Investors in People is a national standard which helps organisations transform their business performance. Preparing for the IIP assessment (which took over a year) has involved all of the Black Light team and has led to a business-wide rebranding, improvements in its business systems and a number of changes in staff roles and responsibilities. Together, these have streamlined the company's operations and improved customer service.
"IIP has helped me, as the business owner, focus on what is important for Black Light and start rolling that out," says Gavin Stewart, Black Light's managing director. "I hope that it underlines the fact that we mean business and that we take what we do seriously."
According to Stewart, one of the reasons Black Light signed up to IIP was to try and improve communications internally in order to improve customer service. The company now has a strong mechanism in place to ensure that all staff can contribute feedback and highlight strengths and any weaknesses. The staff appraisal process has also been strengthened.
Stewart is now focusing on ensuring that these developments result in a process of continuous improvement - without compromising the friendly and relaxed personality of the company as a whole.
IIP feedback also gave the company ideas for how it can further improve the 'customer experience' for its clients. As a result Black Light is now looking at upgrading its web and IT systems to provide new services such as order tracking.
(Jim Evans)
