|
Post by Mr Stabby on Nov 8, 2019 18:40:44 GMT
Contracting out only works if there is flexibility in the 'contract'. We did it extensively in the NHS particularly on the maintenance side and it was a PITA because the providers default position was usually 'thats not in the contract'. It's like when you see contractors mowing the grass on the towpath when it's pissing with rain and all they are doing is ripping clods of earth out and churning the whole thing up. Their contract says they have to mow the grass eight times a year and so obviously they have to do it whether it's a sensible idea or not.
|
|
|
Post by Gone on Nov 8, 2019 19:08:39 GMT
Contracting out only works if there is flexibility in the 'contract'. We did it extensively in the NHS particularly on the maintenance side and it was a PITA because the providers default position was usually 'thats not in the contract'. It's like when you see contractors mowing the grass on the towpath when it's pissing with rain and all they are doing is ripping clods of earth out and churning the whole thing up. Their contract says they have to mow the grass eight times a year and so obviously they have to do it whether it's a sensible idea or not. Contractors only get paid when working unlike the old government run organisations. Just to clarify- if your contract is only ‘grounds maintenance’ then the guys working for the contract holder will only get paid if they work, so grass cutting or nothing. When part of a bigger organisation if too wet to cut grass there was other tasks they could do like pulling weeds out the canal, lock maintenance etc, but these tasks are contracted out to others so not available.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2019 19:14:58 GMT
It's like when you see contractors mowing the grass on the towpath when it's pissing with rain and all they are doing is ripping clods of earth out and churning the whole thing up. Their contract says they have to mow the grass eight times a year and so obviously they have to do it whether it's a sensible idea or not. Contractors only get paid when working unlike the old government run organisations. That's not an excuse, that's just mismanagement. Most of this outsourcing in my view is to avoid pension liabilities. Anyway, it's not worked hence the back peddling in many cases.
|
|
|
Post by Mr Stabby on Nov 8, 2019 20:41:06 GMT
To my mind, Indian call centres are just an extreme example of what is happening in the road transport industry, medium to large hauliers employing clueless eastern Europeans who can't do the job anywhere near as well but who have lower wage expectations (which keeps wage levels stagnating for domestic employees).
Obviously some bean-counter somewhere has done the maths and worked out that the communication problems, missed deliveries and damage eastern Europeans cause to the equipment is more than offset by the savings in wage costs compared to employing British drivers.
I'm just glad I've only got another five years to go before I retire.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2019 22:32:27 GMT
Contractors only get paid when working unlike the old government run organisations. That's not an excuse, that's just mismanagement. Most of this outsourcing in my view is to avoid pension liabilities. Anyway, it's not worked hence the back peddling in many cases. Piss off sock puppet
|
|
|
Post by NigelMoore on Nov 8, 2019 22:32:52 GMT
I do have a genuine hatred of Indian call centres, I just cannot grasp what they are saying. I obviously have to use them at times for services I use. I usually explain that I am struggling, and would be grateful if I could speak to someone with better english. This works well on most occasions, but sometimes they put a bloody Scot on. And when you mix an Aussie with an Indian call-centre :-
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2019 22:40:52 GMT
This past week has seen Canal and River Trust contract out its customer service operation to a service provider. The next step will see licensing and registration contracted out, possibly by spring 2020. The title is an attempt at humour, but of course, the reality is, it just might happen. Piss off sock puppet
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2019 23:31:42 GMT
It's "back pedalling" not "back peddling".
Back peddling would be a black market medical service.
|
|
|
Post by Andyberg on Nov 8, 2019 23:33:46 GMT
It's "back pedalling" not "back peddling". Back peddling would be a black market medical service. Idiot
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 8, 2019 23:35:21 GMT
Idiot
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2019 1:04:31 GMT
333
Hi, this is three, how may I help you today
I have no signal on my phone
Hi, this is three, thankyou, what province are you in please
I'm not in a province, I'm in the uk
Hi, this is three, thankyou, what province in the uk please
I'm not in a province, I am in a place, a canal and river trust place. Canal and river trust don't have provinces, they have places
Hi, this is three, thankyou. Does canal and river trust place have tower
Yes, an ivory one
Hi, this is three, thankyou. The problem will be with this tower, I will send an engineer immediately to fix
Bloody hell, we've been trying to fix it for years
Hi, this is three, thankyou. No problem, we will fix. Is there anything else I can help you with today
Well yes, now you mention it, could you send some engineers to wigan flight, it's being taken over by o2
Hi, this is three. Thankyou. Yes we will repair that also. Thankyou for speaking to us today, have a good day
|
|
|
Post by Jim on Nov 9, 2019 7:04:26 GMT
Just this week we've licensed the boat. Failed online as their site just wouldn't work ... most frustrating. Jane eventually telephoned and the job was done quickly, with paper copies being posted out to us so we can laminate them and put them in the window to keep the curtain twitchers happy. Call centres are simply a fact of modern life ... sad that the call answerers are detached from, and have little or no understanding of the system. Rog Make sure you display them clearly. He will be round to twitch your curtains.
|
|
|
Post by bodger on Nov 9, 2019 10:11:31 GMT
As I understand it, the Environment Agency has an overall responsibility for flood control. I am sure that they monitor all the rivers under their authority and manage the sluices to minimise flood risks.
What capability does CRT to do the same? Does the EA take interest in what CRT does, or do they just allow them to muddle on?
BBC News announced that Rotherham council had asked CRT to open a sluice on the River Don. Does this mean that CRT is completely incompetent to manage it and make appropriate decisions themselves? Perhaps the fiasco at the dam that failed recently is another case in point.
|
|
|
Post by NigelMoore on Nov 9, 2019 10:22:33 GMT
The EA have been showing regrettable inexperience in some Lincolnshire areas; relying too much on newly automatic systems replacing on-the-spot Internal Drainage Board employees.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2019 10:23:46 GMT
As I understand it, the Environment Agency has an overall responsibility for flood control. I am sure that they monitor all the rivers under their authority and manage the sluices to minimise flood risks. What capability does CRT to do the same? Does the EA take interest in what CRT does, or do they just allow them to muddle on? BBD News announced that Rotherham council had asked CRT to open a sluice on the River Don. Does this mean that CRT is completely incompetent to manage it and make appropriate decisions themselves? Perhaps the fiasco at the dam that failed recently is another case in point. Well this is canal and river trusts blurb on the subject. Every day, we monitor the canals using the latest technology and a bespoke control system designed by us. We have over 600 monitoring stations at strategic points in the canals, rivers and reservoirs we manage. The MEICA SCADA (Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Control and Automation Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) system is set up to automatically operate pumps and control sluices to make sure the water in the canals stays at the right depth for boats to use. If there is too much or too little water, or a piece of equipment needs some attention, alarms are sent out to staff. The nature of the canal network and the remote locations of some of our monitoring sites means that in many cases we are leading the way with this technology. We've a team of excellent and innovative technical specialists that maintain and enhance our SCADA capabilities. By developing the system ourselves, we've built a secure and robust system that can adapt to the challenges of the future. We don’t just monitor water levels, we also control some much larger structures including automated locks and swing bridges.
|
|