CUSTOMER CHARTER PROMISES 04/05
(Tuesday 15th March 2005)
 An update of the progress of Wycombe Wanderers' Customer Charter is included within a Football League report published recently. The report gives feedback on the three 'promises' made to supporters for the 2003/4 campaign and lists a further three 'promises' for the current season.
The 'Customer Charter' initiative was instigated in 2001 by the Independent Football Commission in an effort to improve customer service to supporters. There has been a varying success of the Charters throughout the Premiership and Football League. Wycombe's own Charter remains virtually unchanged since it was first published nearly four years ago. The promises published last year by COTN and these new promises have yet to be publicised by the Club and a revised Customer Charter remains in the pipeline.
The following is extracted from The Football League Customer Charter Report 2004 - published Dec 2004 - www.football-league.co.uk
Promises Made and Action Taken 2003/04
Promise 1
To refine and implement the Travel Plan to the best of
our ability. This will aid speed and comfort of access
and egress for all customers.
Action Taken
Travel plan meetings with local residents are held quarterly,
new parking restrictions have been implemented locally
and policed better. Free park and ride has been
introduced, at the cost of the Club, from two separate
locations. Two subsidised paid bus routes - subsidy from
the council and the Club. All aimed at removing cars from
the area of the ground on match days.
Promise 2
To improve communication with all supporters, not only
the two supporters clubs, but all supporters.
Action Taken
Regular meetings with representatives from the
supporters clubs. Request for assistance and input into
drawing up a revised Customer Charter. Both
supporters clubs given space in the programme to
advertise their services and express their views.
Promise 3
To encourage the newly formed Supporters Trust and
hopefully welcome a representative onto the Board.
Action Taken
Progress was made in lending active support from the
Board of Wycombe Wanderers to the concept of a new
Supporters Trust by encouraging the development and
early progress of a working party. This work stalled
temporarily whilst attention was given to a prospective
Scheme of Arrangement designed to convert the
existing company limited by a guarantee into a new
company with a share capital. The scheme has now
been sanctioned by the Court and all interested parties
and a Supporters Trust is now an important element of
the new constitution arrangements.
Promises Made 2004/05
1. To improve customer service and response times in
relation to ticketing and all aspects of matchday delivery
to customers covering tickets, food & drink,
programmes and merchandising through the
publication of local service standards and a formal
complaints procedure.
2. To maintain effective communication channels with all
supporter groups in the aftermath of the change in the
Club's constitution and the creation of two formal bodies
e.g. Founder Shareholder Trust and Wycombe Wanderers
Supporters Trust by publishing a series of plans covering
the use of official website and other media. This is likely to
include formal surveys designed to test effectiveness and
take feedback, new ideas and initiatives.
3. To redesign the match day proposition in order to
improve entertainment value, add to the attractiveness
of a day at Wycombe Wanderers and so increase the
family of supporters to the benefit of an enhancement to
gates. This process has already commenced with an
exciting new formula delivered at the first league game
of the new season.
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The Independent Football Commission issued a seperate report in February 2005 where they comment on recomendations made to improve Charters including validation and and making clear commitments to customers on a rolling basis. However, the IFC comment "Charter awareness continues to be low. This is unsurprising. As the IFC has underlined in the past, public interest is in results achieved, not the small print of charters." They IFC suggest that Club's should at least publish the promises as these are easier to understand and read than the complete charter, adding "Awareness generally would be helped by reference to the existence of the charter, or charter system, in the matchday programmes."
The IFC report concludes its comments on Customer Charters by saying "Customer Services sections of charters tend still to focus on complaints, as if defence of criticism is the main function of a customer services team. The IFC suggests that customer service goes beyond compaints and that complaints could more usefully be regarded as valuable feedback"
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