. But what does this mean? I must admit that ever since the banking crisis the world has never felt the same. It might be … Continue reading Relationship economy
Staying safe online
It must be the conference season. Do we have such a thing or are conferences all year-round affairs? Perhaps it is just that I happen to be going to more at the moment. Next week we have our schools’ conference and in the middle of March I will be at a regional ‘Enabling Safe Business’ … Continue reading Staying safe online
Smart cities
There has been a lot of talk about smart cities, using technology to either make the cities function better or perhaps to enhance the experience that visitors enjoy. There also seems to have been a fair amount of money available to develop smart programmes yet I have been left with the impression that there has … Continue reading Smart cities
Big bang theory
The day of reckoning is drawing nigh. Around the nones of April (look it up if you need to) we are cutting over from the old customer relationship system to the new. It will be an exciting and nerve wracking time depending upon your disposition. The question on everyone’s lips however is do we go … Continue reading Big bang theory
Remote working
We’ve been having some issues with our remote access. The tool we use works very well for some yet is a little temperamental for others. Understanding the problems has been difficult enough as it involves different devices and people’s home broadband connections. It has also been very difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff … Continue reading Remote working
Seven elements of leadership
I heard that there are seven elements of leadership, just like there are seven habits of effective people and seven dwarves to go with Snow White. A quick scan of our favourite search engine shows that there may be anywhere between six and nine. I wish they would make their minds up. It turns out … Continue reading Seven elements of leadership
Consistency
We need to be more consistent. I hear this all the time in my organisation. I also hear it when I am out and about talking to colleagues in other organisations. It is a common issue. People expect us to be consistent whatever that means. I think they mean that whatever goes in, the same … Continue reading Consistency
Thinking about customers
I like going to the Institute of Customer Service events. I have been a member for a dozen years or so, ever since I was at North Tyneside. I wear my badge with pride. There are so many big things that I need to think about such as where technology is going, new ways of … Continue reading Thinking about customers
My first MAC
Last week I went to my first ever Socitm MAC, that is the Society of Information Technology Managers Members’ Advisory Committee in case you were in any doubt. Sometimes acronyms do help. Although I have been chairing the regional meetings for a year now, this is the first national event I have attended, apart from … Continue reading My first MAC
Story chain
Have you ever tried a story chain? It is a nice little ice breaker to get an event going. The rules are quite simple, you split up into groups (I’ll leave the size up to you) and one of you starts a story. It can be about anything you like but as we all know … Continue reading Story chain
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 