YFMSFinalReportdocs-2

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York%Family%Mediation%Service!
Final%Report%and%Proposals!
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%%%%%%%%%Senior%Consultant!
Laurie!Woodgate!
Consultants!
Tara!Coleman!
Adrian!Dobron!
Vanessa!Jones!
Client%Partner!
Richard!Winter!–!team@yorkcommunityconsulting.co.uk!
Committee%Mentor!
Ben!Crick!
External%Mentor!
Tom!Oliver!!
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Table%of%Contents%!
1.0!Introduction! 6! !
1.1!Project!Aims! 6!
1.2!Report!Aims!and!Outline! 7!
2.0!Summary!of!Key!Recommendations! 8!
3.0!Social!Media! 9!
3.1!Current!Situation! 9!
3.2!Key!Outcomes! 9! !
3.3!Supporting!Research! 10!
! 3.3.1!Business!and!Charity!Success!Using!Social!Media!! !!!!!!!10!!
! 3.3.2!Maximising!the!Benefits!from!Using!Facebook!and!Twitter!!!!11!
! 3.3.3!Practical!Advice!on!Content! 12!
! 3.3.4!Tracking!Levels!of!Engagement!and!Social!Media!Template!!!14!
! 3.3.5!Risk!Associated!with!Social!Media! 16!
! 3.3.6!Potential!Benefits!of!Using!LinkedIn! 16!
3.4!Limitations! 17!
3.5!Implications! 17!
4.0!Human!Resources! 18!
4.1!Current!Situation! 18!
4.2!Key!Outcomes! 18!
! 4.3.1!Student!Recruitment!Process! ! ! ! !!!!!!!19!
! 4.3.2!Benefits!of!Student!Volunteers! ! ! ! !!!!!!!19!
! 4.3.3!Costs!of!Student!Volunteers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!20!
! 4.3.4!Overview!of!Volunteer!Management!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!21!
! 4.3.5!Key!Criteria!for!Volunteer!Management!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!21!
!! 4.3.5[(1)!Regular!Commitments! ! ! ! !!!!!!!21!!

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!! 4.3.5[(2)!Volunteers!Social!Interactions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!22!
!! 4.3.5[(3)!Frequent!Communication!between!Leaders!and!
Volunteers! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!23!!
! 4.3.6!Summary!on!Volunteer!Management!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!24!
4.4!Partaking!in!‘York!Students!in!Communities’! 24!
4.5!Limitations! 25!
5.0!Market!Position! 26!
5.1!Current!Situation!! 26!
5.2!Key!Outcomes! 28!
! 5.3.1!Summary!of!York!prices!for!MIAM!appointment! 28!
! 5.3.2!Initial!Rationale!for!a!MIAM!price!change! 29!
! 5.3.3!Definition!of!Key!Terms!for!Research! 30!
! 5.3.4!Overview!of!Approach!to!Predicting!Effects!of!the!MIAM!Price!
Change! 30!
! 5.3.5!Revenue!Approach!Outlined! 31!
! 5.3.6!Table!Summary!of!Results! 32!
! 5.3.7!Executive!Summary!of!Recommended!Action! 32!
! 5.3.8!In[depth!Account!of!Results! 32!
!! 5.3.8[(i)!Results!for!Assumption!(i)! 32!
!! 5.3.8[(ii)!Results!for!Assumption!(ii)! 33!
!! 5.3.8[(iii)!Results!for!Assumption!(iii)! 34!
!! 5.3.8[(iv)!Results!for!Assumption!(iv)! 35!
"! 5.3.9!In[depth!Account!of!Recommendations! 36!
"! 5.3.10!On!Future!Price!Changes!to!the!MIAM!Appointment! 37!
"! 5.3.11!AIM!Appointment!Prices!in!York! 37!
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!!!!!!!!!!!!5.4!Limitations! 38!
6.0!Conclusion!! 40!
7.0!References! 41!
8.0!Appendix! 42!
8.1!Contact!Centre!Questionnaire! 42!
8.2!Summary!of!Calculations!for!Market!Position! 43!
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1.0%Introduction!
1.1%Project%Aims!
Two!legislative!changes,!the!pre[application!protocol!and!the!severe!reduction!of!legal!aid!
for!family!law,!arguably!account!for!recent!fluctuations!in!enquiries!and!regular!mediation!
appointments!for!York!Family!Mediation!Service!(YFMS).!Consistently!less!funding!from!the!
Children!and!Family!Court!Advisory!and!Support!Service!(CAFCASS)!and!the!varying!quality!
and!reliability!of!volunteers!have!also!applied!pressure!to!the!operation!of!the!Contact!
Centre!YFMS!provide.!!
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In!response!to!the!above,!this!project!has!aimed!to!inform!YFMS!about!(a)!increasing!the!
number!of!mediation!clients!it!receives!by!using!social!media,!(b)!reducing!the!cost!of!
running!the!Contact!Centre!by!altering!the!recruitment!and!management!of!volunteers,!and!
(c)!aiding!YFMS’s!overall!financial!position!by!considering!price!changes!to!the!mediation!
services!offered.!
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Accordingly,!this!project!has!been!divided!into!three!main!sections:!Social!Media,!Human!
Resources,!and!Market!Position.!A!brief!account!of!the!approach!employed!in!each!section!
is!as!follows:!!
! Social!Media:!to!research!a!long!term!social!media!strategy!for!YFMS!drawing!upon!
expert!perspectives!and!the!use!of!social!media!by!charities!and!solicitors.!!
! Human!Resources:!to!evaluate!the!use!of!volunteers!for!the!Contact!Centre!by!
surveying!the!use!of!volunteers!in!contact!centres!nationwide!and!understanding!the!
benefits!to!YFMS!from!a!partnership!with!York!University’s!Careers!service.!!
! Market!Position:!to!explore!the!implications!of!a!price!change!to!mediation!services!
offered!by!analysing!YFMS’s!yearly!data,!competitor!pricing,!and!consulting!with!
Microeconomists.!!

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1.2%Report%Outline!
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In!terms!of!the!report!layout,!a!key!summary!of!recommendations!and!findings!is!provided!
initially.!Next,!the!three!core!sections!of!the!report!are!presented:!Social!Media,!Human!
Resources!and!Market!Competition.!Each!of!these!sections!will!aim!to!clearly!present!
findings!and!recommendations,!offer!a!detailed!account!of!the!research!York!Community!
Consulting!have!undertaken,!illustrate!the!rationale!behind!findings!and!recommendations,!
explore!the!expected!implications!of!such!recommendations,!and!provide!relevant!details!
regarding!their!implementation.!The!core!sections!will!also!include!an!appreciation!and!
discussion!of!the!limitations!of!the!approach!taken.!Following!these!core!sections!are!some!
concluding!remarks,!the!references,!and!an!appendix.!!
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2.0%Summary%of%Key%Recommendations%!
3.0%Social%Media!
! (3.A)!Establish!either!a!Twitter!or!Facebook!account!.!
! (3.B)!Monitor!success!using!a!social!media!template!and!strategy!
! (3.C)!Use!the!advanced!search!function!on!LinkedIn!to!scout!potential!trustees!and!
participate!in!discussion!within!the!relevant!groups.!
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4.0%Human%Resources!
! (4.A)!Establish!a!partnership!with!University!of!York!Careers!Service,!partaking!in!the!
‘York!Students!in!Communities’!initiative.!
! (4.B)!Revise!the!Contact!Centre!management!structure!by!dividing!the!volunteers!
into!teams,!each!with!a!group!leader;!these!will!still!be!managed!overall!by!the!
volunteer!co[ordinator.!
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5.0%Market%Competition!
! (5.A)!Increase!price!of!MIAM!appointments!to!£87!
! (5.B)!Assess!this!price!change,!and!any!subsequent!considered!changes!to!the!MIAM!
price,!using!boundaries!which!are!the!breakeven!points!for!the!change!in!price!!
! (5.C)!YFMS!should!not!change!the!price!of!AIM!appointments!
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3.0%Social%Media!
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3.1%Current%Situation%!
During!the!initial!meeting!with!YFMS!the!current!marketing!strategy!was!discussed!
extensively.!With!limited!budget!allocated!to!marketing,!and!many!avenues!already!
explored,!social!media!was!seen!as!a!viable!solution.!With!this!in!mind!YCC!critically!
assessed!social!media!as!a!marketing!tool.!!!!
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3.2%Key%Outcomes!
(3.A)!Establish!either!a!Twitter!or!Facebook!account!using!the!guidance!detailed!below!
which!includes!pros!and!cons!of!each!platform!and!content!advice.!!
! Social!media!use!has!its!merits!for!charities;!an!example!of!such!an!instance!has!been!
detailed.!!
! It!is!a!low!cost!marketing!strategy!and!can!help!to!develop!longer!term!customer!
engagement.!
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(3.B)!Monitor!success!using!the!social!media!template!and!strategy!provided!below.!This!
template!allows!YFMS!to!track!which!type!of!content!is!best!for!potential!customer!
engagement!and!plan!future!content.!
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(3.C)%Use!the!advanced!search!function!on!LinkedIn!to!scout!potential!trustees!and!
! LinkedIn!offers!the!chance!for!YFMS!to!connect!with!professionals!within!the!
industry.!!
! Currently,!YFMS!is!not!fully!utilising!LinkedIn.!
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3.3%Supporting%Research!
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(3.A)!Establish!either!a!Twitter!or!Facebook!account!using!the!guidance!detailed!
below!which!includes!pros!and!cons!of!each!platform!and!content!advice.!
! Social'media'use'has'its'merits'for'charities;'an!example!of!such!an!instance!has!been!
detailed.!!
! It'is'a'low'cost'marketing'strategy'and'can'help'to'develop'longer'term'customer'
engagement.!
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3.3.1%Business%and%Charity%Success%Using%Social%Media!
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83!per!cent!of!the!UK’s!population!currently!have!an!online!presence;!meaning!over!53!
million!Brits!are!online.!Within!this!online!activity!social!media!is!the!most!popular!activity!1
.!
This!provides!massive!pool!to!scout!customers!and!is!why!many!companies!are!now!turning!
to!social!media!to!advertise!and!connect!with!customers!2
.!Distinctly,!social!media!acts!as!a!
low!cost!method!of!advertising.!Case!studies!suggest!that!charities!and!non[for!profit!
organisations!can!also!hugely!benefit!from!social!media.!!
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An!example!includes!Child’s!I!Foundation,!a!small!UK!charity,!who,!in!2010,!needed!to!raise!
£10,000!in!two!days.!The!charity!had!no!budget!so!reached!out!to!their!supporters!using!
social!media.!!A!video!was!created!and!was!shared!via!Twitter!and!Facebook.!Within!38!
hours!£10,235!had!been!raised!3
.!This!shows!that!social!media!can!have!a!big!impact!and!
responds!strongly!to!charitable!causes.!
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Focusing!on!mediation!services!use!of!social!media!specifically,!efforts!were!taken!to!get!
data!from!other!mediation!services!on!the!effectiveness!of!their!social!media!strategies,!but!
results!were!inconclusive!as!only!a!couple!of!mediation!services!responded!to!direct!calls,!
with!many!facing!the!same!issues!of!sporadically!used!or!inactive!accounts.!However!we!
believe!social!media!use!has!its!merits,!as!these!accounts!haven’t!been!used!in!accordance!
with!the!recommendations!below.!Additionally,!social!media!use!by!solicitors,!a!key!

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competitor,!is!on!the!rise!as!evidenced!by!multiple!best!practice!guides!being!produced!by!
The!Law!Society4
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3.3.2%Maximising%the%Benefits%from%Using%Facebook%and%Twitter!
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The!main!platforms!used!by!businesses!and!charities!used!to!promote!themselves!and!find!
new!business!are!Twitter!and!Facebook.!The!text!that!follows!will!provide!an!overview!of!
the!pros!and!cons!of!each!of!these!platforms!and!a!guide!to!making!the!most!of!them.!
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Twitter!
Pros! Cons!
Quick!and!easy! Risk!of!over!posting!
Ability!to!go!viral! Text!per!tweet!is!limited!
Network!with!other!
organisations!
Need!to!post!regularly,!
ideally!at!least!once!a!day!
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The!TWEET!framework!is!how!the!Head!of!Social!Innovation!at!Twitter!advises!organisations!
to!use!Twitter.5
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Target:!Set!targets,!in!terms!of!clicks,!comments,!and!shares,!so!you!are!aware!of!how!well!
your!account!is!doing.!!
Write:!Stop!editing!yourself!and!let!whatever!message!you!want!to!send!flow.!The!content!
doesn’t!have!to!be!complicated.!
Explore:!Find!new!people,!businesses,!and!networks.!Build!relationships!within!these!
groups.!
Engage:%Engage!with!others!so!you!get!noticed.!Comment!on!relevant!material!on!social!
media!etc.!!
Track:!Be!sure!to!track!your!targets.!!!
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Facebook!
Pros! Cons!
Huge!audience! Needs!to!updated!weekly!
Unlimited!text!per!post! Page!needs!to!be!moderated!
Easy!to!use! More!personal!type!of!social!
media!rather!than!
professional!
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The!Strategic!Partner!Manager!at!Facebook!provides!a!few!tips!about!how!to!maximise!the!
potential!of!a!Facebook!page.!
! Firstly,!allow!the!personality!of!the!business!to!shine!through.!Let!consumers!see!a!
personable!side!of!the!business!rather!than!just!a!faceless!corporation.!This!allows!
you!to!connect!with!people!like!they!do!with!their!family!and!friends.!!
! Create!a!conversation,!don’t!just!talk!at!people!and!encourage!discussion.!!Get!
different!members!of!staff!to!help!with!content.!!
! Finally,!don’t!over!think!or!complicate!content.6
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3.3.3%Practical%Advice%on%Content!
An!example!of!how!the!advice!relevant!to!Facebook!has!been!translated!into!practice!is!
shown!below!(page!12).!Family!Mediation!Shetland!makes!use!of!Facebook!to!engage!with!
potential!customers.!There!are!many!reasons!this!page!is!effective.!Firstly,!a!wide!range!of!
content!is!posted!on!the!page!
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Content!includes:!
! General!parenting!news!articles!
! Participating!in!national!mediation!week!
! Motivational!posts!about!conflict!
! Articles!from!national!services!
! Staff!milestones!

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! Mental!health!advice!
! Services!they!offer!
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Secondly,!content!is!uploaded!regularly,!at!least!a!few!times!a!month.!Finally,!most!posts!on!
the!page!have!been!liked!and!commented!on.!
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One!thing!to!keep!in!mind!is!that!different!content!should!be!posted!on!each!platform!if!
YFMS!decide!to!use!both!Twitter!and!Facebook.!Meaning!the!Twitter!Feed!should!not!be!a!
carbon!copy!of!the!Facebook!page.!!!
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Exemplar:!Family!Mediation!Shetland!

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Finally!we!feel!that!YFMS!should!consider!taking!on!an!intern!to!aid!in!the!establishment!of!
any!social!media!platforms.!This!form!of!project!based!internship!can!be!organised!through!
the!University!of!York.!A!student!could!be!employed!on!a!voluntary!basis!through!the!
Careers!Service!to!work!on!the!maintenance!of!YFMS’s!social!media!platforms,!attending!
the!centre!for!around!four!hours!per!week.!The!process!of!implementing!this!will!be!similar!
to!that!outlined!in!section!4.5.!To!discuss!this!prospect!further!contact!Sarah!Leith!from!
University!of!York!Careers!Service!(sarah.leith@york.ac.uk).!!
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(3.B)!Monitor!success!using!the!social!media!template.!This!template!allows!YFMS!
to!track!which!type!of!content!is!best!for!potential!customer!engagement!and!plan!
future!content.!
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3.3.4%Tracking%Levels%of%Engagement%and%Social%Media%Template!
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Broadly!speaking,!literature!has!found!that!the!main!mission!for!any!business!in!using!social!
media!should!be!to!create!a!shared!and!shareable!service,!which!gives!customers!a!reason!
to!engage!and!interact!with!the!firm!within!a!given!network.!Customer!engagement!
encourages!advocacy!through!word!of!mouth.!The!number!of!active!users,!comments,!and!
the!rate!of!activity!are!all!measures!of!the!levels!of!engagement!with!social!media.!
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In!order!to!maximise!the!effect!of!the!social!media!you!use,!it!would!be!wise!to!have!a!
strategy!in!place.!We!feel!that!something!as!simple!as!the!example!template!provided!below!
is!sufficient.!Moreover,!having!such!a!strategy!in!place!would!reduce!the!amount!of!time!
spent!maintaining!the!social!media.!!

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Social!Media!Template:!
Day! Time! Network! Post%Type! Topic! Engagement! Clicks!
Monday! 2pm! Facebook! Youtube!
video!share!
National!
Mediation!
Week!
Promotion!
5!share,!3!
likes,!2!
comments!
42!
Tuesday! 6pm! Twitter! Blog!post! The!
benefits!of!
mediation!
through!
separation!
2!likes! 67!
Wednesday! 4pm! Google+! Blog!post! Tools!that!
can!help!
families!
put!
children!
first!
through!
mediation!
1!share,!3!
comments!
38!
Thursday! 9am! Twitter! Image! Conflict!
quote!
6!share! N/A!
Friday! 7pm! Facebook! Promotion! MIAM!
appointme
nts!for!the!
week!
2!likes! 47!
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YFMS!could!use!this!to!plan!future!posts!and!track!past!performance.!Past!performance!
records!will!enable!YFMS!to!assess!what!type!of!content!is!the!most!engaging.!
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3.3.5%Risks%Associated%with%Social%Media%!
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Risks
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How%they%manifest
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Operational!risk
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Copyrights!to!content!posted!and!
monitoring!employees!on!social!media
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Reputational!risk
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Having!to!deal!with!what!others!say!about!
YFMS!and!how!you!react!to!it
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But!if!a!comprehensive!social!media!policy!is!followed!these!risks!are!easily!managed.!A!
comprehensive!policy!includes:!
! rules!about!who!has!access!to!the!social!media!accounts!!
! how!much!approval!is!needed!before!a!post!is!made!public!!
! a!contingency!plan!for!if!there!are!negative!comments!
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(3.C)!Use!the!advanced!search!function!on!LinkedIn!to!scout!potential!trustees!and!
! LinkedIn'offers'the'chance'for'YFMS'to'connect'with'professionals'within'the'industry.'!
! YFMS'currently'isn’t'full'utilising'LinkedIn!
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3.3.6%Potential%Benefits%of%Using%LinkedIn!
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Within!the!research!conducted!about!YFMS’s!online!presence,!a!LinkedIn!profile!was!
discovered,!although!this!was!found!to!be!inactive.!We!contend!that!LinkedIn’s!can!help!

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YFMS!build!professional!relationships.!TrusteeWorks!is!a!broker,!connecting!charities!with!
skilled!candidates,!which!use!LinkedIn’s!free!advanced!search!tool!to!identify!professionals!
who!have!expertise!that!the!charity!seeks.!YFMS!could!easily!employ!this!tool!in!a!similar!
fashion!to!target!LinkedIn!members!that!have!already!stated!their!interest!in!trustee!
service.9
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Additionally,!LinkedIn!has!two!million!groups!for!people!to!discuss!specialist!topics.!The!
Mediation!Discussion!Group!currently!has!6,186!members!and!the!Young!Charity!Trustees!
group!has!3,287.10
!Joining!the!mediation!group!and!engaging!with!topics!discussed!in!the!
group!would!be!a!great!way!to!network!within!this!specialism;!whilst!joining!the!trustee!
group!could!be!another!avenue!to!pursue!in!looking!for!a!trustee!for!YFMS.! !
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3.4%Limitations!
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As!previously!mentioned!our!research!into!the!direct!impact!social!media!has!on!mediation!
services!did!not!return!conclusive!results.!Although,!the!increased!use!of!the!marketing!tool!
by!solicitors!suggests!that!it!is!a!valuable!tool.!!
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3.5%Implications!
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The!use!of!social!media!in!accordance!with!the!guidelines!issued!here!should!attract!new!
customers!and!foster!engagement!and!thus!longer!term!relationships!with!customers.!In!
doing!so!YFMS!may!see!higher!retention!rate!after!the!initial!MAIM!meeting.!
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4.0%Human%Resources!
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4.1%Current%Situation%
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! YFMS!are!currently!struggling!with!retaining!reliable!and!committed!volunteers!for!
the!Contact!Centre,!and!this!is!a!source!of!concern!for!members!of!management.!!!
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4.2%Key%Outcomes!
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(4.A)!Establish!a!partnership!with!University!of!York!Careers!Service,!through!the!‘York!
Students!in!Communities’!initiative.!
! Students!from!the!University!of!York,!via!the!Careers!Service,!can!provide!YFMS’s!
Contact!Centre!with!a!constant!source!of!committed!and!passionate!volunteers.!
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(4.B)!Revise!the!Contact!Centre!management!structure!by!dividing!the!volunteers!into!
teams,!each!with!a!group!leader;!these!will!still!be!managed!overall!by!the!volunteer!co[
ordinator.!
! Each!group!leader!should!remind!volunteers!(in!their!group)!of!arranged!
commitments,!organise!social!events!(if!desired),!and!feedback!directly!to!the!
volunteer!co[ordinator.!
! Social!events!could!include!meals!out!or!meeting!for!drinks.!
! Regular!commitments,!participating!in!social!activities!with!the!other!volunteers,!and!
the!maintenance!of!strong!communication!between!leaders!and!volunteers,!helps!
Contact!Centres!to!generate!reliable!volunteers.!
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4.3%Supporting%Research%!
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(4.A)!Establish!a!partnership!with!University!of!York!Careers!Service,!partaking!in!
the!‘York!Students!in!Communities’!initiative!
! Students'from'the'University'of'York,'through'the'Careers'Service,'can'provide'
YFMS’s'Contact'Centre'with'a'constant'source'of'committed'and'passionate'
volunteers'
!
4.3.1%Student%Recruitment%Process!
!
Through!consultation!with!the!University!of!York’s!Careers!Service!it!has!been!ascertained!
that!a!partnership!between!the!university!and!YFMS!can!be!established!under!the!‘York!
Students!in!Communities’!initiative!which!can!provide!the!Contact!Centre!with!volunteers.!
This!scheme!operates!as!a!termly!(10!weekly)!volunteering!placement!for!each!student,!and!
several!students!could!participate!in!the!same!term.!Although!each!student!will!only!work!
with!YFMS!for!one!term,!they!will!be!replaced!by!new!students!the!term!after,!therefore!
providing!YFMS!with!a!constant!set!of!volunteers.!The!transfer!between!students!should!be!
a!seamless!process!as!the!Careers!Service!recruits!a!term!in!advance!for!new!students.!
Further!to!this,!it!is!advisable!that!YFMS!creates!handover!documentation!to!distribute!to!
incoming!students!detailing!the!work!carried!out!by!previous!students!so!that!they!can!pick!
up!where!the!project!was!left!off,!and!thus!ensure!a!consistent!level!of!understanding!is!
maintained!amongst!volunteers.!Whilst!this!set[up!works!particularly!well!during!the!
university!term,!there!is!also!the!option!to!recruit!for!vacation!volunteers.!!
!
4.3.2%Benefits%of%Student%Volunteers!
!

!
!
20!
! The!Contact!Centre!would!be!able!to!increase!their!overall!numbers!of!volunteers,!
and!would!also!be!developing!students’!interest!and!passion!for!mediation!and!
related!sectors.!!
!
4.3.3%Costs%of%Student%Volunteers!
!
Admittedly,!YFMS!would!incur!some!costs!by!partaking!in!such!a!scheme.!These!are!as!
follows:!
! All!new!student!volunteers!will!require!training.!Therefore!the!number!of!annual!
training!sessions!that!YFMS!hold!will!have!to!increase!to!around!four!times.!
! YFMS!will!be!required!to!review!the!applications!and!conduct!interviews!if!necessary,!
(note:!York!Careers!Service!would!advertise!the!role!and!receive!applications).!
! YFMS!would!need!to!spend!time!creating!and!updating!thorough!handover!
paperwork!to!ensure!a!smooth!transition!between!student!volunteers.!
! Raising!the!profile!of!the!placements!by!participating!in!freshers!and!refreshers!
university!fairs!would!require!planning!and!attendance!from!YFMS.!!
! Students’!travel!costs!are!also!a!potential!expense!for!YFMS.!This!is!not!compulsory,!
but!would!increase!the!likelihood!of!attaining!volunteers!from!the!University!of!York.!
!
We!contend!these!costs!to!be!worthwhile!provided!student,!as!well!as!regular,!volunteers!
are!well!utilised!by!YFMS.!This!leads!us!to!consider!our!next!recommendation.!
!
See!sub[section!4.5!(page!23),!‘Partaking!in!York!Students!in!Communities’!for!specific!
details!on!how!to!instigate!this!partnership.!
!
!
!
!
(4.B)!Revise!the!Contact!Centre!management!structure!by!dividing!the!volunteers!into!
teams,!each!with!a!group!leader;!these!will!still!be!managed!overall!by!the!volunteer!coH
ordinator.!

!
!
21!
"! Ensuring'regular'commitments,'participating'in'social'activities'with'the'other'
volunteers,'and'the'maintenance'of'strong'communication'between'leaders'and'
volunteers,'helps'Contact'Centres'to'generate'reliable'volunteers.!
4.3.4%Overview%of%Volunteer%Management!
!
If!volunteers!are!well!utilised,!YFMS!will!save!time!and!money!on!recruiting!regular!
volunteers,!and!will!also!have!a!more!vibrant!work!environment!in!the!Contact!Centre.!
!
We!conducted!a!survey!on!the!recruitment!and!use!of!volunteers!in!contact!centres,!
receiving!responses!from!providers!in!the!UK,!and!then!compared!these!with!the!
information!received!from!YFMS!(see!Appendix!section!8.1!for!the!questionnaire).!We!also!
processed!emerging!literature!from!the!field!of!Management!in!an!attempt!to!further!
understand!key!factors!behind!successful!volunteering!schemes.!!
!
By!analysing!the!survey!results!and!comparing!this!with!the!academic!consensus!on!
effective!volunteering,!we!conclude!that!the!following!set!of!criteria!is!necessary!for!
cultivating!engaged!and!committed!volunteers!for!any!Contact!Centre:!!
!
1.! Regular!volunteer!commitments!
2.! Volunteer!social!interactions!
3.! Frequent!communications!between!leaders!and!volunteers!
!
We!will!now!expand!on!each!of!these!criteria!and!discuss!how!they!can!be!met!to!a!greater!
extent!by!contact!centers!generally!and!what!success!this!might!yield.!We!will!also!examine!
how!each!criterion!might!apply!to!both!University!of!York!students!partaking!in!the!‘York!
Students!in!Communities’!initiative!and!regular!volunteers.!
!
4.3.5%Key%Criteria%for%Volunteer%Management:%!
!
4.3.5Z(1)%Regular%Commitments!
!

!
!
22!
(i)%Findings!
●! All!of!the!contact!centres!which!responded!to!our!survey!use!a!monthly!rota!
and!have!a!relatively!low!and!stable!turnovers!of!volunteers,!thus!suggesting!
that!this!frequency!of!commitment!is!sufficient!to!gain!reliable!regular!
volunteers.!!
●! Although!some!contact!centres!use!university!student!volunteers!on!a!
monthly!rota,!the!Careers!Service!at!University!of!York!have!advised!that!this!
will!not!work!with!students!from!York;!as!students!would!volunteer!on!a!ten!
week!basis,!each!volunteer!would!only!attend!the!contact!centre!twice!and!
would!therefore!not!be!adequately!committed!to!YFMS.!
●! Management!experts!suggest!that!to!maximise!volunteer!engagement,!
creating!a!placement!which!mutually!benefits!the!organisation!and!the!
volunteer!leads!the!latter!to!feel!more!useful!and!thus!committed.!They!
further!suggest!that!higher!levels!of!activity!increase!the!likelihood!of!long!
term!engagement!and!commitment!from!volunteers11
.!!
!
% (ii)%Action%to%be%taken%by%YFMS!
●! It!would!be!acceptable!to!maintain!a!monthly!rota!for!regular!volunteers!as!
this!is!what!they!are!used!to.!
●! Implementing!a!fortnightly!rota!would!be!necessary!for!student!volunteers.!
This!way!they!will!attend!the!centre!five!times!per!term,!and!will!be!
sufficiently!engaged!with!and!committed!to!YFMS.!!
●! Implementing!only!a!fortnightly!rota!for!all!volunteers,!student!and!regulars,!
would!be!preferable!as!having!both!a!monthly!and!fortnightly!rota!would!
potentially!be!confusing!and!difficult!to!keep!track!of.!
!
4.3.5Z(2)%Volunteer%Social%Interactions!
!
(i)%Findings%!
●! Other!contact!centres!hold!social!events!such!as!Christmas!meals!for!their!
volunteers.!!

!
!
23!
●! Management!literature!states!that!social!events!build!friendships!between!
volunteers!and!encourage!their!continued!commitment,!12
!and!highlights!that!
greater!volunteer!contributions!are!associated!with!increased!interaction!
between!volunteers!13
.!!
!
% (ii)%Action%to%be%taken%by%YFMS!
●! YFMS!should!hold!socials!for!their!volunteers!such!as!meals!out!to!increase!
interaction!between!volunteers.!These!can!be!paid!for!by!volunteers,!and!
only!organised!by!YFMS.!
●! Student!volunteers!should!work!in!pair!to!encourage!social!interaction!
between!them!as!it!may!not!be!possible!for!them!to!attend!the!regular!social!
events!during!their!placement.!!
!
4.3.5Z(3)%Frequent%Communications%between%Leaders%and%Volunteers!
!
(i)%Findings!
●! Other!contact!centres!divide!their!volunteers!into!teams,!with!team!leaders!
typically!coordinating!each!group!and!feeding!back!to!an!overall!coordinator.!
That!this!approach!has!been!successful!for!these!centres!suggests!it!is!a!
credible!means!to!increase!communication!between!leaders!and!volunteers.!
●! Our!survey!results!indicate!that!other!contact!centres!have!more!
communication!and!interaction!between!their!volunteers,!e.g.!one!centre!has!
fortnightly!meetings!to!remind!their!volunteers!when!it!is!next!their!turn!to!
attend.!
!
% (ii)%Putting%into%practice!
●! Volunteers!at!the!contact!centre!should!be!divided!into!teams,!each!with!a!
group!leader.!The!volunteer!co[ordinator!will!continue!to!manage!volunteers!
overall!but!will!correspond!primarily!with!the!group!leaders!who!will!
feedback!progress!regarding!the!group.!

!
!
24!
●! Each!group!leader!should!remind!the!volunteers!in!their!group!of!arranged!
commitments,!either!via!meetings!or!text/email/!phone[call.!!
●! Social!events!could!be!organised!by!either!the!volunteer!co[ordinator,!group!
leaders,!or!both.!
!
!
4.3.6%Summary%on%Volunteer%Management!
!
Social!events,!regular!commitments!and!increased!communication!all!provide!opportunities!
for!volunteers!to!share!in!the!ethos!and!mission!of!an!organisation!and!develop!a!shared!
sense!of!identity,!which!is!identified!as!another!key!driver!by!academics!for!generating!
motivated!and!dedicated!charity!volunteers!14
.!
!
It!should!be!noted!that!no!contact!centre!surveyed!had!concerns!about!the!reliability!of!
their!volunteers!due!to!their!age!and!student!occupation!alone.!This!supports!the!argument!
that!if!the!above!criteria!can!be!pursued!then!student!volunteers!are!likely!to!be!reliable.!!
!
4.4%Limitations!
!
The!recommendations!are!mainly!based!on!responses!to!the!questionnaire,!but!as!only!
three!centres!responded,!it!is!therefore!possible!that!the!answers!are!not!entirely!
representative!of!all!contact!centres’!practises.!However,!as!most!of!the!responses!are!fairly!
consistent,!so!we!believe!that!the!results!can!still!be!valuable.!The!majority!of!our!
recommendations!are!based!on!the!premise!that!differences!in!Contact!Centres’!
approaches!which!yield!them!success!are!equally!applicable!and!suitable!for!YFMS!contact!
centre.!This!need!not!be!the!case,!but!given!that!the!academic!consensus!regarding!
utilisation!of!volunteers!also!supports!the!key!criteria!(1)[(3),!we!contend!that!these!
recommendations!are!well!founded!and!require!due!consideration.!!
!
!

!
!
25!
%
%
4.5%Partaking%in%‘York%Students%in%Communities’!
!
If!YFMS!wish!to!pursue!a!partnership!with!York!Career’s!Service,!the!following!steps!would!
need!to!occur:!
!
(1)!An!initial!meeting!between!the!two!parties.!Contact!Sarah!Leith!
(sarah.leith@york.ac.uk)!to!organise!this.!!
!
(2)!York!Careers!Service!provide!YFMS!with!a!Health!and!safety!check!form!to!be!
completed!and!returned!
!
(3)!YFMS!write!a!brief!for!the!volunteer!positions!
!
Following!this!the!advertisement!and!recruitment!process!would!commence.!
!
4.6%Implications%!
!
By!partaking!in!the!‘York!Students!in!Communities’!initiative,!in!tandem!with!meeting!the!
criteria!for!engaged!and!committed!volunteers!generally,!we!believe!that!YFMS!will!receive!
and!retain!an!increased!flow!of!reliable!and!committed!volunteers.!We!contend!that!this!will!
result!in!saved!time!and!costs!in!recruiting!volunteers,!a!better!work!environment!amongst!
the!contact!centre!volunteers!and!managers,!and!a!better!service!for!the!contact!centre!
overall.!!
!
!
!
!

!
!
26!
!
!
!
5.0%Market%Position!
%
5.1%Current%situation%!
The!current!pricing!position!of!YFMS!stand!out!from!the!market!for!several!reasons.!Firstly,!
they!have!a!very!unique!pricing!structure;!this!includes!the!the!sliding!structure,!where!the!
person!with!a!lower!income!pays!less!for!mediation!and!as!the!income!increases,!so!does!
the!payment!for!mediation.!This!is!unique!for!YFMS,!and!is!not!observed!anywhere!else!in!
the!market.!We!also!noticed!that!the!intake!data!for!YFMS!has!been!quite!volatile!in!the!
recent!years,!this!could!be!due!to!the!regulation!change,!or!simply!due!to!the!fact!that!
divorce!rates!and!thus!meditation!rates!fluctuate!significantly!year!on!year.!The!average!
amount!of!consumers!going!through!MAIM!appointments!is!280,!with!standard!deviation!of!
31.!The!forecast!for!the!year!2016,!based!on!the!2011[2015!figures!is!included!below.!!With!
the!regulation!change,!a!couple!which!is!going!through!a!divorce!needs!to!have!at!least!the!
initial!appointment!(MAIM),!this!means!that!YFMS!now!has!an!increase!in!consumers!who!
only!want!to!use!the!service!in!order!to!simply!get!the!MIAM!certificate.!!Based!on!the!2011!
[!2015!data!there!is!a!49%!chance!that!a!consumer!which!attends!the!MIAM!appointment!
will!also!use!the!mediation!service.!In!terms!of!revenue,!YFMS!benefits!mostly!from!
consumers!who!also!go!through!with!the!mediation.!!
!
Pricing!comparison!for!YFMS!within!the!York!area:!
Company!! MIAM! AIM!P/H!
Family!Matters! £120.00! £120.00!
Raworths!! £96.00! £108.00!
Berwin!! £99.00! £120.00!
Crombie!Wilkinson!Solicitors! £100.00! £120.00!

!
!
27!
Hartlaw!! £100.00! £126.00!
Andrew!Jackson!! £105.00! £225.00!
Langleys!! £100.00! £160.00!
My!Mediation!! £150.00! £150.00!
Ware!&!Key! £120.00! £144.00!
Switalskis! £120.00! £180.00!
Average!! £111.00! £145.30!
Min! £96.00! £108.00!
Max! £150.00! £225.00!
YFMS! £78.00! £114.00!
!
!
!
Expected!intake!if!there!is!no!change!in!pricing,!based!on!the!2011![!2015!data:!
!
!
!
%

!
!
28!
%
5.2! Key%Outcomes!
(5.A)!Increase!price!of!MIAM!appointments!to!£87!
YFMS’s!current!MIAM!price!is!significantly!lower!than!all!competitors!prices!in!York.!
!
(5.B)!Assess!this!price!change,!and!any!subsequent!potential!changes!to!the!MIAM!price,!
using!boundaries!provided!!
"! It!is!highly!likely!YFMS!will!experience!increased!revenue!from!raising!the!price!of!
the!MIAM!appointment!to!£87.!
!
(5.C)!YFMS!is!less!likely!to!gain!from!increasing!the!AIM!appointment!price.!
"! YFMS’s!current!AIM!pricing!is!not!the!cheapest!in!York.!
!
A!summary!of!all!key!data!and!calculations!can!be!found!in!Appendix!section!8.2!!!
!
5.3%Supporting%Research!
!
(3.A)!Increase!price!of!MIAM!appointments!to!£87!
"! YFMS’s'current'MIAM'price'is'significantly'lower'than'all'competitors'prices'in'
York'
!
5.3.1%Summary%of%York%prices%for%MIAM%appointments!
There!appears!to!be!a!strong!case!for!a!change!in!price!for!MIAM!appointments.!By!
collecting!all!competitors!pricings!in!York!we!have!been!able!to!ascertain!that!YFMS!are!by!
far!the!cheapest!provider!of!MIAM!appointments!in!York.!YFMS’s!MIAM!price!is!19%!lower!
than!the!next!lowest!competitors!and!29%!lower!than!the!York!average.!The!current!price!of!
£78!is!also!less!than!the!amount!of!legal!aid!received!(£87)!for!a!MIAM!appointment.!!
!

!
!
29!
!
!
!
5.3.2%Initial%Rationale%for%a%MIAM%Price%change!
!
Intuitively,!raising!the!price!to!the!level!of!legal!aid!received!for!the!MIAM!seems!
appropriate.!We!sought!after!further!assurance!from!a!professional!economist!at!the!
University!of!York15
.!He!confirmed!that!setting!the!price!equal!to!the!legal!aid!amount!
received!would!be!advisable!at!the!very!least,!and!was!unlikely!to!significantly!affect!the!
number!of!intake!appointments!given!YFMS!would!still!be!9%!cheaper!than!the!next!
cheapest!competitor!and!21%!cheaper!than!the!average!competitor.!!
!
!
!
(5.B)!Assess!this!price!change,!and!any!subsequent!considered!changes!to!the!
MIAM!price,!using!boundaries!!!
"! It'is'highly'likely'YFMS'will'experience'increased'revenue'from'raising'the'
price'of'the'MIAM'appointment'to'£87%

!
!
30!
!
!
5.3.3%Definition%of%Key%terms%for%Research%
The!following!definitions!apply!throughout!the!supporting!research!section.!These!aim!to!
guide!the!reader!through!our!calculations!below.!
%
%
5.3.4%Overview%of%approach%to%predicting%effects%of%MIAM%price%change%%
!
It!is!crucial!that!YFMS!could!assess!the!impact!of!a!price!change.!The!report!was!structured!
around!assumptions!and!it!attempts!to!predict!their!impact!so!that!YFMS!can!re[assess!their!
MIAM!pricing!strategy!regularly.!!
!
Market!Share!and!Revenue!Approaches!
!
Average!intake!year! The!average!intake!YFMS!would!expect,!given!the!2011[2015!
data:!280!!
Lower!intake!year! A!lower!intake!year!is!an!average!intake!year!minus!one!standard!
deviation:!280[31!=!249!!
Higher!intake!year!! A!higher!intake!year!is!an!average!intake!year!plus!one!standard!
deviation:!280+31!=!311!
Standard!Deviation!! A!measure!of!the!data’s!dispersion!from!the!mean!value!
Boundary!! A!boundary!is!a!figure!which!can!be!used!to!measure!the!impact!
of!a!price!change.!If!YFMS’s!intake!number!drops!below!the!
boundary,!it!is!making!less!revenue!than!before!a!price!change.!
Lower!boundary!! A!boundary!which!is!based!around!the!lower!intake!year.!
Avg.!expected!
revenue!increase!
An!increase!in!revenue!following!a!increase!in!price,!assuming!no!
change!in!consumers!(assumption!(i))!and!the!average!intake!
year.!
Lower!expected!
revenue!increase!
An!increase!in!revenue!following!a!increase!in!price,!assuming!no!
change!in!consumers!(assumption!(i))!and!the!lower!intake!year.!

!
!
31!
When!evaluating!the!expected!effect!of!such!a!price!change,!two!routes!were!available:!
assessing!potential!changes!in!market!share!and!potential!changes!in!revenue!as!a!result!of!
the!price!change.!Concerning!the!market!share!approach;!the!access!to!the!mediation!data!
from!the!York!Court!data!is!restricted,!meaning!this!approach!could!not!be!utilized.!This,!
alongside!limited!data!available!from!competitors,!further!entailed!that!we!were!unable!to!
confirm!or!quantify!YFMS’s!dominant!position!in!the!York!market!for!mediation.!
!
5.3.5%Revenue%Approach%Outlined%
!
The!price!change!will!either!have!a!negligible!impact!on!the!intake!numbers!or!it!will!stand!
to!lose!a!different!amount!of!revenue!depending!on!the!client’s!motives.!Expanding!on!
client's!motives;!MIAM!appointments!are!necessary!for!AIM!and!F&P!appointments!to!
follow.!However,!some!clients!only!have!the!intention!to!attend!a!MIAM!appointment!given!
the!pre[application!protocol,!and!approximately!half!of!YFMS!clients!only!receive!the!MIAM!
appointment.!Therefore!lost!custom!of!some!clients!would!cost!YFMS!“less”!compared!with!
a!client!who!was!considering!following!the!whole!mediation!process.!!
!
This!led!us!to!consider!four!different!assumptions!based!on!what!the!client!desires!on!which!
to!calculate!revenue!changes.!These!assumptions!have!varying!degrees!of!plausibility!and!
are!as!follows:!
!
(i)!price!change!has!no!or!negligible!effect!on!consumer!demand!
(ii)!consumer!demand!for!MIAM!might!be!affected!and!consumers!who!are!deterred!are!
concerned!only!with!obtaining!a!certificate!from!MIAM!appointment!!
(iii)!consumer!demand!for!MIAM!might!change,!and!consumers!consider!the!MIAM!price!
change!as!part!of!overall!cost!of!mediation!when!deciding!to!use!the!mediation!service!or!
not!!
(iv)!consumer!demand!for!MIAM!might!change!and!consumers!consider!only!the!price!of!the!
MIAM!appointment!when!deciding!to!have!mediation!or!not!

!
!
32!
!
!
5.3.6%Table%Summary%of%results%
!
!
!
5.3.7%Executive%Summary%of%Recommended%Action%
!
Working!on!assumption!(i),!If!the!firm!experiences!a!3!of!years!below!the!average!boundary,!
they!should!revert!the!current!price.!Moreover,!if!they!are!significantly!below!the!lower!
boundary!(2!or!more!standard!deviations!below!the!average)!on!the!first!year!they!should!
also!revert!back!to!the!original!price.!!
!
5.3.8%InZdepth%Account%of%Results:%
!
5.3.8Z(i)%price%change%has%no%affect%on%consumer%demand%
!
Assumption!Plausibility:!
We!consider!this!assumption!to!be!the!most!plausible!given!YFMS!will!still!be!considerably!
cheaper!than!any!other!provider!of!MIAM!appointments.!!
!
Methodology:!!
Assumption! Plausibility!! Level!of!intake!! Expected!average!revenue!
gain!from!price!change!
(i)! Very!likely! 280! £2,523.60!
(ii)! Relatively!likely! 251! £0!
(iii)! Unlikely!! 260! £0!
(iv)! Very!highly!unlikely!! 273! £0!

!
!
33!
This!assumption!needs!to!make!no!speculative!reference!as!to!the!motives!of!clients.!!
!
Estimations:!!
YFMS!should!yield!an!additional!revenue!of!£2,523.60!following!an!increase!in!price!to!£87.!
Given!MIAM!appointment!figures!have!fluctuated!considerably!over!the!previous!five!years!
we!consider!it!appropriate!to!consider!the!change!of!revenue!for!a!lower!intake!year!for!
YFMS.!!In!such!a!year,!under!assumption!(i),!YFMS!should!yield!additional!revenue!of!
£2245.06.!!
!
Such!increased!revenue!could!be!highly!valuable!to!YFMS,!see!‘implications’!section!below.!
!
Price! £78.00! £87.00! £95.00!
Avg.!expected!
revenue!increase!!
£0.00! £2,523.60! £4,766.80!
Higher!expected!
revenue!increase!!
£0.00! £2,802.14! £5,292.92!
Lower!expected!
revenue!increase!!
£0.00! 2,245.06! £4,240.68!
!
5.3.8Z(ii)%consumer%demand%for%MIAM%will%be%partially%be%affected%and%deterred%
consumers%are%concerned%only%with%obtaining%a%certificate%from%MIAM%
!
Assumption!Plausibility:!!
This!is,!in!our!opinion,!the!second!most!plausible!option,!this!is!because!it,!with!the!price!
increase!to!£87,!YFMS!is!still!the!cheapest!in!the!market,!meaning!it!should!not!deter!
consumers.!!
!
Methodology:!
Here!we!assume!some!consumers!are!deterred!by!the!price!change!and!such!clients!only!
wish!to!receive!the!MIAM!certificate!and!would!not!use!YFMS!further.!
!

!
!
34!
Estimations:!
If!this!is!the!case,!YFMS!would!lose!£87!of!revenue!per!client!lost.!Based!on!the!average!
intake!year,!YFMS!would!be!able!to!have!an!intake!number!of!approximately!251!and!still!
endure!no!losses!from!the!increase!in!price.!For!the!same!reasons!as!in!our!discussion!of!
assumption!(i),!for!a!lower!intake!year!for!in!terms!of!MIAM!appointments,!YFMS!could!have!
an!intake!of!approximately!224!and!endure!no!losses!from!the!increase!in!price.!!
!
5.3.8Z(iii)%consumer%demand%for%MIAM%might%be%affected,%and%consumers%consider%
the%MIAM%price%change%as%part%of%overall%cost%of%mediation%when%deciding%whether%
to%have%mediation,%including%AIMs%or%F&P%appointments,%or%not%
!
Assumption!Plausibility:!
We!believe!this!is!less!plausible!than!assumption!(ii),!this!is!still!theoretically!a!possibility!but!
an!unlikely!one!as!it!involves!consumers!trying!to!compute!expected!amount!of!
appointments!and!having!perfect!knowledge!of!the!market.!!
!
Methodology:!
Given!that!the!MIAM!is!a!necessary!step!for!a!series!of!AIM!and!F&P!appointment!to!follow,!
regarding!assumptions!(iii)!and!(iv)!we!needed!to!take!into!account!the!intake!appointment!
to!mediation!ratio!and!the!typical!spend!by!clients!on!AIM!and!F&P!appointments,!in!order!
to!estimate!the!potential!loss!in!revenue!for!each!client!deterred!by!the!increase!in!MIAM!
price.!
!
Estimations:!
YFMS!would!lose!£125.84!of!revenue!per!client!lost.!Consequently,!for!an!average!intake!
year,!YFMS!!would!require!an!intake!of!approximately!260!to!still!endure!no!losses!from!the!
increase!in!price.!Again,!following!the!same!logic!as!above,!for!a!lower!intake!year,!YFMS!
would!be!able!to!have!an!intake!of!approximately!232!and!endure!no!losses!from!the!
increase!in!price.!
!

!
!
35!
5.3.8Z(iv)%consumer%demand%for%MIAM%might%be%affected,and%consumers%consider%
only%the%price%of%the%MIAM%appointment%when%deciding%to%have%mediation%
including%AIMs%or%F%&P%appointments%or%not%
!
Assumption!Plausibility:!!
In!our!opinion!this!is!the!least!plausible!result,!this!is!because!if!consumers!are!only!
concerned!with!the!price!of!MIAM,!then!they!would!be!expected!to!go!for!the!cheapest!
option,!which!is!YFMS.!As!with!assumption!iii)!we!believe!this!to!be!highly!unlikely.!
!
Methodology:!!
Here!we!assume!some!consumers!are!deterred!by!the!price!change!and!such!clients!would,!
otherwise,!have!used!YFMS!further!(for!AIM!and!F&P)!and!such!clients!only!consider!the!
price!of!MIAM.!!
!
Estimations:!!
YFMS!would!lose!£342.48!of!revenue!per!client!lost.!Consequently,!for!an!average!intake!
year!YFMS!they!would!be!able!to!an!intake!of!approximately!273!and!still!endure!no!losses!
from!the!increase!in!price.!Again,!following!the!same!logic!as!above,!for!a!relatively!less!
successful!year!for!in!terms!of!MIAM!appointments,!YFMS!would!be!able!to!have!an!intake!
of!approximately!243!and!endure!no!losses!from!the!increase!in!price.!
!
Breakdown!in!the!calculations!
!
Each!column!states!which!figure!was!used!in!the!calculation!on!each!assumption,!i.e!for!
assumption!(ii),!the!only!figure!required!for!calculations!is!the!MIAM!price.!
!
!
Costs! MAIM! +!
Mediation!
*Mediation/!
Intake!ratio!
*Initial!Cost!/!
Total!Service!
Cost!
=!Cost!per!
client!lost!
(i)! No! No! No!! No! N/A!

!
!
36!
!
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
5.3.9%InZdepth%Account%of%Recommended%Action(s):%
The!boundaries!were!constructed!in!order!to!ensure!that!YFMS!can!monitor!how!the!price!
change!affected!the!intake,!they!are!based!on!assumption!(ii)!for!both!an!‘average’!year!and!
a!‘lower’!year!which!has!been!calculated!using!the!average!minus!one!standard!deviation.!If!
the!firm!implements!a!price!increase,!they!should!use!the!boundaries!to!measure!the!
impact.!If!the!firm!has!dropped!below!the!normal!average,!it!could!be!due!to!both!the!rise!in!
price!or!it!could!simply!be!due!to!a!decreased!amount!of!mediations!that!year.!If!the!firm!
experiences!a!3!years!below!the!below!the!average!boundary,!they!should!revert!the!price!
to!a!lower!point.!Moreover!if!they!are!significantly!below!the!lower!boundary!(2!or!more!
standard!deviations!below)!on!the!first!year!they!should!also!revert.!!
!
!
%
(ii)! Yes! No! No! No! £87!
(iii)! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! £125.84!
(iv)! Yes! Yes! Yes! No! £342.48!

!
!
37!
5.3.10%On%Further%Price%Increases%to%the%MIAM%appointments%
!
YFMS!could!raise!the!MIAM!price!to!£95!and!still!be!the!cheapest!in!the!market.!Such!a!price!
change,!under!assumption!(i),!and!assuming!an!average!level!of!intake!for!the!year,!would!
generate!an!increase!in!revenue!of!£4766.80.!Theory!states!that!as!long!as!the!price!is!the!
lowest!in!the!market,!it!should!not!affect!the!intake!numbers.!However,!such!a!significant!
price!change!however!does!make!assumptions!(ii),!(iii),!and!(iv)!more!credible!since!the!price!
is!now!much!closer!to!that!of!the!competitors!and!personal!taste!becomes!a!factor.!
Furthermore,!holding!the!benefits!of!increased!revenue!in!tension!with!YFMS’s!ultimate!
charitable!aim!of!increasing!the!number!of!clients!who!resolves!conflicts!via!mediation!
makes!us!hesitant!to!recommend!further!prices!increases!to!the!MIAM!appointment!beyond!
£87.!Raising!the!price!further!is!more!likely!to!decrease!consideration!of!mediation!services,!
if!only!slightly.!!
!
!
!
(5.C)!YFMS!should!not!change!the!price!of!AIM!appointments!
"! YFMS’s'current'AIM'pricing'is'not'the'cheapest'in'York''
!
5.3.11%AIM%Appointment%Prices%in%York%
!
We!also!identified!that!YFMS!are!however!not!the!cheapest!provider!for!an!AIM!(or!
analogous)!service!(for!the!highest!bracket!only).!!We!recommend!no!price!change!in!AIM,!
as!the!highest!bracket!is!already!not!the!cheapest!in!the!market.!Again!as!YFMS’!ultimate!
charitable!aim!is!to!increase!the!number!of!clients!who!resolves!conflicts!via!mediation!
makes!us!hesitant!to!recommend!increase!to!AIM!prices.!YFMS!should!theoretically!be!able!
raise!the!lowest!brackets!so!that!they!converge!closer!to!the!top!bracket!and!still!see!no!
impact!in!terms!of!mediation!figures.!!

!
!
38!
!
!
!
!
5.4%Limitations!
!
As!mentioned!above!we!were!unable!to!access!data!regarding!the!mediation!figures!for!
York!as!a!whole!from!the!courts!that!would!have!enabled!us!to!precisely!predict!the!effect!
on!consumer!base.!This,!alongside!limited!data!available!from!competitors,!further!entailed!
that!we!were!unable!to!confirm!or!quantify!YFMS’s!dominant!position!in!the!York!market!for!
mediation.!
!
Only!2011![!2015!data!was!used!to!derive!the!average!intake,!the!standard!deviation!and!
the!ratio!for!mediation!to!intake.!This!timeframe!could!be!too!small!for!us!to!be!able!to!
generalise!the!results.!!
!
Another!major!limitation!in!our!analysis!comes!from!the!fact!that!YFMS!offer!by!far!the!most!
complex!set!of!pricing!options!in!the!market.!We!decided!not!to!further!investigate!AIM!due!
to!the!fact!that!YFMS!has!a!set!of!brackets!on!its!pricing,!something!no!other!competitor!
does.!Furthermore,!it!also!splits!the!mediation!service!(into!AIM!&!F&P)!which!is!also!a!

!
!
39!
rarity.!In!a!sense!it’s!a!positive!for!YFMS!in!terms!of!the!market!share,!but!at!the!same!time!
it!has!an!impact!on!the!accuracy!of!our!predictions.!!
!
5.5%Implications!
!
The!increased!revenue!from!a!price!change!could!be!used!to!subsidise!other!services!such!
as:!
! The!contact!centre!
! Increasing!payments!to!volunteers!!
! Increasing!the!YFMS!financial!reserves!!
!
!
!
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%

!
!
40!
6.0%Conclusion!
!
Overall,!this!project!has!aimed!to!inform!YFMS!about!(a)!increasing!the!number!of!
mediation!clients!it!receives!by!using!social!media,!(b)!reducing!the!cost!of!running!the!
Contact!Centre!by!altering!the!recruitment!and!management!of!volunteers,!and!(c)!aiding!
YFMS’s!overall!financial!position!by!considering!price!changes!to!the!mediation!services!
offered.!!
!
This!report!has!presented!key!findings!and!recommendations!alongside!a!detailed!account!
of!the!research!YCC!have!undertaken.!The!rationale!behind!recommendations!has!been!set!
out!alongside!an!appreciation!of!the!limitations!of!the!approach!taken!and!relevant!caveats,!
the!expected!implications!of!the!recommendations,!and!relevant!details!regarding!
implementation.!!
!
We!hope!these!recommendations!and!findings!will!contribute!to!the!long!term!of!success!of!
York!Family!Mediation!Service.!
!
Finally,!York!Community!Consulting!would!like!to!thank!York!Family!Mediation!Service!for!
this!opportunity!and!their!cooperation!throughout!the!process.!York!Community!Consulting!
will!contact!YFMS!regarding!feedback!in!due!course.!!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
%
%

!
!
41!
7.0%References!
1.! Ofcom!(2014).!Adults!Media!Use!and!Attitudes!Report!2014.!available!at:!
{http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market[data[research/other/research[publications/adults/adults[
media[lit[14}!
2.! Everett,!N.!&!Sullivan,!J.!(2012).!The!Social!Media!Payoff:!Establishing!the!Missing!Link!Between!Social!
Media!and!ROI.!Loyalty'One,!pp/1[4!
3.! see!!{http://www.socialmisfitsmedia.com/downloads/About_that_First_Tweet.pdf}!
4.! see!{http://www.lawsociety.org.uk/support[services/advice/practice[notes/social[media/}!
5.! see!!{http://www.socialmisfitsmedia.com/downloads/About_that_First_Tweet.pdf}!
6.! ibid.!
7.! see!{http://www.socialmediaworldwide.com/blog/social[media[marketing/a[killer[social[media[
strategy/}!
8.! see!!http://www.kpmg.com/au/en/beyond/new[thinking/pages/social[media[risks.aspx!
9.! see!{http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary[sector[network/2014/oct/08/how[charities[can[make[
most[of[linkedin}!
10.!see!{https://www.linkedin.com/groups/1889646/profile!and!
{https://www.linkedin.com/groups/3904769/profile}!
11.!Farmer,!S.!&!Fedor,!B.!(2001).!Changing!the!focus!on!volunteering:!an!investigation!of!volunteers'!
multiple!contributions!to!a!charitable!organization.!Journal'of'Management,!vol.!27,!pp.191[211.!
Laverie,!D.!&!McDonald,!E.!(2007).!Volunteer!Dedication:!Understanding!the!Role!of!Identity!
Importance!on!Participation!Frequency.!Journal'of'Macromarketing,'vol.27,!pp.274[288,!accessible!
online!at!{http://jmk.sagepub.com/content/27/3/274}!
12.!!Farmer,!S.!&!Fedor,!B.!(2001).!Changing!the!focus!on!volunteering:!an!investigation!of!volunteers'!
multiple!contributions!to!a!charitable!organization.!Journal'of'Management,!vol.!27,!pp.191[211!
13.!!ibid.!
14.!!Laverie,!D.!&!McDonald,!E.!(2007).!Volunteer!Dedication:!Understanding!the!Role!of!Identity!
Importance!on!Participation!Frequency.!Journal'of'Macromarketing,'vol.27,!pp.274[288,!accessible!
online!at!{http://jmk.sagepub.com/content/27/3/274}!
15.!Yuan!Ju,!Senior!Lecturer,!Department!of!Economics,!University!of!York,!Tel:!01904!324678,!
yuan.ju@york.ac.uk!
!
!
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8.0%Appendix!
8.1%Contact%Centre%Questionnaire%%
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8.2%Summary%of%Calculations%for%Market%Position%%
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