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Message
From: Paula Vennells {
Sent: 15/08/2014 10:21:32
To:
cc: } Chris M Day
in Kennedy1
Subject:
Apologies for the long note - it comes after the quarterly CEO meeting yesterday with the NFSP and is
confidential - please don't forward.
Firstly, thank you to Nick and Neil for the preparation; and to Neil especially for handling and steering the
meeting. There were some dark moments and difficult discussions - Neil you were really excellent. We are
keeping the trust, which is good.
Giles' note, which I circulated earlier (Nick/Ian fyi - see below) reminded me of how far the Fed are behind the
digital curve, it adds a further degree of challenge to their claim that they can deliver support services for the
network under a new TOM. A point I tried to land in the meeting but am not sure they 'got' it. online
email/video/support has to be cheaper. provided by the Fed - great. But the gap to get there...
I know you have all been involved in thinking about how we work with the Fed going forward. But I'm now
asking you to up the pace and depth of thinking. We need to be horizon scanning many angles, and one of the
biggest questions in my mind is just what we think they can do for the grant funding. Otherwise, we are setting
up a false promise that lacks integrity; or if we took Ian Park's proposition yesterday, knowingly agreeing to pay
out where we don't have any work to give them. If they are not able to transform themselves to deliver the level
of digitally enabled services that we shall require, any ongoing payment becomes a subsidy for a failing
organisation. Not acceptable. Not inevitable. But it needs clear and integrated planning to get to the right
outcome.
I was speaking to Kevin this am and debriefed him. Having the right postmaster in Bishopsgate as part of the
team will start to make a difference to their digital understanding - this needs progressing asap please. We shall
need to take them with us digitally or we shall 'lose' them along the way. Martin, I wonder whether Giles could
also give some thought to what other customer/digital projects there are, where we could proactively involve the
Fed as part of a team? Kennington?
We don't have time to play parallel streams, ie., shadow meetings which we have sometimes had to do in the
past. Rather we have made commitments, they are keen to be involved, we must involve them. However, their
contribution may or may not be what we need and the sooner we know the better. Eg., I asked what network
services they could pilot quickly to prove a case. Mervyn mentioned previous suggestions he had made but
there was nothing specific, and he then said they had no money.
Kevin you need to think with David what they could do that could be genuinely useful, digital, and that could
work under a new TOM. The two of you will have to steer this, to help Neil and Nick progress the negotiations.
If you don't, we will be in constant disagreement - a distraction we need to discard quickly. We cannot be
saddled with future payments and an MOU commitment that is out of syne with our new ways of working; yet
they have to find a way though the November Special Conference.
When I get back I'll put in a meeting to be updated on the thinking and the various options - there are one or two
that are radical (they mentioned yesterday and include them losing the vote at conference); we should not
discount those - it is anyway an outcome to explore. But in the meantime we must proactively involve the NFSP
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as a business partner, it is likely to be the most sensible way forward and for the moment the one that keeps the
pace up.
I know you have various meetings set up over the next week - BTr, Bishopsgate, which demonstrate that
willingness. This will not be easy and is crucial to get right. I don't think we know what that looks like yet. For
clarity, Neil is the ExCo lead; but what I can see already is that it is already another example of collaborative
PO working - thank you.
Paula
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
From: Paula Vennells!
Date: 15 August 2014
icholas Kennett;
David
D'Agostino eee eunne
Subject: Fwd: A few 'thin
Just to share a note from Giles - i won't get it all in my blog but I thought it was good and
helpful. Very simple examples that show this is just a different way to think and solve problems.
Neil and I were talking yesterday about how we best set ourselves up to lead the business in the
work we are doing. Gabriella will be catching up with you. Not least is the need for us to be
serious about digital thinking and action. As we know, we are behind the curve as a business and
leadership in this area is going to be a challenge for some of us. Aidan will be mentioning it at
the ExCo meeting next week re how you prepare your teams for the move to our new Post Office
Customer Support Centre at Finsbury Dials.
So see below; the more we share thinking and examples, just to get it into our consciousness, the
better.
#thinkdigital
I will be speaking to some of you today but if not, and you are going away, enjoy your break. I'm
looking forward to mine. Thank you for your support particularly in the last few weeks, we are
starting to make good progress in a very challenging but game-changing context. Please keep the
pace up.
Paula
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
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From: Giles Dunning I _ GRO
Date: 14 August 2014 1
To: Paula Vennells}
Ce: Avene O'Farrel
Subject: A few 'think digital’ thoughts
Paula,
As promised here are a few thoughts/ examples that show how we are all capable
of thinking digitally.
On visiting the Kennington Park branch this afternoon, the team are full of things
that we could do to make customers lives easier and make them more productive -
and the trigger that got thoughts flowing was, in the first instance 'think about the
problem, not the technology’. Think about what is not working, and then how
better technology or better information would make things easier.
This lead to, amongst other things:
Why do I have to print out my sales report from the point of sale, and then work
out my progress and write it on a whiteboard to show my staff before the day
starts. That should happen automatically.
So it's as simple as 'be clear on the problem statement, and think ‘wouldn't it be
great if... Because the odds are that we can.
Strange anecdote - but an interesting one.
I know they are already thinking digitally when they can serve a customer that
barely speaks a word of English by using their mobile phone to translate into
Romanian and end up with a very happy customer - brilliant digital thinking.
Hope that's useful.
Giles