Why Might You Decide to Use VocalEyes?

“If your group / organisation wishes to strengthen itself through improving  :

Engagement, Learning, Participation & Motivation – Responsibility, Positivity, Creativity & Interactivity – Deliberation, Consultation, Communication & Decision-making”

VocalEyes comprises an online (internet) service together with offline (face-to-face) processes which embody and promote the characteristics above.   The VocalEyes process is inherently interconnective, fostering a culture of engagement and learning with a set of behaviours and attitudes which over time strengthen the organisation.

An organisation which is  strong – which is effective and responsive while also resilient to external change – is one which has developed high levels of interconnection, is able to make the best of its resources and works well together as a cohesive body.

An Example from the Private Sector – Sainsburys:

This short clip from the private sector highlights the importance of consulting and engaging with all staff : to ensure the business stays up to date with customer requirements and feedback, and so that staff feel valued and motivated towards performance improvement.

Using the VocalEyes process enables this dialogue to commence and progress, through gathering ideas, rating and debating these, and taking the best ones on to fruition.

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The implications are far-reaching, so benefits will vary from organisation to organisation and sector to sector, but include:

• Boost Motivation & Creativity:

Few organisations provide members / staff with encouragement and means to contribute fully towards growth and success.  Not only does this mean there are untapped resources, but also the potential for frustration.  In adopting the VocalEyes process an organisation actively invites contributions from members / staff, liberating creativity and boosting motivation.

• Enhance & Measure Performance:

Public or third-sector organisations are increasingly called-upon to demonstrate best-value, effectiveness and consultation in their procedures. However these can be expensive, time-consuming and disappointingly low-response.  VocalEyes redirects negative criticism towards positive contribution, gathering creative energy from within and without the organisation.  Due to its open , transparent processes it offers a window into concerns and proposals at an early stage, enabling proactive decision-making by those in authority; and it offers measurable, genuine consultation, top-down and bottom-up.

• Increase Profits:

Businesses aim to streamline their processes, reduce running costs and attract more business. VocalEyes can be used to engage both staff and customers in this process, enabling the organisation to identify demand for new and existing products or services, encourage innovative ideas and improve communication in all sectors. See Sainsbury’s video clip below.

• Promote Inclusivity & ‘Attendance’:

Most organisations hold meetings and take notes or minutes of these, but it is all-too-often impossible to find a time and place which suits all who would like to participate. Staff or members who are unable to attend due to other commitments have to wait for minutes to be circulated which are often too brief or too impenetrable to be of much help. Also, commonly some people are more confident and dominate face-to-face discussions. Using the VocalEyes online service can enable ‘attendance’ by turning a meeting into an ongoing conversation or a recursive process in which everyone can participate and have their say, through creating ‘minutes’ which are immediately available for further contributions online 24/7.

• Increase Customer/Resident Satisfaction & Loyalty:

Research consistently shows a direct correlation between engagement, motivation of staff and customer/resident satisfaction.  In addition, VocalEyes can be used as a “customer surgery” to obtain feedback and ideas for improvements on products or services. Customers/residents can then be contacted as suggestions are acted upon and engaged further, creating a ‘virtuous cycle’ of escalating trust and engagement.

• Identify Demand:

A group member or staff member or customer or resident might have a good idea for a product/service to add to the community, or to the business, or to the local authority provision. However instigating this will entail some risk and commitment of resources. VocalEyes can identify whether there is sufficient demand for the service, before making the commitment, and thus minimise any risk. Trigger levels can be set and publicised, thus helping to market the product/service while assessing its viability.

• Engage Members:

Putting forward themes for deliberation can stimulate new forms of active participation and meaningful communication within a social group large or small, e.g. a Trade Union, WI, U3A, residents association or church group…..  Communication can be both peer-to-peer (horizontal) and member-administration (vertical).

• Reduce Friction:

Because it offers a voice to all – the confident and the shy, those at the top and those at the bottom, those secure and those insecure in their positions, those at the centre and those at the margins – and because it offers open, democratic processes including voting and consensus-building, VocalEyes enables any organisation to deal in a healthy, proactive and strengthening way with internal and external challenges, by including all its stakeholders in the run-up to decisions. This is particularly true of present circumstances where every organisation (including local government) is having to make difficult decisions which threaten to create destructive feelings and negative behaviour patterns.

• Create & Identify Leadership Potential:

VocalEyes empowers individuals within the group or organisation to ‘vocalise’ their ideas and to seek support from others towards taking action based on these. This enables the individual to build self-confidence and also enables the organisation to spot those who might beneficially be given greater responsibility. This is true not just of the education sector but for any age or type of organisation.

• Acquire & Create New Skills:
  

The skills needed to fully develop the VocalEyes process are not yet commonplace in society. Clearly there is a need for those unfamiliar with the internet – or who presently make little meaningful use of its potential – to be trained, hence an opportunity for training trainers. Beyond this most basic element are the many more -sophisticated skills involved in promoting learning, moderation, deliberation, consensus-building and enactment processes within organisations: i.e. a requirement for change-agents equipped for the digital age. An organisation which embraces the need to develop such skills in alliance with VocalEyes will position itself well for the future. [cf.]

• Activate Website:

Adding a VocalEyes service to the organisation’s website provides a function which is more interactive and more powerful than any form of blog or comment facility, and thus can be used to increase utility and drive traffic.

• Align with the Zeitgeist:

One does not need to be a supporter of Localism or Big Society rhetoric to recognise that every type of organisation will increasingly benefit from incorporating the type of processes which VocalEyes provides. In fact, it might fairly be said that these processes will become indispensable, a necessary feature for organisational credibility in the near future.