Making a difference – Working with Riverside’s Board

Richard Nichols, Riverside Customer Voice Executive talks about how he became a board observer after contacting Riverside about a problem he had experienced.

I initially found out about Riverside Customer Voice (RCVE) when following up on a problem I had experienced, which I considered to be poor customer service.  Whilst accessing the company website I came across a link to becoming involved through the customer voice, and made contact primarily to try to ensure my poor experience was not passed on to other Riverside customers.

I soon realised the RCVE was becoming an integral part of the overall governance of the organisation and the voice of this executive was recognised and heeded by the Riverside board and senior management.

My involvement was further impacted by taking up a position of customer observer on the Riverside Board, for a term of one year, attending meetings and being included in company discussions (although not able to vote on these) it has been a real eye opener, being present through the covid-19 pandemic and watching how an organisation changed almost overnight, with staff working remotely from home becoming the norm. Meetings were also on line, using video conferencing.

My initial objective paled into insignificance with the scale of the response required to the pandemic.

I am about to end my year as a board observer, and I leave with the knowledge that, whilst a large organisation is bound to get some things wrong over time, I feel secure in the knowledge that the customer remains at the heart of what Riverside do.

If there are other customers out there who feel they could influence the company in a positive way, I urge you to get in touch and give it a go. You have nothing to lose, but we could all gain something.