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Whilst client had an existing complaints procedure, its usage had all but disappeared. The current procedure for dealing with a customer complaint is that, where possible, the member of staff dealing with the scheme/policy will handle the complaint. Whilst this encourages ownership and can help build the relationship between customer and staff member, there are fundamental problems with the procedure which impact its effectiveness and therefore success.......read more.
Client believed it had a good reputation for service and in the mid 1990’s had implemented a Customer care programme. This was a successful programme, but given the length of time and the changes in key staff since, believed that it was important to undertake further service related training with an emphasis on the way customers are greeted and treated whilst on the premises.......read more.
The group was started by 6 pharmacists combing their own pharmacies into a single group and subsequently purchasing another 2. Although highly qualified in their field and ambitious to grow they had no experience of managing a multi-branch group and little of managing such a size operation. Financiers needed feedback and confidence in systems and control.......read more.
The client having purchased his pharmacy some time ago and using our business support on a quarterly basis now wished to expand the business into a group of pharmacies and to this effect had identified one pharmacy for take over with more wanted and subsequently purchased.......read more.
Ostensibly the problem was liquidation of the practice and two sister companies due to a poor investment decision by the sole shareholder, with the mandate to minimise personal liability in that event. In fact the practice and the sister companies were badly managed with no budgets, financial controls, no overview and no defined decision making processes. Fraud was rampant in the one company. Management was demotivated and the practice although highly regarded was barely breaking even.......read more.
The company wished to tender for contracts with large organisations, but had no previous experience of tendering and was concerned about having insufficient time to carry out the process properly....read more.
The Client is a well run company that both manufactures and supplies third party products to mainly industrial markets. Having been established for 25 years they have experienced a variety of market conditions to which they have reacted well to become a multimillion pound turnover business that supplies both the UK and some overseas markets....read more.
A major University wanted to create a number of spin off businesses based on the Intellectual Property developed by some of its staff. In order to do this they needed to identify the business opportunity and research potential markets, the result being a report that could be used as the basis to form a business and seek appropriate financial backing....read more.
The company designs and installs industrial and commercial air conditioning systems. They undertake a design brief having tendered for a project and carry out detail design. Unlike others in the industry who tend to use jobbing installers the Client retains their own team to carry out this work....read more.
The Client was a well established manufacturer and supplier of giftware to the independent retail sector, multiple outlets, department stores and garden centres. They had a wide range of products, well accepted in the market place and were trying to introduce new products every year. Although gifts are purchased all through the year approximately 40% of sales take place in the three months prior to Christmas....read more.
A distributor of audio equipment found that their market was evolving from a product led to a solution led environment. The existing sales team was well qualified to deliver technical presentations but needed to develop account management skills and a deeper understanding of how to identify customer needs....read more.
When a countrywide supplier of security products started up in business they had developed their own web site in house as it was the most cost effective and controllable method at the time. As the firm grew it became clear that the site was not as scaleable as was needed, but also that the maintenance was eating into time better spent on building the business....read more.
Relationships and General Management
The Board/Management of the Company did not work! How many times have we heard of companies started by 3 or 4 friends or a family where a little while down the line they have realised that one of them doesn’t fit! Will that person quietly move over for the good of the company! No chance! A common problem for a lot of “Small start-up” or “Family” businesses!....read more.