Len Goodman, head judge on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing says that he’s a wind-up watch in a digital world. I’m not. He has a few years on me but I am a silvering surfer, happy to be fully in tune with the shift towards the modern online way of doing things. I use social … Continue reading The day I didn’t buy online
Colchester General Hospital targets improvement
Once again another hospital finds itself in the news because of its target driven culture. This time it is Colchester General Hospital and follows an inspection by the Care Quality Commission which found inaccuracies in recorded cancer waiting time data at the hospital. The manipulation of data to give the impression that targets were being … Continue reading Colchester General Hospital targets improvement
Buy more – pay more
The system of commerce that we operate within has the underlying principle that if you buy more then you should pay less. Buy two get one free. 33% extra free. Bulk-buy discounts available. The thinking is that the more that is shipped then the lower the distribution cost, the lower the associated overhead and the … Continue reading Buy more – pay more
The right way to address a customer
There must be a right way to address a customer. When I go into a pub and the barman who is about my age says to me ‘What would you like, mate?’ that’s alright isn’t it? But what if I was called mate in Marks and Spencer? Perhaps that would not be as acceptable and … Continue reading The right way to address a customer
An internal market
I think a lot about customer service. I wear my Institute of Customer Services badge with pride. You would think, therefore, that I would be supportive of the concept of the internal market. Well I’m not, at least not completely. The idea of the internal market is that services and functions within an organisation treat … Continue reading An internal market
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 