A key theme of our customer centric culture is to instil a sense of purpose in our staff that focuses on managing the customers of our clients, not the contract with the company. This shift in emphasis is only achieved by placing the needs of customers at the heart of the business transformation we deliver; with a consistent focus on improving the quality of customer experience as a measure of service delivery success.

Supplementing this cultural emphasis is research and feedback gathered from customers. This is generated in a number of ways: through satisfaction surveys we conduct with our clients; from feedback from the customers of our clients; from analysis of management information; and, from direct interaction and product development participation through client forums such as the RapidXtra User Group

Strong interlinks between board and management levels make for faster decision making and more flexible operations. Managers must have clear and regular access to the board. In this way hierarchical decision making and planning activities, which typically can be fraught with obstacles and delays presented by the sheer volume of important matters on the agenda for most boards, can be avoided.

At Echo, this is evidenced by a management team with a clear understanding of company strategic goals and priorities and by a board which, despite Echo's size, is actively engaged in the day to day operation.

Knowledge gained on the 'shop floor' is given equal attention as that gained in the board room. An inclusive culture which encourages strategic input from all areas of the business means that important changes are not made in isolation or without the contribution of those closest to the subject matter. This is supported by internal communication systems which staff are actively encouraged to use to generate input into strategic matters.

The importance of conducting documented 'lessons learnt' analysis is essential for progress. Looking not just at the projects which were most testing, but the successes too. Echo adopts a "champion challenger" approach, analysing a successful exercise and asking 'how can it be improved next time?' or, 'what could have gone wrong that we should be prepared for next time?'

In this way, Echo strives to give development equal priority as delivery. Complementing this approach is an active engagement with staff opinion. Improvement suggestion schemes and actionable feedback mechanisms empower staff to contribute to business development and strategy.