With the introduction of IER, 2014 was a busy year for local authorities and electoral services providers alike. The replacement of the old ‘household registration’ system in place of IER - Individual Electoral Registration proved unfamiliar territory for all involved.
In January 2015, following the main initial IER roll-out, Print Image Network decided to send out a customer satisfaction survey to customers. The purpose of the survey was to understand how its service was received by customers during IER, which was described as ‘the biggest change to voter registration in a generation’ by the Cabinet Office.
The results pleased the electoral printing specialist as they confirmed that customers had indeed been satisfied with the service they received during IER. The results also contributed to Print Image Network’s successful three-year Customer Service Excellence (CSE) accreditation reassessment; something that no other election provider has achieved.
Services Director, Stephen Power commented about the survey results “To achieve great feedback from our customers during what has proven to be a very challenging experience for local authorities and service providers throughout the UK, makes us extremely proud. The CSE accreditation is only awarded to companies which drive customer-focused change within their organisations, this is something that the team at Print Image Network works very hard to do.”
Highlights from the IER-related survey include:
• Overall satisfaction: 100% of customers were ‘extremely satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the service they received throughout the IER transition
• Sales & Account Management: Scores for the sales contacts and account managers were either ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ – both ranked highly for their responsiveness to customers
• Products: 100% of customers thought its products were of ‘high quality’ and believed that the application of the IER templates was ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’
Managing Director, John Foster was also pleased at the survey results. “Historically our customers have told us they receive an excellent service from us, therefore we felt it was important to understand if we had managed to maintain our high service levels during the complexities of the IER transition. I'm delighted to say, we did.”
Print Image Network will get its full CSE assessment scores during the next few months.
Print Image Network Ltd, one of the UK’s leading providers of local authority electoral printing services, will sponsor the Elections Conference 2015 on 15 January 2015. The Elections Conference is an annual event for returning officers and senior managers from UK local authority councils who are accountable for managing the election process.
With a strong heritage in electoral services including the design, print, fulfilment and postage of canvass materials, poll cards, postal voting packs and ballot papers, Print Image Network works with more than 80 local authorities throughout the UK. The company is excited to sponsor the event for the second year as it addresses prominent issues that affect its customers.
The one-day event welcomes an array of prestigious speakers to discuss a number of key challenges facing returning officers and senior managers. Dr Clive Grace OBE, Secretary of the SOLACE Foundation will open and close the conference with Sam Gyimah MP, Parliamentary under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office delivering the keynote session. In addition, Print Image Network is especially pleased that Tony Slater, Head of Elections at the company will be delivering one of the afternoon sessions - Digitising Elections.
John Foster, Managing Director of Print Image Network said of the forthcoming conference “2015 will be a key year for returning officers and their staff, the May Parliamentary Election and local elections will present great challenges for all involved. At Print Image Network it is our job to assist local authorities as much as possible with the challenges they face, this year we will continue to do so with our flexible and responsive approach to election administration.”
Services Director, Stephen Power added "Managing the complexities that Parliamentary, local elections and electoral registration bring can be especially testing for local authorities. In order to fully assist our customers to the best of our ability we work closely with the Cabinet Office and the AEA, our commitment to the Electoral Commission Working Group is also vital to understanding the future challenges that local authorities face.”
The Elections Conference is being held on 15 January 2015 at Broadway House, London and is organised by SOLACE Enterprises.
As Print Image Network Ltd, one of the UK’s leading providers of Local Authority electoral printing services, is busy preparing customers for the IER transition, there has been little time to sit back and reflect on some of the positive feedback received by customers following the recent European and local elections.
2014 has been a challenging year for Local Authorities across the UK and councils and suppliers alike have worked together to ensure the election period was managed in a timely and professional manner. During this period Print Image Network has supported customers by printing long ballot papers, poll cards, postal packs and ancillary products such as wristbands and queue cards, to ensure polling stations were equipped to deal with the electorate come Election Day.
“Print Image Network works tirelessly to ensure customers receive a first-class service, it is one aspect of our service of which we are most proud,” says John Foster, Managing Director. “Customers have expressed to us the pressure that has been felt due to combined elections, delayed canvass and IER, at Print Image it is our philosophy to assist our customers as much as possible to help alleviate some of the pressure felt during particularly busy periods. Our dedicated account team works incredibly hard to deliver this service to our customers and we are delighted to see that it is appreciated.”
The feedback received included comments such as “The overall printing of poll cards, postal packs and ballot papers has been first-class” and “The printing was excellent, delivered on time and the service was exemplary.” Comments that were further appreciated by Service Director, Steve Power, who added “We knew 2014 would be a challenging year, the staff at Print Image worked extremely hard to deliver jobs under extreme pressure, so to receive these comments has been extremely rewarding to the management and staff at our company. We would like to thank all our customers for their continued service.”
Print Image Network is now working with customers across England and Wales to deliver IER printing such as HEFs, ITRs and confirmation letters.
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About Print Image Network Ltd
Print Image Network Limited is an award-winning provider of electoral printing services to local authorities throughout the UK. It delivers a range of products and services for a variety of companies in both the private and public sector, specialising in Government electoral services including design, print, fulfilment and postal services to no less than 80 UK local authorities nationwide. Print Image Network’s offices are in Stockport, Cheshire.
