Expanding our reach to keep leading the way

In this week’s blog, we review recent developments to our ongoing external communications strategy and preview some of the ways we intend to continue enhancing our offering and leading the way.   

The ongoing success and positive engagement seen from our weekly Leading the Way blog articles has seen the campaign expand across new channels and platforms in recent times. What started as an opportunity to share internal news and insight has become a useful resource pool of thought-leadership content and opportunities for Bristow & Sutor experts to be seen and heard more than ever before.  

From topics such as Debt Awareness Week and donations of PPE to debt advice providers to  support channels we have devised internally and  reminding people of the rules that still apply in the post-pandemic world, our blog has been accessed by a variety of people with different wants and needs. We will continue to offer this service and share the ongoing developments and conversations happening around anything and everything that impacts our industry and customers, such as facingvulnerable circumstances and need to know technological innovation  initiatives.  

We previously expanded the series to launch multiple webinars during the height of lockdowns and reviewed their impact on our blog, as well as sharing survey results to promote internal and external conversations around improvement and change.  Now, we have just concluded our first-ever Webcast series, featuring clients, partners and employees, all sharing their expertise on the most pressing enforcement community challenges and topics.  

Why expand into new platforms?  

The decision to expand into Webcasts is indicative of the wider digital transformation project that has been so successful at Bristow & Sutor in recent times. For example, we previously partnered with Webio to implement WhatsApp Business API as an inbound channel for debtors. This improved experiences by increasing options for communication, offering 24hour engagement and optimising internal performance. Expanding the channels available for communication increases our chances of sparking meaningful conversations, which is not surprising when considering the appeal of message-based interaction, such as removing any embarrassment felt speaking about debt. By utilising a platform that is known and understood, a safe environment is facilitated that encourages positive outcomes to be reached.  Due to the success of WhatsApp, Messenger has recently been added with the same chatbots and automation flows applied.  

We have applied the same logic to our leading the way series as the goal and ambition for this content is to reach and help as many people as possible, regardless of their platform preferences or how they like to consume and discuss information. An audio-visual variation to the written content we regularly supply was the perfect continuation of our efforts and has ensured there is now even more ways to learn about the views, developments and discussions happening right now in the world of enforcement.  

Since the launch of leading the way, content from the series, including webcasts, has been accessed over 6,500 times. Additionally, the multipurpose nature of the resources we have uploaded has seen related videos feature at our dedicated booths when attending virtual events, such as at the recent Parkex conference run by the BPA.  

Past, present and future 

Our first Webcast tackled the subject of Breathing Space, featuring Helen Handzel, Relationship Manager at StepChange, discussing the history of the campaign and how it has been received by different stakeholders. This was followed by a deep look into Clean Air Zones planning, challenges and triumphs, hearing from Project Director, Ashley Beighton and Clean Air Zone Manager, Cathryn Brown, about Bath's implementation of the first CAZ outside of London.  

Our mid-season episodes considered the Armed Forces Covenant, discussed by Victoria Coomber, Armed Forces Community Covenant Development Officer, and insight into the Park Active Initiative from the British Parking Association's (BPA) Head of Innovation, Technology & Research, Julian O'Kelly. The penultimate episode of Series One looked at Safer Schools, with Rob Shoebridge, Civil Enforcement and Parking Services Team Manager at Derby City Council, sharing what has been done to encourage safer parking at the regions schools. The final episode provided insight into Changes to Debt Relief Order as Director of External Affairs at Christians Against Poverty, Gareth McNab, joined us to discuss legislative changes, how campaigning points compare to final outcomes and the effect this has on individuals and debt advice providers.  

Every previous Webcast remains available at our dedicated page, where you can subscribe to updates and be the first to receive brand-new episodes.  

We are delighted to reveal that the positive response to our first series has seen a second season begin production and we are set to debut episodes featuring representatives of the Money Advice Liaison Group, YPO and various local authorities later this year. We will be discussing topics such as moving traffic, social responsibilities in enforcement and the manor of collaboration between councils and debt advice providers.    

We remain committed to celebrating our achievements, discussing important industry topics and utilising as many platforms as possible to share our experiences and how we stay Cool, Calm and Collected.