Question

Describe how consumer participation and engagement in decisions about service provision can occur?

Answer 1

Customer engagement in service delivery includes offering a range of ways to provide input and affect how the service is provided to customers using your service. In this chapter, the word "consumer" is used for anyone receiving services, but in different contexts, customers, service users, customers, tenants, members and service recipients are also used. Managerialist strategies became popular with funding agencies during the late 1980s and 1990s, and local organizations ' focus shifted to case management, individual' unit ' costs, and competitive service tendering. Delivery of service was preferred to development or advocacy in the community. Recently, this managerialist approach forced community organizations to follow quality standards and participate in ongoing initiatives for change. Funding agencies now need evidence that companies have connections to local communities and offer opportunities for customer engagement.

Involve customers in the process as early as possible Assess the ability of your company customer participation often does not create change because the organization does not have the infrastructure, processes and willingness to respond to consumer feedback Create a plan and secure resources consumer participation is not always a cost-neutral exercise Ensure that your intent and priorities are achieved. The complaints mechanism and acting on client complaints across the organization need to be strongly committed. This can be done by developing the process for clients and employees, and then receiving the approval of a complaints policy and procedure from the management. All clients should be regularly advised and encouraged to use the complaints mechanism. This support must be strengthened by including discussion of the complaints mechanism in the induction of new staff and members of the committee.