The document summarizes the data collection methods used by the consultancy team. They conducted visits to the three Birmingham City Council housing customer service hubs to interview staff using a questionnaire. They also observed the work environments. Additional primary data was collected from a focus group and benchmarking organization Ongo. Secondary data involved researching the Birmingham City Council website and other housing authority websites to evaluate accessibility. The team used a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to gather reliable data from multiple sources for their analysis and recommendations.
The document provides templates for project status reports. The first template shows the overall project status as green and on track, with planning, scoping and analysis, and build 50% complete. Testing has started with some defects found. The second template provides a more detailed status for each phase, showing phase 4 (UAT) as amber due to a high number of defects found, with tasks to complete UAT and address defects before sign off. Phases 5 and 6 are on track.
Governments have made good progress in delivering digital services, but many are still overwhelmed by complexity and slowed by bureaucratic skepticism and lack of skills. Users – accustomed to innovation in such sectors as retailing, media, and financial services – wish their governments would get on with it: http://on.bcg.com/1jESqYx.
America SCORES Seattle commissioned a report to provide recommendations for increasing the organization's impact. The report analyzed how to expand SCORES Seattle's programs to more schools and children through diversifying funding sources, enhancing strategic partnerships, and increasing brand awareness. It identified 15 elementary schools and 1 middle school as primary expansion targets based on their needs and proximity to existing schools. The report also included a proposed profit and loss statement to model revenue needs for planned yearly expansion.
Although there has been a steady growth in multichannel retailing, few studies examine how different channels of information search affect customers’ purchase behavior. As the retailing industry evolves toward multichannel or omnichannel retailing, customers may use one channel to search for information and purchase in another channel. For example, customers can get product information in a brick-and-mortar retail store and then purchase a product online, referred to as “showrooming.” Alternatively, customers may go online to search product information but then go to a brick-and-mortar retail store to complete their purchase, referred to as “webrooming.” Besides, customers can evaluate product attributes by touch and feel the product in the store and they can simultaneously get additional information using an online search at the brick-and-mortar retail store, and then make a purchase decision in the brick-and-mortar retail store or in the online channel.
In this study, we compare the effect of offline information sources (e.g., advertising/direct marketing, conversation with friend or family) and online information sources (e.g., online advertising, email marketing) on customers’ purchase behavior in both online and offline channels. In addition, we also examine the influence of in-store online information search on in-store and online purchase behavior. We test our conjectures by using data from more than 700 respondents of the 2014 National Technology Readiness Survey (NTRS), who have made personal purchase for a various types of products where the total amount of the transaction was at least $50 in the past 3 months.
We find that offline information source is positively and strongly associated with the likelihood of purchasing in a brick-and-mortar retail store, but we see a significant negative association between use of an online information source and probability of purchase in a brick-and-mortar retail store. These results elucidate the importance of channel consistency between information search and purchase. Interestingly, we find counterintuitive evidence of showrooming and webrooming behavior: while in-store online search has significant and positive correlation with in-store purchase behavior, in-store online search decreases the probability of purchasing online. These results provide new insights for customer behavior in multi-channel settings and provide implications for designing marketing interventions.
US and China Food Delivery Analysis (Meituan Dianping 美团点评, GrubHub)Chris Huskey
1. The document analyzes and compares the food delivery markets in the US and China, noting key differences that have led to faster growth and adoption of online food delivery in China.
2. It recommends passing on investing in GrubHub due to strong competitors like DoorDash and Uber Eats gaining market share, while recommending holding investment in Meituan given its leadership in China's large food delivery market.
3. Meituan has over 50% of China's food delivery market and benefits from factors like dense populations, lower consumer costs, and a fragmented restaurant industry that increase the addressable market and viability of online food delivery in China.
Facebook-BCG Report on the impact of digital in the Financial Services IndustrySocial Samosa
India is on the cusp of a digital
revolution. With rising internet and
smartphone penetration, the digital
DNA of India is rapidly changing.
The first 100 million ‘digital Indians’
were largely men, millennials and
metro based. However, with higher
adoption among women, lower tier
cities and older age groups, the face of
an average internet user is changing.
They are also engaging in mature
activities, going beyond search and
social networking to online shopping
and banking. In 2013, only 7% urban
internet users with digital age less than
2 years adopted online shopping. This
grew more than four fold in four years.
A similar trend has been seen in online
banking as well.
Also, with increasing smartphone
penetration, the way consumers are
accessing internet is changing. In
2013, only 44% of urban population
preferred mobile for internet access,
but now almost 3/4th prefer mobile.
Find More Case studies at - https://www.socialsamosa.com/category/indian-social-media-case-studies/
The document provides templates for project status reports. The first template shows the overall project status as green and on track, with planning, scoping and analysis, and build 50% complete. Testing has started with some defects found. The second template provides a more detailed status for each phase, showing phase 4 (UAT) as amber due to a high number of defects found, with tasks to complete UAT and address defects before sign off. Phases 5 and 6 are on track.
Governments have made good progress in delivering digital services, but many are still overwhelmed by complexity and slowed by bureaucratic skepticism and lack of skills. Users – accustomed to innovation in such sectors as retailing, media, and financial services – wish their governments would get on with it: http://on.bcg.com/1jESqYx.
America SCORES Seattle commissioned a report to provide recommendations for increasing the organization's impact. The report analyzed how to expand SCORES Seattle's programs to more schools and children through diversifying funding sources, enhancing strategic partnerships, and increasing brand awareness. It identified 15 elementary schools and 1 middle school as primary expansion targets based on their needs and proximity to existing schools. The report also included a proposed profit and loss statement to model revenue needs for planned yearly expansion.
Although there has been a steady growth in multichannel retailing, few studies examine how different channels of information search affect customers’ purchase behavior. As the retailing industry evolves toward multichannel or omnichannel retailing, customers may use one channel to search for information and purchase in another channel. For example, customers can get product information in a brick-and-mortar retail store and then purchase a product online, referred to as “showrooming.” Alternatively, customers may go online to search product information but then go to a brick-and-mortar retail store to complete their purchase, referred to as “webrooming.” Besides, customers can evaluate product attributes by touch and feel the product in the store and they can simultaneously get additional information using an online search at the brick-and-mortar retail store, and then make a purchase decision in the brick-and-mortar retail store or in the online channel.
In this study, we compare the effect of offline information sources (e.g., advertising/direct marketing, conversation with friend or family) and online information sources (e.g., online advertising, email marketing) on customers’ purchase behavior in both online and offline channels. In addition, we also examine the influence of in-store online information search on in-store and online purchase behavior. We test our conjectures by using data from more than 700 respondents of the 2014 National Technology Readiness Survey (NTRS), who have made personal purchase for a various types of products where the total amount of the transaction was at least $50 in the past 3 months.
We find that offline information source is positively and strongly associated with the likelihood of purchasing in a brick-and-mortar retail store, but we see a significant negative association between use of an online information source and probability of purchase in a brick-and-mortar retail store. These results elucidate the importance of channel consistency between information search and purchase. Interestingly, we find counterintuitive evidence of showrooming and webrooming behavior: while in-store online search has significant and positive correlation with in-store purchase behavior, in-store online search decreases the probability of purchasing online. These results provide new insights for customer behavior in multi-channel settings and provide implications for designing marketing interventions.
US and China Food Delivery Analysis (Meituan Dianping 美团点评, GrubHub)Chris Huskey
1. The document analyzes and compares the food delivery markets in the US and China, noting key differences that have led to faster growth and adoption of online food delivery in China.
2. It recommends passing on investing in GrubHub due to strong competitors like DoorDash and Uber Eats gaining market share, while recommending holding investment in Meituan given its leadership in China's large food delivery market.
3. Meituan has over 50% of China's food delivery market and benefits from factors like dense populations, lower consumer costs, and a fragmented restaurant industry that increase the addressable market and viability of online food delivery in China.
Facebook-BCG Report on the impact of digital in the Financial Services IndustrySocial Samosa
India is on the cusp of a digital
revolution. With rising internet and
smartphone penetration, the digital
DNA of India is rapidly changing.
The first 100 million ‘digital Indians’
were largely men, millennials and
metro based. However, with higher
adoption among women, lower tier
cities and older age groups, the face of
an average internet user is changing.
They are also engaging in mature
activities, going beyond search and
social networking to online shopping
and banking. In 2013, only 7% urban
internet users with digital age less than
2 years adopted online shopping. This
grew more than four fold in four years.
A similar trend has been seen in online
banking as well.
Also, with increasing smartphone
penetration, the way consumers are
accessing internet is changing. In
2013, only 44% of urban population
preferred mobile for internet access,
but now almost 3/4th prefer mobile.
Find More Case studies at - https://www.socialsamosa.com/category/indian-social-media-case-studies/
The document outlines requirements for a new library blog project including stakeholders, timelines, and functional, technical, policy, and usability requirements. A task force consisting of John Doe, Jane Smith, Peter Rabbit, and Raggedy Ann and Andy was assembled to review blog products in May 2011, begin testing in June 2011, conduct a beta rollout in July 2011, and have the new blog in production by August 2011. The new blog aims to better communicate with library users on mobile platforms and replace the current outdated system.
The document provides a summary of BCG's 2014 global asset management report. Some key points:
- Global assets under management reached a record $68.7 trillion in 2013, up 13% from 2012, though net flows only reached 1.6% of prior-year AUM.
- Profit margins recovered to near pre-crisis levels but net revenues remained flat, below historic levels. Managers focused more tightly on costs.
- Growth varied widely by region, with double-digit growth in the US, Japan, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East/Africa, versus high single digits in Europe and Latin America.
- Specialty funds and solutions dominated net flows, while traditional
The business model canvas of Airbnb a San Francisco Startups that helps people rent places.
You can see more details in my blog: http://startupbizmodel.com
(in portugueses)
Business Transformation Powerpoint Presentation SlidesSlideTeam
Every organization undergoes a certain change to cope up with changing trends in the market. Its ending point must be a different from a starting point. This content ready business transformation PowerPoint presentation is a guide for your organization to have a structured and planned change. These business transformation presentation templates are perfect to achieve organizational goals and improve business processes, technologies, and productivity. Whether it’s an internal change or an external, an organization goes through several stages of transformation. This is explicitly explained in a business transformation framework slide. There could be various business areas where a change is needed such as customer service or finance. We present your business transformation PPT slides that will help you go through digital transformation, finance transformation, customer service transformation and more. This complete presentation will help you explain the important business drivers for the required change in the management . Get your hands on this ready-made professionally designed business transformation presentation to achieve a successful business transformation. Spread the buzz with our Business Transformation Powerpoint Presentation Slides. Generate interest with your views. https://bit.ly/3yBcWkO
Building Deep Tech Startups Outside Silicon ValleyHAX
The resources you need can be distributed: for R&D, prototyping, production, financing and customers. Silicon Valley is an expensive option in most cases!
New horizons in transportation: mobility, innovation, economic development an...McKinsey & Company
New technologies are creating opportunities across various asset classes. Six trends are driving changes: 1) assets will be operated and monetized in real-time through data and connectivity, 2) automation is accelerating and expanding, 3) consumers are shifting to new mobility options, 4) logistics demand speed and transparency, 5) cybersecurity risks are growing, and 6) assets must be flexible, resilient and sustainable for environmental changes. These trends could significantly impact transport, energy, water, waste, and telecom assets. Technology offers public benefits like economic savings, sustainability, and safety, while also creating private investment opportunities.
This document provides an analysis report for Tiga Pilar Corporation (TPC) and recommendations to improve its performance. It summarizes TPC's business profile and issues it faces such as declining profits and lack of synergies across business units. It then analyzes Indonesia's economic landscape and recommends strategies in 5 areas - 1) Synergizing the company, 2) Stabilizing profits, 3) Centralizing distribution, 4) Winning the market, and 5) Increasing profits. Specific recommendations include reducing costs, finding strategic partners, focusing on energy business, implementing a regional distribution center model, and developing new product variants.
This document discusses how FinTech is shaping the financial services industry. Some key points:
1. More than 20% of financial services business is at risk from FinTech competitors by 2020 according to the report. Over half of respondents are unsure or unlikely to respond to blockchain technology.
2. Consumer banking and payments are seen as the sectors most likely to be disrupted over the next 5 years. Up to 22% of banking and payments business could be at risk by 2020.
3. Asset management and insurance are also facing increasing disruption from FinTech with up to 28% of their business at risk by 2020. Incumbents in these industries see more disruption potential than outsiders do.
4. Customer
This update on Mergers & Acquisitions, covering the full year of 2016, is based on publicly available information.
For more information: http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/m-and-a-2016-deal-makers-catch-their-breath
BCG has launched its Telco Sustainability Index, designed to capture the four dimensions most relevant to a telco’s environmental strategy. The index tracks the company’s commitment to sustainability, its emissions intensity and that of its upstream and downstream partners, its elimination of waste, and its customer enablement.
This document provides an overview of the key concepts that will be covered in the chapter on consumer decision-making. It summarizes the chapter goals which include understanding the consumer decision process, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase situations, post-purchase behavior, and levels of involvement in purchases. It then provides an opening vignette about how BlackBerry identified a solution for busy professionals by providing connectivity. Finally, it previews the types of consumer purchase behaviors that will be discussed including routine, limited problem-solving, extensive decision-making, and impulse purchases.
Presenting Technology Roadmap Sample PPT PowerPoint Presentation Slides. This presentation comprises of a total of 13 PowerPoint slides. Each slide includes professional visuals with appropriate information. These templates have been designed keeping the customers need in mind. This complete presentation covers all the design elements such as layout, diagrams, icons, and more. You can easily customize each template graphics. Edit the color, text, symbol, and font size as per your requirement. Easy to download. Compatible with all screen types and monitors. Flexible with Google Slides. Premium customer support is available. Personalize the presentation slides by adding your brand name or logo
Shifting Trade Rules and the Future for North America’s Auto IndustryBoston Consulting Group
Two major initiatives by the US to overhaul trade rules could have a massive impact on North America’s automotive manufacturing industry. Here’s how companies should prepare.
This document provides business requirements for upgrading an existing mobile banking system (T System 1.0) to a new version (T System 2.0). Key points include:
- The goals are to detail requirements, provide an operational overview, and describe business processes and scenarios.
- Customer operations involve mobile banking across 4 Asian countries managed through a central data bank.
- The current system provides functions like user profile, account views, funds transfer, and reports.
- An upgrade is needed because adding credit card services requires more robust security and the existing system is difficult to enhance.
- The new system will provide mobile banking for 4 countries beginning in mid-2020 and include credit card services.
Australian Dollar: Value of the Exchange RateAndrew Tibbitt
The value of the Australian dollar is determined by foreign exchange markets and the relative demand and supply of the currency. Demand is created by financial inflows in the balance of payments, while supply is created by financial outflows. Foreign investment flows are therefore crucial in determining the value of the Australian dollar.
The document outlines several factors that influence the short, medium, and long-term value of the Australian dollar. In the short-term (days), speculation drives currency movements. In the medium-term (months), key factors include interest rate differentials, commodity prices and exports, terms of trade, risk environment, and Australia's economic performance. Long-term (years) movements reflect relative inflation rates and purchasing power parity
Salesforce Basecamp Helsinki 8.5.2018 - Boston Consulting GroupSalesforce Finland
The document discusses key topics around artificial intelligence (AI) and strategy. It provides an overview of what AI is, where it can be applied, why it is difficult to implement, and how companies can move forward with AI. The document also discusses how AI can create prescriptive insights from large volumes of real-time data, the many potential application areas of AI in business functions like customer experience and risk management, and challenges of AI transformations. It advocates thinking strategically about how AI will impact industries and building competitive advantages from AI tools.
Diane rutter notts consortium presentation 30 june 2010 v2DianeRutter
Community Impact Bucks was formed through the merger of three organizations in Buckinghamshire - the Volunteer Centre, Council for Voluntary Service and Rural Community Council. The merger was intended to improve sustainability, retain local links, and enable new approaches to service delivery. Significant challenges included integrating different cultures and incompatible IT systems. While mergers do not necessarily lead to direct savings, efficiencies were hoped for in areas like reduced premises and staff costs. Success required a step-by-step approach, external advice, realistic timelines, and maintaining a positive message internally and externally.
The document outlines requirements for a new library blog project including stakeholders, timelines, and functional, technical, policy, and usability requirements. A task force consisting of John Doe, Jane Smith, Peter Rabbit, and Raggedy Ann and Andy was assembled to review blog products in May 2011, begin testing in June 2011, conduct a beta rollout in July 2011, and have the new blog in production by August 2011. The new blog aims to better communicate with library users on mobile platforms and replace the current outdated system.
The document provides a summary of BCG's 2014 global asset management report. Some key points:
- Global assets under management reached a record $68.7 trillion in 2013, up 13% from 2012, though net flows only reached 1.6% of prior-year AUM.
- Profit margins recovered to near pre-crisis levels but net revenues remained flat, below historic levels. Managers focused more tightly on costs.
- Growth varied widely by region, with double-digit growth in the US, Japan, Australia, Asia, and the Middle East/Africa, versus high single digits in Europe and Latin America.
- Specialty funds and solutions dominated net flows, while traditional
The business model canvas of Airbnb a San Francisco Startups that helps people rent places.
You can see more details in my blog: http://startupbizmodel.com
(in portugueses)
Business Transformation Powerpoint Presentation SlidesSlideTeam
Every organization undergoes a certain change to cope up with changing trends in the market. Its ending point must be a different from a starting point. This content ready business transformation PowerPoint presentation is a guide for your organization to have a structured and planned change. These business transformation presentation templates are perfect to achieve organizational goals and improve business processes, technologies, and productivity. Whether it’s an internal change or an external, an organization goes through several stages of transformation. This is explicitly explained in a business transformation framework slide. There could be various business areas where a change is needed such as customer service or finance. We present your business transformation PPT slides that will help you go through digital transformation, finance transformation, customer service transformation and more. This complete presentation will help you explain the important business drivers for the required change in the management . Get your hands on this ready-made professionally designed business transformation presentation to achieve a successful business transformation. Spread the buzz with our Business Transformation Powerpoint Presentation Slides. Generate interest with your views. https://bit.ly/3yBcWkO
Building Deep Tech Startups Outside Silicon ValleyHAX
The resources you need can be distributed: for R&D, prototyping, production, financing and customers. Silicon Valley is an expensive option in most cases!
New horizons in transportation: mobility, innovation, economic development an...McKinsey & Company
New technologies are creating opportunities across various asset classes. Six trends are driving changes: 1) assets will be operated and monetized in real-time through data and connectivity, 2) automation is accelerating and expanding, 3) consumers are shifting to new mobility options, 4) logistics demand speed and transparency, 5) cybersecurity risks are growing, and 6) assets must be flexible, resilient and sustainable for environmental changes. These trends could significantly impact transport, energy, water, waste, and telecom assets. Technology offers public benefits like economic savings, sustainability, and safety, while also creating private investment opportunities.
This document provides an analysis report for Tiga Pilar Corporation (TPC) and recommendations to improve its performance. It summarizes TPC's business profile and issues it faces such as declining profits and lack of synergies across business units. It then analyzes Indonesia's economic landscape and recommends strategies in 5 areas - 1) Synergizing the company, 2) Stabilizing profits, 3) Centralizing distribution, 4) Winning the market, and 5) Increasing profits. Specific recommendations include reducing costs, finding strategic partners, focusing on energy business, implementing a regional distribution center model, and developing new product variants.
This document discusses how FinTech is shaping the financial services industry. Some key points:
1. More than 20% of financial services business is at risk from FinTech competitors by 2020 according to the report. Over half of respondents are unsure or unlikely to respond to blockchain technology.
2. Consumer banking and payments are seen as the sectors most likely to be disrupted over the next 5 years. Up to 22% of banking and payments business could be at risk by 2020.
3. Asset management and insurance are also facing increasing disruption from FinTech with up to 28% of their business at risk by 2020. Incumbents in these industries see more disruption potential than outsiders do.
4. Customer
This update on Mergers & Acquisitions, covering the full year of 2016, is based on publicly available information.
For more information: http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/m-and-a-2016-deal-makers-catch-their-breath
BCG has launched its Telco Sustainability Index, designed to capture the four dimensions most relevant to a telco’s environmental strategy. The index tracks the company’s commitment to sustainability, its emissions intensity and that of its upstream and downstream partners, its elimination of waste, and its customer enablement.
This document provides an overview of the key concepts that will be covered in the chapter on consumer decision-making. It summarizes the chapter goals which include understanding the consumer decision process, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase situations, post-purchase behavior, and levels of involvement in purchases. It then provides an opening vignette about how BlackBerry identified a solution for busy professionals by providing connectivity. Finally, it previews the types of consumer purchase behaviors that will be discussed including routine, limited problem-solving, extensive decision-making, and impulse purchases.
Presenting Technology Roadmap Sample PPT PowerPoint Presentation Slides. This presentation comprises of a total of 13 PowerPoint slides. Each slide includes professional visuals with appropriate information. These templates have been designed keeping the customers need in mind. This complete presentation covers all the design elements such as layout, diagrams, icons, and more. You can easily customize each template graphics. Edit the color, text, symbol, and font size as per your requirement. Easy to download. Compatible with all screen types and monitors. Flexible with Google Slides. Premium customer support is available. Personalize the presentation slides by adding your brand name or logo
Shifting Trade Rules and the Future for North America’s Auto IndustryBoston Consulting Group
Two major initiatives by the US to overhaul trade rules could have a massive impact on North America’s automotive manufacturing industry. Here’s how companies should prepare.
This document provides business requirements for upgrading an existing mobile banking system (T System 1.0) to a new version (T System 2.0). Key points include:
- The goals are to detail requirements, provide an operational overview, and describe business processes and scenarios.
- Customer operations involve mobile banking across 4 Asian countries managed through a central data bank.
- The current system provides functions like user profile, account views, funds transfer, and reports.
- An upgrade is needed because adding credit card services requires more robust security and the existing system is difficult to enhance.
- The new system will provide mobile banking for 4 countries beginning in mid-2020 and include credit card services.
Australian Dollar: Value of the Exchange RateAndrew Tibbitt
The value of the Australian dollar is determined by foreign exchange markets and the relative demand and supply of the currency. Demand is created by financial inflows in the balance of payments, while supply is created by financial outflows. Foreign investment flows are therefore crucial in determining the value of the Australian dollar.
The document outlines several factors that influence the short, medium, and long-term value of the Australian dollar. In the short-term (days), speculation drives currency movements. In the medium-term (months), key factors include interest rate differentials, commodity prices and exports, terms of trade, risk environment, and Australia's economic performance. Long-term (years) movements reflect relative inflation rates and purchasing power parity
Salesforce Basecamp Helsinki 8.5.2018 - Boston Consulting GroupSalesforce Finland
The document discusses key topics around artificial intelligence (AI) and strategy. It provides an overview of what AI is, where it can be applied, why it is difficult to implement, and how companies can move forward with AI. The document also discusses how AI can create prescriptive insights from large volumes of real-time data, the many potential application areas of AI in business functions like customer experience and risk management, and challenges of AI transformations. It advocates thinking strategically about how AI will impact industries and building competitive advantages from AI tools.
Diane rutter notts consortium presentation 30 june 2010 v2DianeRutter
Community Impact Bucks was formed through the merger of three organizations in Buckinghamshire - the Volunteer Centre, Council for Voluntary Service and Rural Community Council. The merger was intended to improve sustainability, retain local links, and enable new approaches to service delivery. Significant challenges included integrating different cultures and incompatible IT systems. While mergers do not necessarily lead to direct savings, efficiencies were hoped for in areas like reduced premises and staff costs. Success required a step-by-step approach, external advice, realistic timelines, and maintaining a positive message internally and externally.
023 Service Learning Essay Letter Of RecommendatioMandy Brown
The document provides instructions for requesting writing assistance from HelpWriting.net. It outlines a 5-step process: 1) Create an account with a password and email. 2) Complete a 10-minute order form providing instructions, sources, and deadline. 3) Review bids from writers and select one based on qualifications. 4) Review the completed paper and authorize payment if pleased. 5) Request revisions to ensure satisfaction, with a refund offered for plagiarized work. The service utilizes a bidding system and promises original, high-quality content.
Beaumont Leys is a suburb in Western Leicester with a population of 16, 480 as at the 2011 census.
The main operation of the project is to partner with the Cooke e-learning foundation which promotes computer and internet literacy skills., English and financial skills for the local community, to provide entrepreneurship and business management skills.
I054297 - Ashley Smith - Does late payment legislation offer sufficient resti...Ashley Smith
This document provides a literature review and methodology for a research project examining whether UK late payment legislation offers sufficient restitution to creditors. The literature review covers topics such as trade credit, reasons for late payment, debt collection methods, and an overview of late payment legislation in the UK, EU and US. The research question is "Does late payment legislation offer sufficient restitution to the creditor?" The methodology section describes the pragmatic research philosophy and mixed methods approach using online surveys of businesses of various sizes. The findings, conclusions and analysis will be presented in subsequent sections.
MCE Learning and Teaching Version 2.0 Page 1 of 6 CourAbramMartino96
MCE | Learning and Teaching Version 2.0 | Page 1 of 6
Coursework Specification
1 Module Information
1.1 Module Title Procurement and Supply Chain Management
1.2 Module Code Number KB7035
1.3 Module Level and Credit Points Level 7, 20 credits
1.4 Module Leader Dr. Victor Samwinga
1.5 Coursework Title Procurement Report
1.6 Coursework Specification Author Dr. Victor Samwinga
1.7 Academic Year and Semester(s)
SEM1 2021-22
2 Coursework Submission and Feedback
2.1 Release Date of Coursework Specification to Students
17:00 BST on 1 October 2021
2.2 Mechanism Used to Disseminate Coursework Specification to Students
Assessment and Submission folder on Blackboard module
2.3 Date and Time of Submission of Coursework by Students
11:59 PM on 13 December 2021
2.4 The mechanism for Submission of Coursework by Students
Turnitin digital submission portal in Assessment and Submission folder on Blackboard module
2.5 Return Date of Unconfirmed Internally Moderated Mark(s) and Feedback to Students
11:59 PM on 31 January 2022
2.6 The mechanism for Return of Unconfirmed Internally Moderated Mark(s) and Feedback to
Students
Turnitin digital submission portal and/or My Grades on Blackboard module
MCE | Learning and Teaching Version 2.0 | Page 2 of 6
3 Assessment Details
3.1 Module Learning Outcomes (MLOs) Assessed by Coursework
1. MLO 1 - Establish a conceptual understanding of procurement and supply chain strategies within
the built environment projects.
2. MLO 2 - Implement and critically evaluate appropriate procurement processes by which
construction projects and services are acquired from internal and/or external sources.
3. MLO 3 - Identify and critically evaluate appropriate client requirements to develop respective
procurement and supply chain strategies that enable project success, business benefits and overall
sustainable operations.
4. MLO 4 - Embrace professionalism, demonstrate multi-disciplinary skills and apply expert and
specialised knowledge in the field of construction project management.
5. MLO 5 - Embrace intercultural cooperation through consciousness, responsible and professional
ethical conduct in a reflexive way.
3.2 Coursework Overview
Context Statement:
The construction sector continues to face many project delivery challenges such as time and cost
predictability. The need to identify and critically evaluate client requirements to develop appropriate
procurement processes has never been more important for project managers, clients and the industry at
large.
This assessment requires the submission of an individual piece of coursework. It requires the production
of a procurement report that engages with the knowledge base as well as the project and client-specific
characteristics.
It is to be written from the perspective of an inhouse procurement specialist who is making a theoretically-
, and evidence-, informed pro ...
Unit 2 - Digital Notes - MG 8091 EDP - VIII Sem 2021-22 Even.pdfWorkCit
This document provides information for a course on entrepreneurship development. It begins with a disclaimer stating that the document is confidential and intended for educational purposes only for a specific institution. It then provides details of the course, including objectives, prerequisites, syllabus, outcomes, lecture plan, and suggested activities and assessments. The document is intended as a guide for instructing students in entrepreneurship development concepts and skills.
Unit 1 - Digital Notes - MG 8091 EDP - VIII Sem 2021-22 Even.pdfWorkCit
This document provides information about an entrepreneurship development course offered by RMK Group of Educational Institutions. It includes a disclaimer noting the confidential nature of the document and instructions for recipients if it was received in error.
The document then outlines the course details, including the course objectives, prerequisites, syllabus divided into 5 units on topics like entrepreneurship, motivation, business, financing and accounting, and support for entrepreneurs. It also includes the course outcomes, mapping of course outcomes to program outcomes, a lecture plan with topics and delivery modes, suggestions for activity based learning, and sample lecture notes for Unit 1 on entrepreneurship.
2014 Fire Rescue - Project Managment 101 trainingIan Robertson
This document provides an overview of project management and the framework used by the Community Services Department. It discusses key project management concepts like defining a project, different project roles, and reasons for project failure. It outlines the department's customized project management approach, which follows a five-stage process and utilizes various templates and tools. The framework is designed to help ensure reliable delivery of project results by providing guidance on project lifecycles, communications, and supporting projects through their various phases.
This report analyzes the current financial health of Japan Airlines (JAL) and evaluates options to prevent bankruptcy. The report was commissioned by JAL and sponsored by Japanese state-backed institutions. The aims are to identify the root causes of JAL's financial problems through research, and provide recommendations to eliminate causes and overcome problems. This includes increasing revenue, cutting costs, and improving competitiveness. The recommendations consider JAL's corporate strategy and address operational, resource allocation, and human resource issues. If successfully implemented, the recommendations could restore JAL's profitability and financial stability.
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1. BIRMINGHAM CITY BUSINESS SCHOOL
BA (Hons) Business & Management
CourseworkCoverSheet
Module title: Management Consultancy Project
Module code: MAN6010
Module tutor: Martin Hipkiss / Geoff Stanley
Date: 25th April 2016
Assignment type: Group report
Word Count: 7,270 words
Student name: Student number:
Akshay Kanda 13154014
Dayna Vekaria 13151548
Dhijay V. Patel 13156176
Edilaine D. Santos 12778522
Fiona I. Ifeozo 13158568
Lewis T. J. Gardner 13185440
Ming Chi Wong 14139875
Mohammad F. Kaleem 13187473
Nikhil Shah 13158027
3. Abstract
The purpose of this report is to show how Connect Consultancy consulted with
Birmingham City council to help solve a number of issues within the organisation.
The main issues that will be discussed in this report are the problems surrounding
how Birmingham City Council's housing department, firstly how they can improve
their internal and external communication. Secondly, improving the customer
journey/ satisfaction of BCC's housing tenants. Finally, identifying whether utilizing
social media will decrease demand. We will discuss in detail the different types of
research methods used such as focus group meetings with current tenants and also
visiting the customer service hubs. Furthermore, this report discusses the different
stages of the consultancy cycle. Based on the research gathered, the report will be
concluded by stating the most appropriate solutions to the problems presented. At
the end of this report is the appendices containing all relevant data.
4. Table of Contents
Abstract ...................................................................................................................................ii
Table of Contents.................................................................................................................iv
1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................1
1.1. Meet the team ................................................................................................................1
1.2. Client background ..........................................................................................................2
1.3. Scope of the project.......................................................................................................2
1.4. Methodology...................................................................................................................3
2. Consultancy Cycle........................................................................................................4
2.1 Gaining entry..................................................................................................................5
2.2 Contracting.....................................................................................................................6
2.3 Collecting Data...............................................................................................................9
2.4 Analysing Data.............................................................................................................15
2.5 Generating Options......................................................................................................25
2.6 Disengaging .................................................................................................................30
3. Conclusion................................................................................................................... 33
References........................................................................................................................... 34
List of Appendices..................................................................................................................
5. 1
1. Introduction
This Management Consultancy Project is part of the undergraduate programme at
Birmingham City University. Participants of the project serve as consultants to work
with external client organisation for fostering greater learning experience through the
integration of theories and practices.
1.1. Meet the team
Connect Consultancy is formed in association to the project, which gathered nine
individuals to work together towards being a trusted team of consultants whilst
focusing on different business areas. The team members include:
Akshay Kanda – Studying Business and Management
Dayna Vekaria – Studying Business and Management
Dhijay V. Patel – Studying Business and Management
Edilaine D. Santos – Studying Business and Human Resource Management
Fiona I. Ifeozo – Studying Business and Economics
Lewis T. J. Gardner – Studying Business and Economics
Ming Chi Wong – Studying Business and Management
Mohammad F. Kaleem – Studying Economics and Finance
Nikhil Shah – Studying Business and Management
Detailed profiles can be found in Appendix 2.
6. 2
1.2. Client background
The client of this consultation project is Birmingham City Council, precisely the
housing services which is managed by the Place Directorate. The council is the
largest single provider of social housing in the country (Birmingham City Council,
2014a). There are 3 customer service centres providing support and services to
over 63 thousand council property tenants in the whole city as of April 2014
(Birmingham City Council, 2014b):
East & North centre (located in Lea Hall) – serves Yardley, Hall Green and
Hodge Hill districts
West & Central centre (located in Ladywood) – serves Ladywood,
Erdington, Perry Barr and Sutton Coldfield districts
South centre (located in Longbridge) – serves Edgbaston, Northfield, Selly
Oak and Kings Norton districts
Currently, council tenants mainly contact the housing team by telephone. There
are additional methods of communication presented online via Birmingham City
Council's, promoted by Mrs Barbara Nice (Birmingham City Council, ca. 2013).
1.3. Scope of the project
The project is aimed to improve customer satisfaction in relation to the tenants of
Birmingham City Council. The two main focal points are:
1. Evaluate the current customer service journey alongside measuring levels
of satisfaction
2. Evaluate whether a channel shift and the use of social media (Twitter,
YouTube etc.) can improve communication between the council and their
tenants. Additionally, asses whether this shift will reduce demand
7. 3
1.4. Methodology
The consultancy team engaged meetings with staff of the client organisation as
the main approach for consulting. For data collection, both primary and
secondary researches were carried out. The team performed visits to all 3
customer service centres for an overview of the current workflow and viewpoints
from front line employees. Besides, a focus group has been organised for
insights from tenants regarding the housing services. Studies on other housing
service organisations have been done for further contextual facts about the
market and benchmarking. The analysis of all findings are detailed in this report,
along with established suggestions for the council as moving forward with this
project.
8. 4
2. Consultancy Cycle
The traditional approach used to commence a consulting project is the consultancy
cycle. There are a variety of interpretations of the model, but it commonly consists of
seven stages, shown in below Figure 1:
Figure 1 - Consultancy Cycle
The model is developed in a cyclical form, since consultants may require to return to
an earlier stage, for example, further data must be gathered in order to move into the
data analysis stage. For the nature of this consulting project, the implementation
stage has been left out. Therefore, it will not be discussed in this report.
9. 5
2.1 Gaining entry
Entry is the first phase of the consultancy cycle, which is the initial point of
contact with the client. Creating a positive first impression is important, as
achieving this in the first stage is vital for the consulting process. As a consultant
a sufficient time frame should be designated for the entry phase with the client.
The main objective of this stage is for the consultant(s) and client to become
introduced to one another, in order to develop an effective working relationship
with openness, trust and honesty. During this stage, consultant and client should
discuss the issues for a clear understanding of the problem and mutual
expectations, this avoids time wasting through working in the wrong direction
resulting in inappropriate solutions being presented (Cockman et al, 1999;
Wickham and Wilcock, 2012). However, consultants can easily concentrate on
building a strong mutual trust with the client for too long therefore failing to
consider the significance of the project presented.
Having considered the importance of the entry stage, contact was initiated soon
after the project brief was received. This was conducted via email. The first
meeting for Connect Consultancy to meet the client was held on 11th February
2016. Regrettably one team member was unable to join the first meeting, which
affected the overall first impression of the team. During the meeting the client
presented relevant background information, such as the general structure of the
housing team, basics surrounding the operations, and outlined the problematic
areas stated in the brief. The team initiated conversations surrounding the
mutual expectations of the consulting project mentioned in the previous section –
10. 6
scope of the project. Overall, the meeting ran smoothly, with positive interactions
throughout. High levels of professionalism was displayed and maintained by all
members of Connect Consultancy as a positive relationship with the client was
established. Due to time constraints, the time spent on this stage was limited.
2.2 Contracting
A contract is defined as a ‘voluntary, deliberate, and legally binding agreement
between two or more competent parties.’ With a contract, the contractor (us) and
the client are both protected. This ensures that the both parties involved
understand what is desired from one another therefore minimising potential
conflict arising from miscommunication.
In order to develop a detailed and accurate contract, the task needed to be
clarified. Prior to the first meeting, we decided to evaluate and discuss the issues
presented in the project brief. These were not discussed in detail to avoid biased
solutions being applied to the basic description of the issue. There were many
constraints regarding this project. Firstly, there was a time constraint as the
project had to be completed by 25th April 2016 at 12 noon. Therefore, the data
had to be collected, analysed and a solution(s) had to be devised. It was
important that a group contract was created to ensure that each member was
obligated to behave in a professional manner at all times. We identified the
importance of team work and applied Bruce Tuckman's (1965) theory. This
theory consists of four stages – forming, storming, norming and, performing
(Reynolds, 2009). During the forming stage we agreed on the mutual goals
11. 7
surrounding the project. This is confirmed in one of our group rules, "we shall
work together on the assignment".
As previously stated contact was then initiated with our client to organise our first
meeting. As consultants we expressed our desire to help others through
providing solutions, these feelings were reciprocated by our client. We therefore
decided to implement the process consultation/collaborative consultancy style.
This is because "each party sees that they have expertise and experience that
will be of value in joint problem-solving and diagnosis" (Kenton and Moody,
2003). In this meeting an oral contract was made based on the mutual
expectations of this project. An oral contract is not reliable as the agreement
made can be denied. Therefore, a client contract was devised which outlined
what Connect Consultancy were offering and what is to be expected of us. The
headings 'ownership of IP & confidentiality' states that all research gathered is
solely the property of our client ensuring that the data is meeting the
requirements of the Data Protection Act (1998). This meant that as consultants
we had no ownership of our research. Our client agreed with this document as it
was signed by himself, and all of Connect Consultancy.
Furthermore, we have stated that the agreement can be terminated if we or the
client breech any terms of the contract. This also relates to any unachieved
expectations. We had included this as we felt a reliable contract ‘should clearly
set out the process surrounding termination involving how it should be handled
12. 8
and the 'ideal' way to inform the other party. The contract can be terminated
immediately (within reason) or with notice.
13. 9
2.3 Collecting Data
This section is devoted to the discussion regarding the methods implemented
during the collection of data, the procedure, followed by the analysis of all
relevant data gathered. The method of data collection is dependant on the
organisation. In order to provide robust recommendations to Birmingham City
Council’s housing department both primary and secondary research were
accumulated. Primary research involves collecting data that is original in nature
as it is “collected to address a specific problem” (Wiid and Diggines, 2009). This
was gathered during one to one interviews conducted at the three customer
service hubs and an organised focus group. On the other hand, secondary
research involves applying existing data that was previously collected for a
different purpose to the current project. This was gathered via research done on
the Birmingham City Council website, and other local council websites.
In order to increase the reliability and feasibility of this data - multiple methods
(qualitative and quantitative approaches) were incorporated, known as
triangulation (Denzin, 2009). Therefore, this counterbalances the weaknesses
associated with each method (Axinn and Pearce, 2006). Foremost, qualitative
data traditionally consists of two broad approaches: observation and interviews.
This method was enforced to gain an understanding of the issues presented in
the project brief provided by the client. Quantitative information traditionally
focuses on gathering numerical data to determine the relationship between an
independent variable and another outcome variable. In relation to Birmingham
City housing department, Connect Consultancy aimed to identify whether
14. 10
increasing the client’s presence on social media would reduce in a decline of
calls received by each hub.
Hub Visit
As previously stated Birmingham City Council housing department have three
customer service centres: East & North centre (located in Lea Hall), West &
Central centre (located in Ladywood), and the South centre (located in
Longbridge). The project brief mentions the issue surrounding the hubs, the
issue was later confirmed to be based on the number of calls received by each
hub. Currently despite being the smallest centre, the south hub receives the
most calls. In order to provide a recommendation, a questionnaire (see Appendix
7) was created consisting of eleven open and closed questions. The objective of
producing this questionnaire was to determine why a large number of tenants
call the centre as opposed to visiting the organisation's website.
Connect Consultancy purposefully divided into three subgroups to ensure that all
of the hubs were visited. These visits occurred on 25th February & 03rd March
2016 and each lasted for four hours. The first set of data was collected via a
naturalistic observation upon entering the hubs, this was to get a brief
understanding of the work ethic and culture. A naturalistic observation involves
assessing the “spontaneous behaviour of participants in natural surroundings”
(McLeod, 2015). The results of the observations were initially recorded in a note
format then transferred into a table shown below Table 1.
15. 11
Table 1 - Observation results
East & North
centre
Warmly welcomed upon arrival
Dynamic environment; sunlight alongside highly lit room.
Calm atmosphere (evident that it is not a busy day), well
divided working environments
Staff: Some uneasy, advanced in age
West & central
centre
Warmly welcomed upon arrival
Only four members of staff
South centre Warmly welcomed upon arrival
Age range of staff 30 – 60+
Prior to the interview process, each member of Connect Consultancy briefly
disclosed the importance of confidentiality with each member of staff that was
being interviewed. Following this, each interviewee was given the option of
anonymity. Once a mutual agreement was decided, the interview proceeded. In
order to avoid biased information being given, an acceptant intervention style
was adopted which involved actively listening so that emotions that would have
previously prevented an honest answer are minimised/eradicated. Both
managers and staff were interviewed to ensure reliable and representative data
was collected.
The duration of interviews was approximately ten minutes. The interview process
was slightly unstructured. This is because the questions were pre-designed but
were also flexible as a ‘comfort zone’ was created. The data collected for each
16. 12
hub is shown in the appendices. As consultants, we embraced a professional
demeanour and attitude to all issues presented.
Reappearing similarities of data collected from each hub are as follows:
The busiest days are Monday and Tuesday
The communication between tenants and employees can be improved
The systems Northgate and CRM to not ‘interact’ therefore complications
such as crashes have drastic consequences
Communication between the hub & back office does not always run
smoothly
Culture of resistance
Other Primary research
Primary data was collected from Ongo (see Appendix 7) as they were awarded
Customer Service Contact Centre of the year in 2015. Upon visiting their website,
the contact information and social media links were easily visible, located at the
bottom of each screen therefore making it easily accessible to customers. They
also made their website more user friendly by giving the option to enlarge the
text and also transform the visible information into audible text. After making
contact with the organisation it was identified that the strategy behind their
success is to have less than 20 per cent of calls transferred to other staff. To do
this, employee is trained to handle all types of complaints that they may receive,
by doing this, customer complaints are dealt with quickly therefore minimising
the frustration linked to lengthy customer journeys. This is a strategy that
17. 13
Birmingham City Council should consider implementing, as a large number of
calls that are received are not necessary.
Secondary research
Secondary research was conducted to provide supporting data that could be
used to strengthen the recommendations provided to the client. The aim was to
collect data based on ways to improve the accessibility of the housing
department, improve communication between the department and customers
alongside incorporating social media to reduce demand. Research was
conducted on the Birmingham City Council website, as during our first meeting
with our client it was discussed that the main reason why the customer service
hubs receive so many calls is because it is hard for tenants to navigate around
the website. Further research was collected on the other four main councils in
the West Midlands also know as the "super councils" (see Appendix 7). The
findings show that on average it takes two more clicks to find the housing team’s
contact page than it does for other housing organisations in the West Midlands.
A telephone interview with the Liverpool Housing Trust was scheduled as they
were previously awarded with the best customer service for a housing trust. This
would have provided supportive data on how to improve the customer service
and develop a more user friendly website. However, it has not been possible to
conduct the telephone interview due to communication issues with the
organisation. However, a telephone interview was successfully conducted with
Solihull Council. The aim of this was to collect data regarding the positives and
negatives of opening their customer service centre on a Saturday, as many
18. 14
working class people do not have time to contact them during the week.
However, it was also identified that despite opening on a Saturday, they were
unable to reduce the number of calls received on a Monday.
This positively correlates with the data collected from visits to customer service
hubs, were employees identified the busiest days as Mondays and Tuesdays.
Data collected on Wolverhampton Council’s website showed how they utilize
social media as a method of communication. They have a Facebook Page and
Twitter with over five-thousand follows were they provide updates and advice
regarding housing information. Additionally, Sandwell and Walsall Council also
utilize social media as method of communication.
Focus groups
Due to external circumstances it was difficult to organise the focus group, Arthur
was absent and the Easter holiday prolonged the meeting until 14th April 2016.
As this was close to our module deadlines unfortunately only two group
members were able to attend. The focus group was attended by five of the
tenants (their names are withheld for confidentiality reasons), Arthur Tsang and
Hilary Davies (East & North hub manager). With the permission of all involved,
the focus group was also audibly recorded and some pictures were taken (see
Appendix 7). Questions were asked on the current service provided by the
council followed by how the process could be improved.
The key points raised revolved around communication issues with the tenants,
people were confused about what services the customers service hubs provide
19. 15
and say the council website provides conflicting and confusing information. The
customer journey is made frustrating as customers continuously report being
passed around and sent between departments, which raises internal concern
that staff are not trained enough. There was also a general consensus that the
service hubs take too long to process and respond to tenant enquiries. Further
improvements included improving communication and information access shared
with the tenants, which could be done by reducing and simplifying contact
methods and websites. Support for social media use was strong as a way to
improve customer services, however further concerns were raised regarding
some tenants not being computer literate.
In order to provide the best recommendations to our client we believed it was
important to conduct both primary and secondary research to provide broader
perspectives in order to strengthen our conclusion. Additionally, we were able to
gather useful qualitative and quantitative data through our visits to customer
service hubs, focus group meetings and research done on Birmingham City
Council as well as other local housing organisations. This data will be further
analysed in the section below.
2.4 Analysing Data
During our consultancy project, we gathered various amounts of data in order to
understand the issues of the client in detail. Interpretations and critical analysis
of the data we have collected provided our team with the applicable knowledge
required to begin generating ideas for the client. At this stage of the consultancy
cycle, we have been able to gather data through primary research such as
20. 16
visiting customer service hubs, conducting a focus group, meetings with the
client and a phone call interview with a local housing authority. Secondary
research on other local councils/authorities has also been completed. The
research gathered provided interlinking yet significant information that our
consultancy team have analysed.
Primary Research
Customer Service Hubs
Analysing the data gathered from visiting the three BCC customer service hubs
for housing enquiries was of significance. Our consultancy team produced three 3
reports respective to each hub to record and analyse the data gathered,
(Appendix 7.8, 7.9, 7.10).
A key consideration we discovered from analysing the data we gathered from
visiting the customer service hubs was the concerns staff had with their main data
recording systems, CRM and Northgate. All the staff clearly stated their
preference for Northgate. This is due to the longevity of the process of recording
calls with CRM. They believed CRM to not be specifically designed or adjusted to
the needs of the hub. Furthermore staff considered CRM to not be user friendly as
there are a vast amount of screens and data to record. From our analysis,
although Northgate could just be used to lessen confusion for staff, it could be
suggested staff may require further knowledge of how to operate CRM and may
need to familiarise themselves with the data recording system through training.
21. 17
The housing tenants of BCC may suffer as the delay in solving the issue may
increase and this could then negatively impact the relationship between the
housing tenants of BCC and BCC. ‘A training initiative helps to boost customer
service and improve customer relations’, (Human Resource Management
International Digest, 2008). Similarly, (Paajanen, 1997) proposes ‘good customer
service rests on three pillars; the right employees, sound practices and training.
Training is often the first step companies take to improve customer service’. Staff
may then possess the depth and understanding to use CRM more effectively as
‘CRM enhances promotion through adding effective C2B communication facilities’
(IGI Global, 2016) which would improve workflow and enhance customer
satisfaction.
In terms of a channel shift and the use of forms of social media, the staff
responded with mixed reviews. The staff were both in favour and against the use
of social media. Those who were in favour of social media suggested an increase
in the use of forms such as Twitter. Skype etc. to enable better communication
with tenants more suited for current times. ‘As your customers move to other
forms of media, it is your job to stay ahead of the curve and be where they are’,
(Beard, 2016). Better communication leads to a more positive employee-customer
relationship as it ‘prevents misunderstandings’ (Dolphin, 2009) from occurring.
This may lead to a reduction in demand as a decline in the amount of calls
received by the hubs will be visible as customers are better informed and
consequently the main housing issues can be resolved by the hubs while the
quicker more straight forward issues are resolved without calling.
22. 18
In contrast, those opposing the use of social media indicated the potential for
customers to become over reliant on it. Specifically, staff emphasised social
media being used more and targeted towards the younger generation as the
elderly and those who don’t speak English as their first language may struggle.
‘Many seniors have physical conditions or health issues that make it difficult to
use new technologies. Around two in five seniors indicate that they have a
physical or health condition that makes reading difficult or challenging’ (Smith,
2014). This may prove detrimental in reducing demand as those who struggle to
use social media will still call in. A shift in culture may be needed to allow BCC to
apply a 21st century approach. Additionally staff stated tenants prefer interacting
with an employee over the phone as the majority of their housing tenants are of
the elderly persuasion. ‘It is known, that close customer interactions help increase
customer satisfaction as a crucial antecedent of customer loyalty’ (Bellingkrodt,
2015).
Lastly, we found that there seems to be a distant relationship between the hubs
and the back office teams. The staff we questioned believed there to be a lack of
knowledge and understanding from staff in regards to what issues were of
relevance to their department and with little interaction between the two, issues
such as miscommunication and duplication of data occurs. There was a significant
amount of calls to each of the hubs, particularly repair related calls that should not
have been transferred to the housing department hubs number, thus could have
been avoided or dealt with before hand by the appropriate employees.
23. 19
‘Organisations should strive to be transparent in regards to how they share
information internally’, (Vessella, 2016). ‘Any kind of misunderstanding in the
workplace, big or small, always has a negative effect on the company’,
(Speedupcareer, 2016). This may cause substantial challenges for the staff at the
hubs as it leads to an influx of calls that should not be for the hub, hence there are
more calls to be passed back to the repairs department leading to a time
consuming cycle, negatively effecting the customer journey whilst increasing
demand. As mentioned above, re-educating staff in terms of additional training
about their roles may be required.
Focus Groups
A report was produced following the focus group conducted with tenants from
BCC, (Appendix 7.12), in order to analyse the data gathered. Due to time
limitations, only one of the possible two focus groups were conducted before the
deadline of this report. The tenants highlighted their concerns with the website.
The tenants stated that there was too much information on the pages and too
many clicks were required to reach the relevant information. Furthermore, they
added that there were too many numbers for different departments and that all the
numbers seem to end up going to the same department. BCC may consider
redesigning their website and service to ensure the highest possible efficiency
and customer satisfaction is met. Yola suggests two significant considerations
when considering the design of a website. The main two steps are to create a
strong and clear message as well as having easy navigations. These are
imperative as, ‘your website is your best chance of making a lasting impression to
24. 20
your customer’, (Yola, 2013). Ultimately, this may create the foundation for BCC
and their tenants to engage in a more productive, healthy relationship thus
allowing customer journey to improve whilst lowering demand.
If this can be implemented successfully, re-educating the tenants of BCC of where
and how to access information may be essential in reducing demand. It could be
suggested, each organisation will have their own demand profile and this
uniqueness means that the causes of avoidable contacts are varied. In terms of
making information available online simple and accessible, customer education
comes to forefront, (CCA, 2012).
Although, from analysing the data gathered from hubs provided insight into the
influx of repair calls that should not be for the customer service housing hubs.
Also, some staff may require further knowledge of what issues were of relevance
to their department, the tenants of BCC could also require further knowledge of
what number and options to choose when calling in. There is a misconception that
the housing customer service hubs and the repairs contact centre are one. This
led to tenants being passed around from department to department causing
lengthy resolutions for BCC’s tenants. Again, re-educating the tenants of BCC
may be essential. When considering the value creation model, (figure 2),
25. 21
, choosing value involves understanding the customer’s needs to focus priorities.
Delivering value involves determining what business improvements will deliver
greatest value to tenants. It is then vital to communicate value to educate the
market.
When re-educating BCC’s tenants, a channel shift and use of social media may
be effective. The tenants questioned from the focus group specified their general
support for the use of social media as a means to improve the customer service
experience. Informing tenants consistently with relevant information allows BCC’s
tenants to ‘share those interests, or who just want to stay informed, can read
these stories and share them as well.’ (Jackson, 2016). As a result, demand may
decrease, however it was stated that tenants who struggle to have access to new
technologies and those who do not wish to ask personal questions through a
social media platform may be reluctant to engage and thus demand in calls may
not alter.
26. 22
Ongo Phone Call Interview
Conducting a phone call interview with Ongo (housing authority) was highly
beneficial in understanding the route which they taken and adapted. A report was
produced in order to analyse the data gathered from the conversation, (Appendix
7.11). The key considerations to be made from analysing this are the efficiency of
their website, the feedback systems in place to achieve the high customer
satisfaction and their ability to implement social media platforms. Feedback was
stated to be of major importance in order to have high customer satisfaction levels.
There are certain methods of measuring customer satisfaction, (Figure 3),
one is a theoretical or conceptual approach. This method, ‘directly measures on
customer feedback’, (Akbari et al, 2013). BCC currently operate on a passive
feedback type as they rely on complaints as their only form of improving the
organisation. ‘Customer feedback collection tools can be generally categorized
into two types, active and passive’, (Wirtz, 2010). However, Ongo use more of an
active feedback system as their customer feedback is based on surveys and
questionnaires. Therefore a more active approach for feedback would be
beneficial to BCC as it would improve the customer journey by highlighting issues
arisen. The use of social media in Ongo is clearly advertised throughout their
website. ‘Many local authorities have already spotted that increasing use of social
27. 23
media allows them to reduce costs by moving to more cost effective channels
whilst actually improving their customers experience’, (BDO, 2016). As well as
increasing awareness of new information to customers on social media it will also
enable cost reductions and continue to improve on customer journeys.
Secondary Research
Other local Housing Councils/Authorities
Relating to information collected, connect consultancy used secondary research
to differentiate Birmingham city council’s website to other local council’s websites
which was done to compare the difference in the ways councils innovate their
website pages and bench mark these services against BCC. “Secondary research
data once obtained, this data can be further analysed to provide additional or
different knowledge, interpretation or conclusions” (Bulmer et al, 2009). Thus,
during the second research, it was obvious that Birmingham city council may need
to update their home page. Solihull Council’s home page is more user friendly,
welcoming and more innovative, thus making it simpler for customers to access
as opposed to BCC as their page is very informative making it difficult for anyone
to browse BCC’s home page. Moreover, Birmingham city council’s website could
be updated constantly in order to fit modern generation. “Fear of obsolescence is
usually a greater incentive to invest in new technologies than the lure of
enhancement of existing offerings, (Chandy et al, 2003). Most businesses are
involved in social media as this is seemed as the fastest way to reach their
customers. This illustrates how some councils are already exploring the social
media app’s and taking into consideration how their customers are evolving
28. 24
throughout technology beneficial to their housing tenants, a route BCC may opt to
undertake. BCC currently uses six different numbers that deals with all requests
which is time consuming and not cost effective. In addition, Coventry’s Councils
website offers a colourful home page with different options not just relating to their
services but any upcoming events to the city which offers diverse social media
options such as Flick, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. It may be recommended
that Birmingham city council could improve their website into a more welcoming
home page format by changing the colours and using less information regarding
their services but with the necessary and use of more pleasant features.
Meetings with Client
Throughout the meetings with the client it was gathered that even though the
company does their best to meet their customer’s preferences, BCC’s housing
department may be implementing the incorrect methods to meet their goals and
objectives. However, certain aspects of the communication process can be
improved to minimise all concerns that have been brought forward such as the
use of verbal communication within workforce, staff social media, customer
service, and the use of technological services. However, based on our data
collection all the information became even more intense.
From the meetings with our client we discussed scope of the project and the issue
of lack of communication within departments but also lack communication
between the council and their tenants. However, to improve such situation
29. 25
internal communication needs to be stronger. “It is the correct design of the
structure which is of most significance in determining organisation performance.
(Drucker et al, 2005). BCC should prioritise and understand the benefits of
effective communication since this will help the company to focus on developing a
pleasant place for staff to work in as well as better production between them and
dealing with customers with professionalism. We also discussed the relevant
primary and secondary research required to address the client’s needs. The key
considerations for the client were the customer journey/satisfaction and
implementing a channel shift/ use of social media.
2.5 Generating Options
According to (Lee and Kozar, 2009) websites are the most important tool in the
communication process over the Internet from looking at BCC's website, they may
need to drastically improve their online website by hiring a professional website
designer in order to help them to restructure it. The reason for this is because
currently the website is really out of date compared to other councils in the local
district. The website needs to state clear information and can be quick to access,
(see appendices 6). Our team did a survey on how many clicks does it take to get
to finding a number for the housing department. Out of all the councils that we did
a research on, Birmingham City Council has the highest amount of clicks in order
to find the contact number. Most of the councils had a maximum of three or even
two clicks to get a contact number, where as Birmingham City council had more
than that. (See appendices 7) for how many each council had. The way that the
council will be able to implement improvements to their website is as we have said
30. 26
before it needs a restructure and a complete design change. However another
important factor may be that the council needs to reduce the amount of numbers
they have on their website, if you look at appendices 8 Solihull Council has only
one number for their housing department and only one email address. By sticking
to one number this will not get tenants confused as to which department they
need to call.
The idea about Birmingham City Council using social media as another means of
communicate is a good idea to a certain existence (See Appendices 10).
Following the focus group meeting with tenants, a possibility for Birmingham City
Council may be that they could use social media to communicate with tenants by
informing them with information they may be unaware of. In addition to this a live
chat system can also be implemented on their website, as this would help to
reduce calls as sometimes people haven't got time to call and wait within a queue.
This would help to reduce demand within the contact centre.
An inbox system may be put into place which only one person should deal with,
this is so that if anyone decides to email instead of phone this can get picked up
very quickly, by doing this and keeping it to one individual person email,
responses will be made quicker.
‘Good communication is an essential tool in achieving productivity and
maintaining strong working relationships at all levels of an organization, (Page
2016). The communication frailties within BCC’s housing department have
31. 27
created major problems, this is because the research we constructed and
analysed highlighted why staff training within BCC’s housing department has to be
improved. Staff training plays a major role in helping employees ‘acquire new
skills and sharpen existing ones’ to help ‘increase productivity’ (Chopra, 2015)
and 'is essential for an organisation's success' (Today, 2016). As inadequate staff
training is a problem for the BCC’s housing department. They may want to look
into their staff training programs and consider the following improvement
opportunities. They could introduce a monthly or quarterly training program to help
their staff members keep up to date with new innovations in customer service
methods. This is because according to (Abbott, 2015), ‘regular training can have a
really positive effect on your team.’ Secondly they could utilise the staff training
initiative used by Ongo. Where as seen on appendix 8.1, the BCC’s housing
department can use this model to help them train there staff in all aspect of the
department to help reduce the number of irreverent calls and increase customer
satisfaction.
In addition to this we found that staff members were having trouble using the new
CRM data collection system, which was recently added to the hubs. When
speaking to staff members at the hubs we unearthed that there was a very scarce
amount of training given in the use of the system and that many of the staff
members preferred using Northgate. BCC may consider discarding CRM and to
remain with Northgate as it will be beneficial in reducing costs and simplify the
data collection process for staff. However maintaining the CRM system BCC may
consider the CRM Database Management training program as show in appendix
32. 28
8.2. This will help educate the staff in using the system and will reduce the
problems that have been occurring.
The main thing that was learnt from Ongo was that all the employees that answer
the phone are trained in all departments, that is a major problem for Birmingham
City Council as they have to pass the call to someone who is trained within that
certain department. According to C, Greenleaf (1998) "viewing employees as a
valuable investment is a necessary step in on-going improvement.." This is
something that Birmingham City Council needs to realise, as this is clearly a big
issue, as all the calls are not fully completed. Birmingham City Council needs to
train all their staff in every department; this would help with the number of calls
that can get resolved on the spot. Furthermore according to W, Rahman & Z, Nas
"when organisations provide training to its employees, it helps them in their career
development...[with their] sense of advancement and skills lead to increased
productivity.." This is what BCC needs to get out of their employees but they can
only do that once they have given them to necessary training. BCC should think of
getting an external expert in to help train the employees to the highest standards.
(See Appendices 9)
Lastly there is a great importance in feedback as according to Beard (2014) ‘it
provides marketers and business owners with insight that they can use to improve
their business and overall customer experience. The BCC’s housing department
as acknowledged before have no Feedback system in place, this has created
barriers for the Council as they don’t know if their current service is good, if the
33. 29
customers are happy with the service and whether there are any improvements to
make. This demonstrates the significance of a feedback system. The BCC could
use the following company Voluntas to help them build a feedback system and
guide them through the effective Feedback Cycle as shown in Figure 4.
. This company has delivered 'insightful and actionable business intelligence'
(Voluntas, 2016) to many businesses including Ongo the award winners for
customer satisfaction as seen on appendix 8.4. The BCC's housing department
can use Voluntas 'Customer Insight' program to help them gain a better look into
the customers need and according make the necessary improvements, this in turn
will create the platform in helping BCC increase customer satisfaction and reduce
demand.
In addition to this the BCC could look into incorporating live chat onto their
website this will allow customers to chat with the council in real-time to ask
34. 30
questions, get advice and 'add a human factor to your website, allowing your
business to tell its story and solve customer issues all at once' (Honigman 2013).
BCC can use LiveHelpNow.net live chat system, as this is the number one rated
live chat system for the last five years as show on appendix 8.5. The live chat
system is cost effective as this offers many features that can aid the council such
as 'Social Insights', where you can connect too tenants through social media,
mobile phone (text and e-mail). They also offer training and free demo on use and
features of the system. So the implementation process will be made simpler.
2.6 Disengaging
Disengagement is the final stage of the consultancy cycle and “refers to the
ending of the consultation or collaboration relationship” (Dougherty and
Dougherty, 2009). It is aimed to evaluate the consultation process by confirming
all expectations have been reached. The timing of disengagement varies
between consultancy projects; Connect Consultancy is currently in the process
of disengaging. In order to maintain a healthy relationship with our client, it was
mutually agreed that this process would not be rushed. The checklist (see below
Figure 5) suggested by Cockman et al, which involves steps to ensure a
successful disengagement process, was used as a guideline.
35. 31
Figure 2 – Checklist(Crowther, 2009)
Implementing this checklist involves assessing the beginning (each stage of the
consultancy cycle) in order to prosperously assess the end (disengagement).
During the entry stage Connect Consultancy discussed the time frame available
with our client, also mentioning how the disengagement stage will occur.
Naturally, a period of reduced involvement occurred during the analysis of data
stage, which was comfortable with. As we are yet to disengage it is difficult to
discuss the process. However, a plan to successfully disengage has been
outlined below. Once this plan is put into action there may be some
disagreement about how the process is handled therefore negotiating and
compromising may take place.
Connect Consultancy's plan to disengage
1. Reduce involvement
36. 32
2. Evaluate: Connect Consultancy will discuss and evaluate the consultation
process alongside our client [Arthur]
3. Post consultation: In order to reduce the gap caused by disengaging,
Connect Consultancy suggest that Birmingham City Council customer
service/housing department should assign different members of staff to
adopt a similar role of a consultant
4. A presentation of our findings will be presented to Arthur and his team.
5. The possibility of publication regarding the findings and recommendations
will be confirmed
6. Follow up: Receive feedback on the consulting process from our client
7. Termination: Verbally express our gratitude, followed up by a brief farewell
email encouraging our client to continue their growth”
To summarise, as the importance of this stage has been identified, a plan has
been devised to ensure that disengaging from our client will occur smoothly.
37. 33
3. Conclusion
The consultancy project we have undertaken with Birmingham City Council
has been insightful in allowing Connect Consultancy to develop our
understanding and knowledge of the nature of consultancy. We have been
able to successfully follow the steps of the consultancy cycle, although
generating ideas wasn’t completed and implementation of these possible
ideas could not begin due to time limitations we were able provide a
professional, efficient service to our client. The task, which has been
presented to our consultancy team, has been both challenging and
intellectually stimulating. From carrying out this report, underpinned with
appropriate evidence, theory and literature, meeting with our client and
gathering our primary and secondary research, we have come up with
appropriate solutions tailored to the clients needs. We believe, BCC must take
appropriate action in order to provide the most efficient service to their tenants
as well as enhancing productivity. Redesigning the website, training all staff
on aspects of the business, the use of social media to enable better
communication with tenants and to inform tenants of information on the go
and need for feedback to improve customer satisfaction have been
highlighted as key solutions for our client. In terms of addressing the concerns
of the customer journey and channel shift/ use of social media for BCC, we at
Connect Consultancy believe if these solutions can be implemented, BCC and
the housing tenants of BCC may see the direct positive results in reducing
demand and improving customer satisfaction as a result.
38. 34
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