CEO Chat #18

This week has flown by thanks to lots of little meetings, tasks and catching up on some annoying issues that seem to take forever to resolve, one call centre or online chatbot at a time. I am getting old and am wary of harking back to the ‘old days’ but there is great value in having branches and stores that you can go into to speak to people who really know about their products, services and customers. This week I have been on hold for about four hours, and still not been able to resolve the matter. Bizarrely, the company in question, after advising me to use their online services has asked me to post a company letter with wet signature to confirm the changes I want to make, even after I answered all their security questions.

As part of The Big Help Out initiative to encourage volunteering, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce posted information on Facebook about volunteering opportunities available with CDA. https://www.cumbriadeaf.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/

We have all been excitedly listening to BBC Radio Cumbria who featured CDA in a weeklong series about who we are, what we do, being deaf or hard of hearing and included interviews about tinnitus and from NHS staff who attended a deaf awareness session in west Cumbria.  Our thanks to the reporter, Belinda Artingsoll, and the presenter Val Armstrong for sharing why we do what we do. You can use the listen again feature, about 20 minutes into Val’s shows from Monday 15^th to Friday 19^th May.  We will have the clips transcribed so we can share with our deaf community. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_cumbria

Thursday was another day of smiles and a little feel-good moment, not only because the sun was out but we had a little face lift on the Kendal centre.  Last year Hotwire Graphics, based in Barrow, designed and fitted some frosting and branding to the lower half of the front windows in Barrow centre. Last week it was the turn of Kendal to have a similar design affixed to what is becoming our meeting and training room, it is also a space for interpreters to meet with clients so the frosting helps provide more privacy. https://www.hotwire-graphics.co.uk/