Donate your Unwanted Mobile Phone and Help BBC Children in Need

WITH over 15 million mobile phones replaced every year and an estimated 90 million sitting in drawers and toy boxes across the country, why not send your unwanted mobile phone to help BBC Children in Need. For every reusable handset received, BBC Children in Need will receive between £4 and £80 depending on its condition and how flashy it is. The appeal is perfect for schools, local fundraisers, businesses and individuals who want to raise money for Children in Need, but are worried about the credit crunch. It’s ideal because people don’t need to donate money, just their unwanted mobile phone. Last year, the mobile phone collection raised £350,000 for Children in Need.

Contributing a handset is really easy. Just pop the mobile phone in an envelope and write Freepost BBC Children in Need on it, or pick up a freepost envelope at any ‘3’ store throughout the UK. Leading parcel carriers DPD and Interlink Express will also be delivering the envelopes free of charge to millions of households across the country. Envelopes are also being distributed in magazines like: Gardeners World, Top Gear, Radio Times, and Good Food. Fundraisers can also contact cin@regenersisplc.com for a collection kit.

The phones will go to Regenersis, the leader in mobile phone reuse and recycling. Regenersis will refurbish the handsets and send them to developing countries to provide affordable communications.

Mark Franklin, MD of Regenersis Environmental Services, said:- “This is the fourth year we have run the mobile phone collection to aid BBC Children in Need and we’re hoping that our donation this year will push us over the £1million mark for the Charity.”

Phones that are not suitable for re-use will be sent for recycling ensuring that nothing ends up in landfill. To find out more or to download a Freepost envelope, visit:- regenersis.com/pudsey.

* For every reusable mobile phone, MP3/4 or PDA received Regenersis will donate between £4 and £80 to BBC Children in Need Appeal a registered charity number 802052 in England and Wales and number SC039557 in Scotland.

Conditions apply, please visit:- regenersis.com/pudsey for details. BBC Children in Need and the BBC Children in Need logo and Pudsey are registered trademarks of the BBC and are used under license.

‘Slash and burn’ won’t safeguard customer relationships in a recession

AS the UK wrestles with the effects of the economic recession, the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) is urging employers to avoid cost-cutting actions that could impact on service quality and damage relationships with customers.

ICS chief executive David Parsons says instead of adopting a ‘slash and burn’ approach during the economic crisis, organisations should take steps to safeguard and strengthen their customer relationships.  Speaking at the ICS annual conference, David emphasised that the current climate made it more important than ever to listen to customers and to understand and meet their expectations.  “Few had expected the storm to gather as quickly as it has and to some extent the future has arrived with a vengeance.  “Battening down the hatches is inevitable and essential. It would be naive to argue that such measures should never include saving costs – but organisations should resist taking actions that will have a detrimental effect both on the quality of service and the strength of their relationships with customers.” David told delegates at the London conference.

David warns that ‘battening down the hatches’ should not mean damaging service strategies that enhance an organisation’s reputation, or harm efforts to put service at the heart of organisational culture. This could expose companies to criticism that ‘they haven’t got the courage of their own conviction when times get tough’ from staff and customers.  Employers should also avoid cutting staff numbers at the points of customer contact that drive satisfaction levels and repeat business – particularly if done indiscriminately without regard to individual competence and skills. Nor should they put investment in people, especially their skills development, on hold; or ignore existing customers to focus on winning new customers.  “Keeping the right people to deliver the services and experiences that customers want is crucial.  Reducing costs while continuing to deliver value-for-money service is now imperative, but not at the expense of customer service professionals - the very people that survey after survey says UK employers are crying out for.  What we need more of, especially in such difficult times, is what a number of business leaders refer to as ‘good old-fashioned customer relationships’.  It’s important to build and retain loyalty by providing value for money which is not just about cost. And it’s now more important than ever for organisations to ensure their staff can deliver an even higher quality experience to their customers.  Organisations with the courage and conviction to avoid falling into the old trap of slash and burn are the ones that will weather the storm most successfully by retaining their customers. They are also the ones that will be in the best position to take advantage of the upturn when it comes.” said David.