Client focus: Society of Radiographers

Organisation The Society of Radiographers
Who Richard Evans
Role Chief Executive Officer

Richard Evans has been Chief Executive of the Society and College of Radiographers for ten years. Here he outlines the long history with Deeson (it's been 19 years!) and highlights the way in which this working relationship has not only developed, but also future plans.

What is The Society and College of Radiographers?

The Society and College of Radiographers is the Professional Body and Trades Union for radiographers and others that work in diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy services. We have over 26,000 members and represent some 80% of all registered radiographers in the UK.

How long has SCoR been working with Deeson Online?

We began working with Deeson in 1995 when the company won the contract to produce the SCoR newsletter. In the subsequent 19 years, the relationship has developed to encompass other print media, communications and PR consultancy and all electronic and web media.

Why did SCoR decide to work with Deeson Online?

The facetious answer is 'we can’t remember'. However, as can be seen by the length of the relationship and the way in which it has developed, we have repeatedly chosen to award new work to Deeson and have benefitted from the stability that comes from a long-term business arrangement that works for both parties.

The team at Deeson has the ability to understand and respond to the needs of the SCoR and has developed an in-depth appreciation of the organisation and our members.

I believe that the close-knit and interactive business model at Deeson provides the reassurance to new customers that their needs will be recognised and met in the same way.

What are the key challenges we needed, and still need to meet - and how did we do this?

As the range of products managed by Deeson has grown, the challenge of coherence – ensuring that all elements are working harmoniously together – has grown. It is normal for people at SCoR to discuss projects and developments with Deeson representatives from different teams.

Sometimes we miss the 'single point of contact' or the oversight by someone who will spot what it is we want. Dealing with this growing complexity is a nice challenge to have and fortunately communication is open and speedy to resolve problems.

In the end, picking up the phone (frequently Deeson get the call in before I have realised we need it!) is sure to get things sorted. I can envisage us developing an 'account manager' model which may be a more proportionate approach.

What is the general feedback on your site?

Member feedback on the site has been extremely positive. We have a Patient and Public Liaison Group and they have also given us helpful feedback.

What are your future plans for SCoR as an organisation?

Retention of members and continued growth in membership is a challenge for any membership body.

Developing the range and availability of our services to members; being able to focus membership benefits to meet individual needs and keeping up with the rapidly changing context for healthcare delivery are very much on our minds.

Inevitably, how we adapt and develop communications will be a key element of meeting these challenges.

What are your future plans for the SCoR website?

There is current work with Deeson to redesign and launch the site for members of the public enquiring about radiography as a career choice.

This will provide resources for educators and will be able to cater to enquiries from school children at all ages, to mature students. It will also be a resource to ensure that we attract the most appropriate people to the profession in the future.

Another current project is to develop web communities for networks of our members to interact and communicate within a secure space, badged and linked to our website.

I envisage more integration with social media and with our member database, and ultimately moving towards a personalised member experience online.