I’m watching Saturday morning breakfast T.V. in bed and there is an item about when to turn on the central heating. They have a plumber in the studio giving advice about how to look after your boiler and keep your bills down. She finishes by saying “what you really need to do is find a good plumber and develop a relationship.”
This got me thinking about how a few years ago when the public sector was being encouraged to be more customers focused and friendly. We were told that successful businesses built up a relationship with their customers the example quoted was your bank manager. Banks were in competition but offered much the same service so they were very keen to keep their existing customers. The idea was they got you young when you didn’t have much money but because they were friendly and you built up a personal relationship with the manager as your career progressed and your income increased you stayed with the bank you knew and trusted. The public sector equivalent was your family GP someone who had know you and your family for years. Of course all this has changed we don’t have bank managers now, if you have sufficient funds to make it worthwhile you might have an account manager but you probably don’t know their name or where they are based they are just a voice at the end of the phone. If you’re like me you don’t know who your GP is. I belong to a group practice which seems to have about 10 GP’s which are always changing. When I go to the doctors I see who ever is available which means I have never seen the same doctor twice. I understand these changes in banking and the NHS have been to improve efficiency. The same is true in social work which once upon a time was all about building up a personal relationship with the client so that they trusted you. Now of course it more task orientated undertake an assessment, put together a care package of support move on to the next case. You might only see the elderly person twice before you close the case. I suspect that changes in the nursing professional have also resulted in less patient contact time as axillaries do the washing , dressing , feeding and toileting leaving nurses free to do the technical stuff. And if a teacher was said to have a personal relationship with a pupil this would probable be the subject of gossip and potentially disciplinary action.
It says much about how things have changed that this helpful plumber thought customers would be well advised to take the initiative and develop a relationship with a “good plumber”.
Blair McPherson is author of People Management in a harsh financial climate published www.russellhouse.co.uk