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Fans Focus Group


Robert

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Many thanks for posting this, Robert.  As stated in the article, a summary of discussions from the 1st 2 meetings will be published by the club in the next 10 days and if anyone wants a bit more detail after that is published, I will do my best to provide it.

This a very welcome and positive development.  There has been a lot of criticism of the club in recent years over what is seen to be poor communication, and this initiative provides a regular platform for some constructive 2 way dialogue.  Clearly a focus group meeting cannot involve everyone who may want to attend, but we have set up a new email account of admin@ictsupporterstrust.org and would encourage anyone who has any general questions, concerns or ideas which you would like to be raised at a focus group meeting to send them to that address.  I will collate the emails and liaise with Scot Gardiner to bring appropriate items to the group.  Whilst not everyone can attend, everyone can be involved.

With John Robertson and Board Director Gordon Fyffe attending meetings along with the CEO, this is a great platform to ensure that the club is listening to the concerns and ideas of the fans.  Fans  coming through the turnstiles are the lifeblood of the club and therefore it is important that the club understands what will bring people to the ground and what make them stay away.  Equally, it is important that the club clearly communicates the reasons why it can't always deliver what people would like.  The creation of the Fans Focus Group is a really positive initiative in enabling this 2 way dialogue, but it will only be a success if the club is made aware of questions, concerns and ideas and discusses them with fans' representatives.  I'm glad to say, the first questions have already hit the inbox - so keep them coming!

Peter Mutton - Chairman, ICT Supporters Trust

Edited by DoofersDad
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1 hour ago, DoofersDad said:

Not sure what you're asking here.  This is simply the club engaging constructively with the Supporters Trust and other fans' groups.  Surely something to be welcomed by all?

Absolutely, assuming it is in good faith and not a box ticking exercise and that the club not only listens to the concerns and suggestions of the fans but, where appropriate, acts on them.

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On 8/4/2021 at 12:00 AM, DoofersDad said:

Many thanks for posting this, Robert.  As stated in the article, a summary of discussions from the 1st 2 meetings will be published by the club in the next 10 days and if anyone wants a bit more detail after that is published, I will do my best to provide it.

This a very welcome and positive development.  There has been a lot of criticism of the club in recent years over what is seen to be poor communication, and this initiative provides a regular platform for some constructive 2 way dialogue.  Clearly a focus group meeting cannot involve everyone who may want to attend, but we have set up a new email account of admin@ictsupporterstrust.org and would encourage anyone who has any general questions, concerns or ideas which you would like to be raised at a focus group meeting to send them to that address.  I will collate the emails and liaise with Scot Gardiner to bring appropriate items to the group.  Whilst not everyone can attend, everyone can be involved.

With John Robertson and Board Director Gordon Fyffe attending meetings along with the CEO, this is a great platform to ensure that the club is listening to the concerns and ideas of the fans.  Fans  coming through the turnstiles are the lifeblood of the club and therefore it is important that the club understands what will bring people to the ground and what make them stay away.  Equally, it is important that the club clearly communicates the reasons why it can't always deliver what people would like.  The creation of the Fans Focus Group is a really positive initiative in enabling this 2 way dialogue, but it will only be a success if the club is made aware of questions, concerns and ideas and discusses them with fans' representatives.  I'm glad to say, the first questions have already hit the inbox - so keep them coming!

Peter Mutton - Chairman, ICT Supporters Trust

Poor communication from the club, the ‘Supporters liasion officer’ and also the supporters trust, who I haven’t heard anything from at all since at least pre-covid

Edited by jamie ictfc
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2 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

Not sure what you're asking here.  This is simply the club engaging constructively with the Supporters Trust and other fans' groups.  Surely something to be welcomed by all?

As mentioned above by @jamie ictfc there are meant to be other "avenues" for communications between the fans and the club but these seem, at least on the face of it, to be underutilised. I was wondering if therefore the Fans Group replaces these previously underutilised avenues or is another channel between the club and supporters? Obviously any communication is welcomed but we haven't had much of that in the past but hopefully that changes. 

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1 hour ago, jamie ictfc said:

Poor communication from the club, the ‘Supporters liasion officer’ and also the supporters trust, who I haven’t heard anything from at all since at least pre-covid

Yes, I hope the ST doesn't fall into the "dormont" state as before. Let's not forget the ST are custodians of substantial voting rights.

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On 8/4/2021 at 8:39 AM, RiG said:

Forgive my ignorance is this a replacement for / extension of / addition to the ICT ST?

Might be an idea to ask your guys from the podcast who were on the zoom call this one...🙄

...Or get them to raise it at the next meeting, assuming they are attending.

Considering there has already been two meetings i thought you'd probably know more than most.

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Is asking the media team to pull the finger out and do their job an acceptable contribution to the next meeting?

Seeing as the response by the club for this, that and the other on twitter has been woeful in comparison to admins we've seen in years gone by...

People need their questions answered, not just left ignored, it doesn't give the club's social page a good look

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10 hours ago, RiG said:

As mentioned above by @jamie ictfc there are meant to be other "avenues" for communications between the fans and the club but these seem, at least on the face of it, to be underutilised. I was wondering if therefore the Fans Group replaces these previously underutilised avenues or is another channel between the club and supporters? Obviously any communication is welcomed but we haven't had much of that in the past but hopefully that changes. 

Thanks for the clarification.  It is a good point you make.  First, let me say that we are at a very early stage.  What has not yet been discussed is an agreed purpose for the Focus Group.  That, I hope, will come at the next meeting on September 2nd.  What was agreed at Monday's meeting was to open up a specific email address (admin@ictsupporterstrust.org) for fans to submit issues that they would like to have discussed.  This email address will be monitored and the issues raised will be collated by a representative fans body and not by the club.  This means the agenda is to a significant extent set by the fans, and the fans' representatives at the meeting can ensure these issues are discussed and actions chased up on if necessary.

One of the key initial questions must be about how this Group impacts on other routes of communication between fan and club.  The club's website currently lists 6 different email addresses on its contact page and individual staff members and Directors will have their own email addresses too.  My personal view is that our new email address would be appropriate for issues someone thinks needs discussion between the club and fan groups, but that personal matters or requests for information should be directed to the club as at present.  However, as is already clear from emails received, one of the issues is that emails sent to the club are not being replied to.  I see the Focus Group being about working collaboratively so that the club's engagement with fans is more effective and, that far from replacing them, one of the outcomes would be an improvement in the existing avenues for communications.  That applies not just to emails, but social media and the website etc.  

 

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The biggest frustration for me is the poor communication that we get.

If there are six e-mail addresses that cannot help. Most businesses have one primary address for customers (eg info@whatever.co.uk) which they prioritise monitoring and responding to. Live chat functions on websites, between published hours, is becoming common and could be a good option as it can be less labour intensive.

It needs to be someone’s responsibility to monitor and reply to social channels and e-mails in a timely manner and they should publish service levels that they are seeking to achieve (eg reply within one working day), and send an acknowledgement if they will be unable to achieve that (they could even automate it so customers get an automatic acknowledgement so know the e-mail is being actioned).

Regular, proactive updates from the Chairman or CEO would be welcome. This could take the form of a monthly bulletin circulated on social channels and on the website. This should be augmented by updates when anything of note happens (signings etc). Too often we get a burst of activity at season ticket renewal time then little for months.

Each time we have had a new Chairman we get promises that communication will be improved. Now is an opportunity to actually achieve that. The club knows it is an issue, and that it is important to fans, so they should sort it.

I welcome the Focus Group and hope it helps to deliver improvements, but visibility of the issues discussed and how they are followed through will be vital.

Edited by Robert
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1 hour ago, Robert said:

The biggest frustration for me is the poor communication that we get.

If there are six e-mail addresses that cannot help. Most businesses have one primary address for customers (eg info@whatever.co.uk) which they prioritise monitoring and responding to. Live chat functions on websites, between published hours, is becoming common and could be a good option as it can be less labour intensive.

It needs to be someone’s responsibility to monitor and reply to social channels and e-mails in a timely manner and they should publish service levels that they are seeking to achieve (eg reply within one working day), and send an acknowledgement if they will be unable to achieve that (they could even automate it so customers get an automatic acknowledgement so know the e-mail is being actioned).

Regular, proactive updates from the Chairman or CEO would be welcome. This could take the form of a monthly bulletin circulated on social channels and on the website. This should be augmented by updates when anything of note happens (signings etc). Too often we get a burst of activity at season ticket renewal time then little for months.

Each time we have had a new Chairman we get promises that communication will be improved. Now is an opportunity to actually achieve that. The club knows it is an issue, and that it is important to fans, so they should sort it.

I welcome the Focus Group and hope it helps to deliver improvements, but visibility of the issues discussed and how they are followed through will be vital.

Entirely agree. There is no excuse for such poor communication over so many years.

It is an insult to the supporters and the numerous promises of improvement which are never fulfilled make it worse.

High time this long standing issue was resolved and it should be very close to the top of any agenda for any forum of discussion between the club and fans.

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14 hours ago, DoofersDad said:

Thanks for the clarification.  It is a good point you make.  First, let me say that we are at a very early stage.  What has not yet been discussed is an agreed purpose for the Focus Group.  That, I hope, will come at the next meeting on September 2nd.  What was agreed at Monday's meeting was to open up a specific email address (admin@ictsupporterstrust.org) for fans to submit issues that they would like to have discussed.  This email address will be monitored and the issues raised will be collated by a representative fans body and not by the club.  This means the agenda is to a significant extent set by the fans, and the fans' representatives at the meeting can ensure these issues are discussed and actions chased up on if necessary.

One of the key initial questions must be about how this Group impacts on other routes of communication between fan and club.  The club's website currently lists 6 different email addresses on its contact page and individual staff members and Directors will have their own email addresses too.  My personal view is that our new email address would be appropriate for issues someone thinks needs discussion between the club and fan groups, but that personal matters or requests for information should be directed to the club as at present.  However, as is already clear from emails received, one of the issues is that emails sent to the club are not being replied to.  I see the Focus Group being about working collaboratively so that the club's engagement with fans is more effective and, that far from replacing them, one of the outcomes would be an improvement in the existing avenues for communications.  That applies not just to emails, but social media and the website etc.

Thanks, appreciate the response. Anything that improves communication between the club and fans is good and hopefully it will allow for more effective collection of thoughts and opinions from supporters to funnel through a single point of contact to the club to respond (perhaps through their own dedicated SPoC as well). Fingers crossed it goes well.

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I’m assuming this collated email address is being used to streamline communications into the club, is it also then to be used to streamline communications to the supporters trust who, I reached out to in March and have yet to receive a response? F6E5F1A4-C4BA-489C-BA82-24637FFBECD4.thumb.jpeg.388485d322333a378b228d5f247cb67b.jpeg

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Suppose after yesterday another thing that probably should be brought up is what seems to be a mobile data blackspot where the stadium is. Anywhere else in town I can load up and upload pictures to social media at any time at all with no issues, but it took an absolute age for it to work yesterday.

I'm aware this isn't the club's issue specifically, but it certainly isn't the only place in town with a blackspot, so it would be worthwhile bringing it up and forwarding it to the council for them to deal with.

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1 hour ago, Jack Waddington said:

I'm aware this isn't the club's issue specifically, but it certainly isn't the only place in town with a blackspot, so it would be worthwhile bringing it up and forwarding it to the council for them to deal with.

Surely all the council could do is give the mobile service providers a nudge?

I'm not doubting you, but I'm suprised, given that the Longman is flat, and that all the industry and businesses there must require good coverage. 

Perhaps the structure of the stand that you were in was interfering with the signal?  The big shiny fancy buildings in London, with their metal frameworks, are notoriously bad for this. 

 

Added later:  if there really is a problem, then it could be a good opportunity for the club to earn a little money by allowing one or more service providers to set up masts in the ground.  For example, on top of a stand - highest point in the area, apart from perhaps the maltings buildings and the bridge itself.

Edited by snorbens_caleyman
added bit about setting up masts
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2 hours ago, Jack Waddington said:

Suppose after yesterday another thing that probably should be brought up is what seems to be a mobile data blackspot where the stadium is. Anywhere else in town I can load up and upload pictures to social media at any time at all with no issues, but it took an absolute age for it to work yesterday.

I'm aware this isn't the club's issue specifically, but it certainly isn't the only place in town with a blackspot, so it would be worthwhile bringing it up and forwarding it to the council for them to deal with.

Never had any issues in the North Stand on EE tbh. 

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I’m on Vodafone and have not had an issue until yesterday when I couldn’t get a couple of apps to load when trying to check the Raith team so I could update my scorer prediction.

I put it down to an issue with Vodafone as it’s never been a. Issue for me before, and I was only one row behind my normal seat. 

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I wonder, in the course of liaisons between the club and fans, was there any clarification on what precisely the remit is of John Robertson's new role as Sporting Director now that has had a few months to bed in and how that compliments or overlaps with the role of head coach ?

As this arrangement is a novel one for our club I suspect that I might not be the only supporter curious to find out.

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3 hours ago, Kingsmills said:

I wonder, in the course of liaisons between the club and fans, was there any clarification on what precisely the remit is of John Robertson's new role as Sporting Director now that has had a few months to bed in and how that compliments or overlaps with the role of head coach ?

As this arrangement is a novel one for our club I suspect that I might not be the only supporter curious to find out.

Robbo explained his role in detail when he did the Wyness Shuffle podcast. 

Was a brilliant listen. Think still available 

Edited by old caley girl
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