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From: Paul Swanton‘”
Sent: Fri 27/03/2015
To: Mark R Davies!
Subject: Re: Horizon Help
Thanks mark
Enjoy the weekend
On 27 Mar 2015, at 19:58, Mark R Davies r
et Paul Swanton
‘a, Strategy Planning &
Production Manager
Finsbury Dials
20 Finsbury Streeet
LONDON, EC2Y 9AQ
With you 100pc JK. Have a great weekend and let's catch up Monday. Thanks for such a full and
helpful response.
I agree with you - watershed!!
I've made Pete M very aware of the unacceptability of this email chain and would like to see
Simon P on Monday too.
Mark
Mark
Cc
Davies
is and Corporate Affairs Director
On 27 Mar 2015, at 19:45, Jonathan Knox!
Ok - firstly on blackberry so apols for typos and also don't have access to full info. And this
has taken a long time to type!!!
Honesty time...
Point 1: horizon is a system therefore garbage in, garbage out.
Point 2: do Mark H and I (only two people who can amend Help) make things up - No. It's a
cut and paste from our Contributors.
Point 3: do we make mistakes - Yes. Generally typos. We have an arrangement with NBSC
about correcting minor errors as they are found. Do we shout about this - no.
Point 4: do we dig marketing out the sh!t. Yes. Frequently. Specifically Phillips team - yes.
On 5 occasions this calendar year. (1 too am disappointed with this email trail).
Point 5: are Mark H and I experts on every product to be able to recognise when a mistake
(typo or not) has been made - no of course not. We accept that our subject matter experts
are exactly that - subject matter experts.
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Referencing the original issue:
1: (sorry this is where I don't have systems access, so am making assumptions) this is likely
to be an update to information. I.e. RM extended the promotion. Lesson here for us
(comms) is either we delete the original comms, or else be clearer that it is an update.
Happy to do either. However - also (ref point 5 above - we're human) and so we'll have to
bring contributors with us. Now on my radar - Swani - goes back to our convo about
pensions and information relevance.
2: travel insurance - not comms.
3: ordering - stock/marketing issue - not comms.
4: RFL- ???. Product Manager issue (see point 5 above). In fairness, we (mark/i) sometimes -
ref DVLA - advise our Product Managers of changes to their products. To be honest - I see
this as a good thing. We are not omnipotent, though.
5: errors - would like a clearer definition of what ian means by this. He has contacted us
(comms team) before pointing out errors on Help (most recently on Stock Codes about a
month ago - following this email I asked Cheryl Wingfield to review every single stock code
on Help and we made around 100 updates and I emailed him back to advise).
Am somewhat perturbed that this is a Comms issue (point 1 above - caveat point 3) as I
work closely with a number of teams (quietly and in the background) such as
Stock/NBSC/Amanda Stevens to make sure that we get good info out - and when we do
make mistakes, to get them rectified/mitigated quickly.
I have a number of examples of where we have supported our Marketing colleagues when
they have failed/over-promised or just generally planned badly in the past few months that
I am happy to share with Pete to demonstrate our (comms) commitment to customers....
From my point of view - this can be a watershed moment in terms of how/what we
comms. We are putting rigour and governance into our planning and I expect others to do
likewise. Mediocrity is no longer acceptable. Poor planning is no longer acceptable.
Again - apols that am on blackberry and don't have full facts to my fingertips. But I'll speak
with you both on Monday.
JK
Jonathan Knox, Channels Manager
Post Office Ltd.
Sent from my blackberry so sorry for any typos.
From: Mark R Davies
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2015 07:01 PM Coordinated Universal Time
To: Paul Swanton
Cc: Jonathan Knox
Subject: Re: Horizon Help
Hi
Copying JK!
Thanks. I'm really cross that we have been fingered in this way without any warning:
it's unacceptable and I am going to have it out with Pete Markey and Simon. Whether
or not we have made a human error or not this is not acceptable in my view.
I would like chapter and verse on this on Monday please - if we have made a mistake
then as you say it is a case of holding hands up: and everyone does make mistakes. If
not, well...
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Mark Davies
Communications and Corporate Affairs Director
On 27 Mar 2015, at 18:55, Paul Swanton, GRO.
Hi mark
Jk is on it - I'm also disappointed with Simon as jk had already
responded to him to say they'd discuss it on Monday - only one of the
issues related to online help, the others are not related to that - can't
understand that if it was thought to be a Comms issue Paula didn't come
direct to you.
On the dates thing my view is it could be one of two things - these dates
are changing constantly and changes were made at the last minute (this
happens regularly) or we've made a mistake - the team are human and it
doesn't happen very often.
I'd defend our branches being properly served to the hilt via branch focus -
it's the highest regarded piece of Comms across the whole piece so the
claim is a little unfounded. I'm guessing there have been a few issues
recently (Paula's comment in the first exchange) but we've not been
involved in those.
The fundamental basis is too many people are 'responsible' for
communicating in the business and that's a big issue for controlling
quality and accuracy. Of course we're putting in robust editorial and
planning mechanisms (together with the audience oversight Paula
mentions in her first email) however that only covers off what we know.
I've copied in jk as he may have something more to add - will do
anything we need to get this approach right
Paul Swanton
Strategy Planning &
Production Manager
Finsbury Dials
20 Finsbury Streeet
LONDON, EC2Y 9AQ
Hi
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Please can you give me an urgent view on this: not happy to
have the team criticised like this without knowing more
about background.
Thanks
Mark
Mark Davies
Communications and Corporate Affairs Director
Begin forwarded message:
Date: 27 March 2015 18:01:14 GMT
Subject: Re: Horizon Help
This sounds like really poor join up. Kevin you
need to add this in to your review please and
make sure our branches are being properly
served. It could be too many hand-offs.
I'd like you to tell me when you have
Thanks Pete for the additional input.
Kevin, I'd like to you tell me when you have
signed off a process you are happy with.
I make no apologies for wanting to know -
there is nothing more frustrating when you are
running a small business, than an incompetent
head office. (Which is what it clearly is to Ian.)
Paula
Paula Vennells
Chief Executive
Post Office Ltd
Sent from my iPad
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On 27 Mar 2015, at 16:57, Peter Markey
Hi Paula
Simon has spoken to lan and talked
at length following the earlier email.
It’s clear that lan has a number of
concerns outside of his email and he
spoke to Simon at length about
these. He referenced writing to Alice
to outline these in more detail.
On the issues covered in the email, in
short its down to the updates on
Horizon Online Help which the
Internal Comms team currently own
and manage.
Simon has updated lan so he has the
information he needs. He is also
writing to him today with a detailed
response to the points made.
’ve asked Simon to pick this up today
with the internal comms team to
review the process and ensure that
any bugs or issues are fixed such that
this does not happen again.
Regards
Pete
From: Paula Vennells
Sent: 27 March 2015 09:47
To: Kevin Gilliland; Peter Markey
Cc: Martin George
Subject: Fwd: Horizon Help
Kevin, Pete, hi. View this note
from a ‘positive intent’ - I'd like to
know we can fix it for our benefit
as well as postmasters.
See below. It is inefficient and
costly: rework and answering
queries like this consumes time,
effort and money - we are
expensive executives! And it is a
distraction from other priorities.
And secondly it's irritating because
we are damaging our own brand
and all the work you and your
teams put in to building it.
We went through a similar phase a
couple of years ago and I thought
we now had a retail operations
role in place (in network) that
checked and cleared every comms
that goes out to branches? This is
not the first complaint in recent
weeks as Pete knows. Apologies
are necessary but you both need to
crack down to improve the
process. Successful retailers make
occasional errors of course, but
they are rarely careless. They may
all be independent errors but it
feels like a cultural issue around
understanding the importance of
right first time.
Can you advise?
(Maybe you could engage Ian to
review the next 2/3 months worth
of comms to branches?)
Thanks, Paula
Paula Vennells
Chief Executive
Post Office Ltd
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Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
From: David Atkins
GRO I
Horizon Help
Hi lain
I will give you a call
tomorrow
Kind regards
David Atkins
Regional Sales Manager - North West
c/o Kim Williams ~ Post Office Ltd
Stanway House,
Almondsbury Business Centre,
Bristol,
BS 32 4QH
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Sent: 26 March 2015
12:19
To: NBSCEnquiries
Cc: Paula Vennells;
David Atkins
Subject: Horizon Help
Morning
Can you confirm the following:
1) On Horizon Help ‘Calendar’ 23-29 March -
RM Inland Parcel Offer Ends 29 March !
30 March-5 April - RM Inland Parcel Offer
Ends Sunday 5 April !
WHICH Is IT ?
2) When do the new Travel Insurance product
come into effect ???
3) Why can't I order, through Horizon,
further supplies of the NEW Travel Insurance
Packs ???
4) What is there to withdraw for
2014/15 Fishing Licences ? FYI 'NRA' Licence
books were withdrawn many years ago !
5) Why are these failures constantly
happening and who is actually doing anything about
these stupid omissions and errors ?
Marton Post Office 6-8 Preston New Road
BLACKPOOL Lancashire FY4 4HQ
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www.martonpostoffice.co.uk
= Please don't print this e-mail unless you really need to KA