If the answer is ‘yes’, you need to act now to avoid any disruption to your service.

From 1 May 2012, Viewpoint users will no longer be able to use version 5 of our award-winning software as it is being officially retired from service.

All users are able to use ViewPoint RCS version 6 – which offers enhanced benefits and functionality.

V6 has been in service for 12 months, and is very popular with everyone who is using it.

The great news is there are no lengthy delays when moving from RCS version 5 to 6 – simply login using your existing details using the link below, all your surveys and data will be there.  It really is that easy!

So please take steps to update to V6 immediately.

V6 can be accessed by clicking this link: https://secure.crtviewpoint.com/ViewPointV6

If you would like to talk to us, please contact our customer care team, who will guide you through the great benefits of Version 6 – and what developments are in the pipeline for release in the coming months.

Call 02476 608830 to speak to a member of our team. Alternatively, please send an email to support@crtviewpoint.com

Many thanks.

Reviewing your survey work has never been easier, thanks to CRT ViewPoint

The ViewPoint Research Control Suit (RCS) now includes a new survey review tool.

This features allows you to easily read and review your survey questions, the question order and survey routing.  You can save your review document as a PDF, print it out for proof reading or simply email it to colleagues.

You can read more about this new feature from our quick guides section here.

Keynote speakers and workshops address key concerns of the health sector

Patient Experience professionals from NHS trusts, private healthcare providers and ambulance services across the UK attended CRT’s inaugural Health Day – and took part in an event that exceeded the expectations of organisers and attendees alike.

The day, held on 26 March, was themed In Sickness and in Health, reflecting the mood and challenging times faced by many Patient Experience teams working within the NHS.

All attendees participated enthusiastically in a series of roundtable sessions that addressed a wide range of topical issues, such as tackling the latest regulatory and data protection challenges; utilising social media to communicate key messages to the widest possible audience; and ways to secure the buy-in of senior managers into Patient Experience programmes.

“The day was a great success,” commented a very pleased Steve Lea, CRT’s Head of Education and Development. “To get so many people together from the Patient Experience world and discuss issues of real importance – and share best-practice solutions that addressed a multitude of needs – was an invaluable exercise.

“Everyone took something away from the day, which I am delighted about. We’ve been able to join up the dots for a number of customers and non customers, and that’s got to be a good thing for everyone working in the field.”

In Sickness and in Health is the first of a programme of events CRT will be rolling out to Patient Experience professionals in the coming months.

• Anyone interested in finding out more information about this event, or our future programme, should contact Steve Lea on 02476 608830. Alternatively please send Steve an email to: stephen.lea@crtviewpoint.com

Modules will meet the evolving needs of survey and insight professionals

The CRT Academy provides best-in-class training and development workshops from our Learning and Development Centre in Coventry.

We have just added three new workshop dates to our April calendar, including two new workshops on Survey and Questionnaire Design and Maximising your ViewPoint Experience.

Places on these workshops is limited, so book your place today by calling 024 7660 8841 or emailing Steve Lea, Head of Education and Development on stephen.lea@crtviewpoint.com.

You can download the brochure pages for these workshop events from the Academy webpage.

Adopting a simple approach is the key to a successful strategy

Says Steve Lea, CRT’s Head of Education and Development

Organisations depend on their customers and therefore need to understand their customers’ current and future needs.  They should not just work towards meeting customer needs, but should strive to exceed them in everything they do.

Customer focus = good business

The equation seems very simple, but putting it into practice, every minute of every day with every customer is another matter entirely.

The problem is that when we put the customer at the centre of all we do, we tend to concentrate on our own activities rather than the customer’s requirements.  We think about what we do rather than what is means for the customer.  It is time for us to look from the outside-in rather than inside-out.

Here are my tips for becoming more customer focused:

1. What does ‘customer focused’ mean?

Being customer focused will mean different things to different people, so what does it mean to you?  What customers are you focused on?  Can you be focused on every group of customers all of the time?

2. Set your goals

Once you have defined what you mean by being customer focused, set some goals for your organisation.  Keep your goals simple and don’t have too many of them.  Remember goals need to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Time-Bound).

3. If it’s my business, it’s your business

Make being customer focused everyone’s business.  Encourage everyone to see things from the customers perspective, to walk through the customers journey and to contribute to improving the customer focus.

4. Challenge when things are not right

If the experience of the customer is not as it should be, don’t be afraid to find out why.  Look at the policies, procedures and conversations involved and if something is not as it should be, needs changing or is missing, don’t be afraid to challenge and make changes.

5. Communicate, communicate, communicate

Always have a dialogue; with your customers, with your staff and with your potential customers.  Remember dialogue is a two-way process – communication involves listening as well as talking.  Talk to people about what their experiences with you are like, both good and bad, and don’t be afraid to ask how you could do better next time.

Hunger and desire to do the right thing is evident to all

Says Steve Lea, CRT’s Head of Education and Development

Patient Experience and Patient Engagement seem to be the buzz words in all areas of health care at the moment – in other words we all need to be patient-focused.  But what does it mean to be patient focused?

To be honest, I don’t really think I have the answer to that – well at least not yet!

That is why I decided to organise the In Sickness and In Health conference on 26March 2012.  I was convinced that if I was able to bring together health care professionals from around the country, who get excited about patient engagement and have a vested interest in improving services as a result of patient experiences and feedback, the amount of skills, understanding and ideas that are shared could be exponential – maybe even viral!

It is a bit like synergy; the idea that 2 + 2 5.  If you put two people in a room they will come up with more ideas and solutions than one person working by themselves.

Demand for the In Sickness and in Health conference has exceeded my expectations, and there is a real excitement amongst the delegates I am speaking with over the phone.  I have even lost count of the number of people who have apologised because they cannot join us on the 26^th March, but asking if something similar will happen later in the year!

There seems to be a hunger and desire to share ideas and thoughts and learn from others are doing, so why not start the conversation now using Twitter, Facebook and blogs?

Share your ideas on Facebook by going to www.facebook.com/crtacademy and liking my page or use Twitter @CRTAcademy #HealthDay.  You could even post a comment to this blog.

Just think of it – the possibilities are endless!

The Coventry-based company has been presented with the prestigious 2011 IBM RSS ‘Most Innovative Use of Technology’ Award at a special event in Windsor, UK.

“This is a fantastic accolade for our business,” commented Simon Rowland, CEO of CRT. “We always knew ViewPoint was a strong data capture solution, but this award recognises the substantial developments we made this past year. Organisations now measure customer, patient and employee satisfaction, as well as gain other important feedback, that helps to drive commercial, cultural and behavioural change.

“To have the efforts of our team officially recognised by IBM is a wonderful achievement.”

A major factor that helped CRT strike gold was the scale of the current ViewPoint offering, which today:

• Accounts for more than twenty million responses annually;
• Has seen major high street brands, one-in-three NHS Trusts and over 100 Local Authorities licence the technology;
• Has secured a new partnership with Ipsos MORI.

“These are challenging times,” added Simon Rowland. “There is no sign of the economy turning around in the short-term, and everyone is conscious of how much they’re spending. Our technology enables organisations to get closer to their customers, which is essential to be able to deliver what they need. ViewPoint offers our customers an incredible return on investment.”

About CRT

Since 2001, CRT has held a unique place in multi-channel data capture and market research technology. Our blend of survey software, consulting, hardware and services provide a range of powerful solutions for the capture of customer satisfaction data, audit data and public consultation feedback. With the primary market being UK based, CRT also operates in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Partners include; Ipsos MORI, IBM, the Market Research Society and the Institute of Customer Service. Together we are revolutionising the way private and public sectors conduct customer satisfaction measurement and use the feedback to improve customer, visitor, service-user and patient satisfaction levels.

Our ViewPoint RCS survey software enables simple or complex surveys and questionnaires to be managed in multiple environments, with data captured through multiple channels. Then through powerful analysis and reporting we drive positive change throughout the organisation.

High quality entries to the only dedicated awards programme to celebrate patient experience excellence demonstrates the vigour and commitment of health professionals to deliver world-class standards in this important area – and that’s a major reason Simon Rowland, CRT’s chief executive officer, is delighted to be renewing his association with the awards organisers.

“Recognising the incredible work so many people are doing in this rapidly expanding area is really important to me, and CRT,” he said. “We are delighted to be renewing our partnership with Ruth Evans, and everyone associated with the Patient Experience Network.

Ruth Evans, Director of the Patient Experience Network, said: “I am delighted Simon and the CRT team have agreed to be our flagship sponsor. It’s great news for the Awards.

“CRT is a business that is playing an important role in helping the NHS measure and evaluate the evolving patient experience for many people. As organisations, we share the same philosophy – which is ensuring the patient is at the top of the health service agenda.”

CRT, which is based in Coventry, joins GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Aventis, GalbraithWight, Customer 1st International and Awards International, in agreeing sponsorship deals with PENNA 2011. It’s the second time CRT has been the event’s flagship sponsor.

Added Ruth Evans: “We’re working with some great organisations and I would like to thank them all for their generosity and commitment to the patient experience cause. As a result of their involvement, the national awards can only get stronger in the future.”

• To visit the Patient Experience Network National Awards website please paste http://www.patientexperiencenetwork.org/innovate/PENNA/PENNA_2011.htm into your web browser.

In September, Simon Rowland and Simon Dean – CRT’s CEO and Technical Director – scaled Pointé Percee, one of Europe’s most formidable mountains, in a bid to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.

Their endeavours raised £800 for the charity – and led to Simon Rowland making newspaper headlines after he fell 70 feet while on his descent from the summit.

Sue Medcalf, Cancer Research UK’s Area Volunteer Manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the two Simons undertook this incredible challenge to climb Pointé Percee to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

“I would like to personally thank them, and everyone else who worked so hard in raising the sponsorship money. Thank you also to all those people who have supported them and Cancer Research UK.

“I was very relieved to hear that despite Simon Rowland experiencing a nasty fall of almost 30 metres, he was able to complete the descent and get home safely.”

After presenting Sue Metcalf with a cheque for £800, Simon Rowland added: “The climb was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. It was an amazing experience – even though I nearly fell off the side of the Mountain!

Cancer Research UK is one of one of the good causes supported by CRT, and the company is delighted the charity continues to make enormous progress in the fight against cancer.

It is the world’s leading charity dedicated to research into the causes, prevention and treatment of cancer and is the largest single funder of cancer research in the UK.  The charity supports research in all aspects of the disease through the work of more than 4,800 scientists, doctors and nurses across the UK who have contributed to 19 of the top 20 drugs used to treat cancer patients worldwide today.

Survival rates for cancer have doubled in the last 30 years. But one-in-three people will still get cancer at some point during their lifetime. Cancer Research UK’s groundbreaking work, funded entirely by the public, will help ensure that millions more people will survive.

And it’s this work that CRT – and its Coventry-based staff – is committed to supporting in the longer term.

ViewPoint V6 builds on CRT’s growing reputation as a provider of intelligent and intuitive feedback and survey solutions that enables users to:

• Use the latest analysis and data tools to search, sort and filter surveys, questions and locations more efficiently;
• Improved handling of media on surveys – more easy, more efficient;
• Really harness the power of ViewPoint – by providing news, links and context sensitive online help for every function of the system.

“This is the latest chapter in the ViewPoint story,” commented Simon Dean, CRT’s Technical Director. “During the last 10 years, ViewPoint has helped public and private sector organisations really develop and fine tune their customer and patient experience strategies.

“V6 will take customer and patient survey and feedback strategies to a new level for all users, regardless of the sector they work in, or the type of organisation they are.”

Hundreds of private and public sector organisations throughout the UK are increasingly relying on ViewPoint to shape and influence their key stakeholder engagement strategies. More than two million people have used ViewPoint to record their views and opinions about a wide range of issues and topics.

“We have been very pleased with the quality of the service and the all-round support we have received from CRT,” commented GLL Chair Steve Ward. “Being able to communicate effectively with members of the public – who are our key stakeholders – is critical to us.”

And Richard Handscombe, from the University of Leeds, also holds CRT’s feedback technology in high regard.

He said: “ViewPoint has become an essential business tool for everyone in the team. Everything we do is geared towards improving service – and ViewPoint really helps us take the customer service bar to new levels.

“We use the CRT kiosks at a variety of venues – including the University’s nursery and swimming pool. They are easy to use and have delivered considerable benefits. We’re big fans.”

ViewPoint is continuing to evolve, and more features will soon be introduced, including
a survey deployment wizard; improved upload tools; a new reporting engine; and social networking capability.

“Our goal is to make ViewPoint the one-stop shop for any organisation that cares about what their customers think,” added Simon Dean. “And we believe V6 is a big step towards achieving this goal.”