Communication

[STFU]

There's a significant number of posts on this forum from fans whom have tried to communicate with the club and got zero response.  Are some now suggesting we have to pay to join the trust to have any chance of receiving such a courtesy?

[Jaggernaut]

I have,  over several seasons, given my tuppence halfpennies worth of suggestions on the forum and other platforms, and at the time you hear the right noises coming from above, and that's where it ends. Small things, easily achievable things that the club could quickly implement, but nothing. So I can relate to the 'banging your head against a brick wall ' scenario. I've got to the point where I just come to all the home games, and go home after. If I didn't have all my health issues I might have more inclination to get involved, but those times are sadly gone.

[Scotty]

27 minutes ago, STFU said:

There's a significant number of posts on this forum from fans whom have tried to communicate with the club and got zero response.  Are some now suggesting we have to pay to join the trust to have any chance of receiving such a courtesy?

nope, communication should not be dependent on membership of anything. However, if the trust can reach a tipping point where it has a significant membership, seen to be representative of the support then they really do need to listen if the Trust speaks with a representative voice. Whether they do or not is another question. 

I would wager that many of those who don't get a response or who are grumbling may be shareholders. I for one would be happy to proxy my miniscule holding to the Trust for any meetings in future. If you have a few hundred more like that then you take the 10% voting share they already have and make it a little more. That just might be noticed. If we do manage to make it back to the premiership then it is also worth considering that our current method of communication - or lack thereof - may not stand up to UEFA club licensing criteria. 

[+Fraz]

In fairness I emailed the club on May 8th asking about what was happening with the kids v players game and got a reply the next day. Said they would look into it and get back to me. 

Haven't heard anything since though. 

[Cattach]

Hi folks, long time CTO member, infrequent poster. Like so many who have already posted, I too have become increasingly frustrated by the poor communication and service from the club in recent years. I would moan to friends and family about it but decided to do something about it and reached out to the supporters trust to understand their role and to see how I could help. 
 

Scotty is right in earlier posts, there are only a small band of dedicated supporters who are giving up a lot of their spare time in support of the trust, in particular on the fan survey to date.

Whats clear is the current club board appear to treat all fans the same, including the supporters trust. This has to change going forward. The outputs from the survey when published won’t be easy to ignore! I can 100% assure anyone that the trust is not in the clubs pocket! 
 

I’ve now been co-opted onto the supporters trust board. Why? Because I do believe relationships between fans and the club can & must improve. I believe as loyal fans we can take our voice to the club and though open dialogue and cooperation that we can make things better for all fans at the club. There is a strong willingness from the supporters trust to improve the fan experience at the the club, we just need the club to listen, acknowledge and take action. 
 

If you are also frustrated then there is something you can do about it. You don’t have to go as far as me and join the board (I’m happy to discuss that with anyone who is interested) but even by joining the supporters trust then you are already playing your part in trying to improve the fan experience.
 

It’s only a fiver, less than a city centre pint these days. If we can increase the trust membership then there is no way the club can ignore the fans voice!  https://www.ictsupporterstrust.org/join-us

Edited June 28, 2023 by Cattach

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

Single callers not attached to any fan association should be listened to and responded to BUT let's face it - it is always more effective to provide a group comment and with "official" status. So who is the designated person at the club responsible for fan communication ? 

[bdu98196]

From the official website

Supporter’s Liaison Officer – Gordon Fyfe – slo@ictfc.co.uk – 01463 222880

[lizi]

ICT are good at automatic emails - another received regarding renewal of season ticket.  I’ve already renewed. I wish they were as quick to respond to fans emails and queries.  

[Jaggernaut]

33 minutes ago, lizi said:

ICT are good at automatic emails - another received regarding renewal of season ticket.  I’ve already renewed. I wish they were as quick to respond to fans emails and queries.  

Yea, I just got one just now, I've already renewed, but it's nice to know that they have my best interests at heart! 

[Duke of Inverness]

39 minutes ago, lizi said:

ICT are good at automatic emails - another received regarding renewal of season ticket.  I’ve already renewed. I wish they were as quick to respond to fans emails 

They only want our money. Not interested in fan engagement. I'm not renewing my season ticket as I am drifting away from ICT with the way they are run and their lack of interest in us fans. Sad, but true. 

Also unsubscribed from getting their emails. I'll go to the odd game but I'm just not anywhere as near as interested in going to games like I used to be. 

Edited June 28, 2023 by Duke of Inverness

[Jaggernaut]

3 minutes ago, Duke of Inverness said:

They only want our money. Not interested in fan engagement. I'm not renewing my season ticket as I am drifting away from ICT with the way they are run and uninterested in us fans. Sad, but true. 

Yes, I think I was too quick to renew, I should have waited to see what rabbits they're going to pull out of the hat. Won't hold my breath. 

[Scotty]

1 hour ago, bdu98196 said:

slo@ictfc.co.uk 

email address seems appropriate given the speed of response. 

[Duke of Inverness]

23 minutes ago, Jaggernaut said:

Yes, I think I was too quick to renew, I should have waited to see what rabbits they're going to pull out of the hat. Won't hold my breath. 

Not your fault in being loyal.

Customer service is poor (at best) in general these days across the board. 

Technology increases by the second and we're now 24/7 with everything, but getting to speak to a person and getting what you need seems impossible with most places, companies, organisations etc. 

ICTFC are maybe what has broken the camel's back for me with their poor communication and lack of customer care!! I'm just not taking it from them anymore. 

Trying to communicate that to them, someone in the club is a waste of my time.

Plenty other things in life to put a smile on your face, as opposed to the negativity around ICTFC just now.

Edited June 28, 2023 by Duke of Inverness

[Douglas Mackenzie]

Thanks for all the thought out logical and constructive posts on this topic which we  all agree is important.

In relation to my own situation I resent my letter to the Chairman having not had an acknowledgement or response for 29 days.I posted it first class and this time also Emailed it with a time received and read receipt.I got an Email today telling me the letter has been handed to the Chairman. Now let's see what if anything will happen.

Gordon Fyfe is the fans representative and so far he has failed to answer any of the Emails I sent him on this topic.

I agree with other posters. It should not matter whether you are an individual or part of a group if you write to the club with a genuine query  they should acknowledge and respond.

In this day and age it is highly unprofessional just to ignore incoming contacts and basically keep those with a vested interest in the dark.

If we cannot get these basics right what chance have we.

[old caley girl]

The club has never used the SLO role effectively imo. If you want to see how it can work well have a look at @SJFC_SLO on twitter. Beverly is fantastic in this role. 

Hate to say it but Kenny OTB pretty good too. He is @RCFC_SLO for those on twitter that wish a look 

[big cherly]

1 hour ago, Duke of Inverness said:

They only want our money. Not interested in fan engagement. I'm not renewing my season ticket as I am drifting away from ICT with the way they are run and their lack of interest in us fans. Sad, but true. 

Also unsubscribed from getting their emails. I'll go to the odd game but I'm just not anywhere as near as interested in going to games like I used to be. 

Snap! Place it also a tip and adds to the disenfranchisement.

[STFU]

2 hours ago, big cherly said:

Snap! Place it also a tip and adds to the disenfranchisement.

Agreed.

This is also disgusting and shows a total lack of respect.

[RednBlackComeback]

1 hour ago, STFU said:

Agreed.

This is also disgusting and shows a total lack of respect.

Now that I like . We've finally managed to get the 'c' out of  ICTFC and the eagle has flown, leaving just the thistle and ITFC

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

I am making contact as a forum member of Caleythistleonline. Initially can I request confirmation of receipt please. There does appear to be many CTO members who are stating that they are not receiving any response from the Supporters Liaison. The major concern at the moment would appear to be Player Sponsorship opportunity. As a long term supporter I am concerned that many people would appear to be NOT renewing their season tickets nor attending as many matches in the future. Support is crucial. Please advise as to what is happening with the SLO link. 

John MacKenzie AKA Immortal Howden Ender

Sent to SLO - no receipt automatically made 

[Douglas Mackenzie]

The role of SLO is one which all clubs  competing in UEFA competitions must have under article 35 of the UEFA Club Licensing&Fair Play regs.

Interestingly,I had a call from the Chairman today and I advised of my own concerns re communication and that of other fans.I didn't say I would print what was said,so to be proper I will not go into detail here.We had a robust honest exchange of views and he listened to what I had to say.He said he would take on boards my points and he directed me to Gordon Fyfe, SLO. I covered my issues with the person covering this role  also and I am now waiting a response from the SLO.

Suffice to say I haven't renewed my season ticket yet until I hear what the SLO says.

As it stands I am not convinced there will be change soon.

[STFU]

9 hours ago, Douglas Mackenzie said:

The role of SLO is one which all clubs  competing in UEFA competitions must have under article 35 of the UEFA Club Licensing&Fair Play regs.

Interestingly,I had a call from the Chairman today and I advised of my own concerns re communication and that of other fans.I didn't say I would print what was said,so to be proper I will not go into detail here.We had a robust honest exchange of views and he listened to what I had to say.He said he would take on boards my points and he directed me to Gordon Fyfe, SLO. I covered my issues with the person covering this role  also and I am now waiting a response from the SLO.

Suffice to say I haven't renewed my season ticket yet until I hear what the SLO says.

As it stands I am not convinced there will be change soon.

Reading between the lines, it sounds like the call didn't go that well, especially if it didn't do anything to convince you that things would change.

[Jack Waddington]

11 hours ago, Douglas Mackenzie said:

The role of SLO is one which all clubs  competing in UEFA competitions must have under article 35 of the UEFA Club Licensing&Fair Play regs.

Interestingly,I had a call from the Chairman today and I advised of my own concerns re communication and that of other fans.I didn't say I would print what was said,so to be proper I will not go into detail here.We had a robust honest exchange of views and he listened to what I had to say.He said he would take on boards my points and he directed me to Gordon Fyfe, SLO. I covered my issues with the person covering this role  also and I am now waiting a response from the SLO.

Suffice to say I haven't renewed my season ticket yet until I hear what the SLO says.

As it stands I am not convinced there will be change soon.

Trying to get any response from Scot Gardeningleave and/or the club itself is nigh on impossible. Once in a blue moon will you recieve a reply from the club (when they're not posting the Season Ticket prices every day), and Scot doesn't seem to do anything bar like tweets by some dodgy political don.

Everyone and their dog has asked the club and Scot for x, y and z, the basics, when are we getting kits, whats the case with Billy etc etc, but its just flat out radio silence. Comms are literal beans, and if anything we need to look at the way the team did it before a certain tweet got put on the club feed (ykiyk). At least back then you could actually expect someone from the club to respond, not have to either sit assuming or waiting for another fan to tell you.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

I haven't had any form of response. Surely Gordy is not on his own with this or maybe he doesn't know that he is  I can understand delays or nil response from the chairman but if he is aware of all these concerns then he should be doing something about it ??

[+Fraz]

25 minutes ago, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

I haven't had any form of response. Surely Gordy is not on his own with this or maybe he doesn't know that he is  I can understand delays or nil response from the chairman but if he is aware of all these concerns then he should be doing something about it ??

Not being facetious but has anybody ever received a response from the (alleged) SLO since the days of Andy J? 

[old caley girl]

1 hour ago, IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER said:

I haven't had any form of response. Surely Gordy is not on his own with this or maybe he doesn't know that he is  I can understand delays or nil response from the chairman but if he is aware of all these concerns then he should be doing something about it ??

I don't think it's Gordys fault. I suspect he's just a name put forward to fulfill our licencing requirements. I have no idea who reads the SLO emails though