Publications

Advice to a Call Centre Manager

Managing a communications or service centre can be exacting, especially for newly appointed managers. In this article the authors conduct a question and answer session to look at the problems facing such a manager who is coming to terms with the rigours...read more

Being Health & Safety Conscious When Running Games

Running a training game or activity can present health and safety issues for the participants. In this short article Sarah Cook outlines the potential hazards and how to overcome them.In preparing to run a training activity or game, the trainer or facilitator...read more

Buying an off the Shelf Game

Many trainers find it time and resource effective to purchase a ready made game to incorporate as part of a training event.  There are many such games on the market, but how do you select the correct one? What selection criteria should you use?When...read more

Change Management at Midlands Co-op Society

Midlands Cooperative Society or Midlands Co-op as it is better known, is the second largest independent retail Co-operative Society in the UK. Employing over 7,000 staff, it has gross sales in excess of £744 million.  It also has a substantial investment...read more

Constructive Conflict Management

Conflict inside an organisation can seriously weaken its ability to stay in touch with customer needs and deliver satisfaction.  A customer rang to query a retailer's failure to deliver her new washing machine that morning.  The service representative...read more

Chapter 1 - Change Management Excellence

Change Management Excellence using the intelligences for successful organisational changeChapter 1IntroductionIn recent years change in the business environment has become a way of life.  Advancements in technology, the pace of competition, globalisation...read more

Creating a Customer Focused Organisation

In today's competitive market place there are few organisations who do not desire to be customer-focused.. Statistics show just how crucial customer retention can be:Reducing customer defects can boost profits by 25 - 85% (Harvard Business School)The...read more

Customer Care Excellence Chapter 1

We have become a service economy. Yet few organisations are truly delighting their customers. This chapter introduces the concept of service quality and defines what this means to the customer. At the end of this and subsequent chapters, a checklist...read more

Linking Learning Needs Analysis to Business Needs

What is the link between learning needs analysis and business needs?   How can you anticipate the training that may be required to meet the future demands of the business? How can the training professional ensure that the needs of the business are...read more

Creating a Customer-Orientated Culture

In today's competitive market place there can be few organisations who do not desire to be customer-focused, and even fewer who do not recognise how important employees are in delivering this. The bad news is that yet few are truly succeeding.In this...read more

Creating a High Performance Culture through Effective Feedback

It is generally accepted that an effective manager creates a work climate where individuals feel able to give of their best, to learn and develop to their full potential.  An important way managers can create this environment is by reinforcing helpful...read more

Culture Change in Your Organisation

‘We need to change the culture round here’ is a cry that is often heard, particularly when an organisation has a new leadership team or when mergers and acquisitions take place. Yet, how ready and able is an organisation to change its culture? What...read more

Senior Leaders' Effective Strategy in a Recession

Given the current economic climate, how do you retain a viable strategy in the face of what many feel has become an upside-down business world? It is sadly the case for some individuals and organisations, that the certainties of the last decade or so...read more

Customer Focused Leaders

How do you get senior managers to live and breathe the customer?  Sarah Cook and Steve Macaulay explain how a framework devised by management consultants McKinsey can help focus the minds of top managersLearning PointsSenior managers are often pre-occupied...read more

Customer Experience in a Difficult Economic Climate

In difficult times consumers have a choice about where they spend their money. Those organisations that provide excellent customer service are more likely to not only retain their customers but to attract new ones. So how do you do this in times of...read more

Customer Experience Standards and Service Level Agreements

Both service standards and service level agreements are methods used by service providers to ensure consistency of service.In this article Sarah Cook describes how to set service standards and service level agreements and ensure that they are meaningful...read more

Designing Questionnaires to help Establish Learning needs

Sending a questionnaire to gather data to help identify learning and development needs is probably the most used method in the trainer or HR professional's repertoire. But what is the best way to design a questionnaire? What are the pitfalls to avoid...read more

Designing your own Training Games

There may be occasions when you decide it is appropriate to design your own training game. The first step is to be clear about the learning outcomes that you would like to achieve in undertaking the activity. What are the objectives? Consider where the...read more

Developing Senior Managers

Steve Macaulay and Sarah Cook explore how to grow the capabilities of senior managers.Much of the millions companies spend on management development is wasted. Yet another report has come out, this time from Oxford Saïd Business School, saying that...read more

Developing Strategy

Increasingly managers are expressing a view that they want to develop their strategic skills to help them better understand their organizations.This article provides an introduction to corporate strategy including:• The language of strategy and its...read more