Giving customers what they need

To do this requires:       

• A better understanding of demand in customer terms, essential to be able to avoid large volumes of false failure demand as customers return to complain or to get the uncompleted service finished;

• An end to ‘top down’ management such as targets, standards and budgets which divert attention, impose methods and ultimately increase costs;

• Instead a focus on purpose in citizen terms (politicians should limit their focus to defining purpose only);

• A shift in the locus of control from the centre to the ‘frontline’ and equipping them with the expertise and freedom to handle customer demand, learn and innovate;

• Shifting the focus of regulators from compliance to purpose and giving service leaders responsibility for measures and method.