Presidential view Helping hand
The ECA may offer more than you’re aware of – and there are certainly plenty of ways it can make life easier for your business, as ECA president Diane Johnson can testify
M
y presidential year seems to be going by extremely fast – but, unfortunately, the UK‘s economic recovery is not happening nearly fast enough, and I think our industry will
continue to have diffi culties due to the economy for some time to come. While these hugely challenging economic conditions
are something we have to work within, I continue to talk to ECA members about using the many services the association has available to them. A key message I want to get across is that before paying for any business support services – which, of course, will come straight off your bottom line – check fi rst whether the ECA can help you. For instance, when that contract comes in, make sure you thoroughly check it, and if you are not sure about what its contents may mean for your business, then let the ECA Commercial Contracts and Legal department cast its expert eyes over it. They can – and will – give you the advice and assistance necessary, all as a standard service for ECA registered members at no extra cost. Another example that may be very
existence. Therefore, we need to move with the times, broaden our horizons and embrace the new opportunities that will arise as a result of initiatives such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment, the Green Deal, the Feed-in Tariff scheme and numerous others. Again, we at the ECA have the expertise for you to tap
into. We have people who can advise you on how to make the most of these opportunities. The ECA and ELECSA’s Renewables Roadshow, which has been touring the UK, is only one example of how we’re trying to spread the message, and anyone interested in fi nding out more should get in contact with the association. Once again, all of this is included in your membership fee. There are many services here at your disposal, and
We all need to look at how we can adapt our thinking to extend the services we deliver to our customers
relevant for members is chasing up outstanding debts. When collecting monies from clients, don’t be fobbed off, waiting for cash outside your payment terms – it can cause real hardship with cashfl ow and impact on your business. Instead, use the ECA Debt Collection service; the fi rst letter from the ECA to the client owing you money is free and, in my own experience, I have found that it often has the desired effect. Why pay another company to collect debts when you have this facility as part of your membership?
Sustainability As you all know, the new buzzword in the electrical contracting and construction industries is sustainability. Some of you may be frightened or confused by the word, but when it comes down to it, much of this new technology to reduce carbon emissions, boost energy efficiency or produce renewable sources of energy relies on electricity – the very lifeblood of our industry’s
About the author
Diane Johnson Diane Johnson is president of the ECA, and is a director of family fi rm Eric Johnson of Northwich.
my plea to all members is to use them as much as you can. They can, and will, save you money. Imagine, for example, the cost of human resources advice – or worse still, the costs involved in an industrial tribunal if you have not dealt correctly with your employees. When it comes to implementing legislative requirements or dealing with problematic employment issues, the ECA’s Employer Relations department is here to help and guide you every
step of the way.
Real deal You may think these are just typical words from the association’s president, talking up the ECA and its services. But I have personal experience from working with the ECA in my family’s business, Eric Johnson of Northwich. The company has been a member of the association since 1951 and, over the years, we have used the ECA services on many occasions – and I can assure you it has been both cost effective and very worthwhile. Spring is on the way, and it always makes me think of
new beginnings. But we all need to look at how we can adapt our thinking to extend the services we deliver to our customers. Positivity is always better than negativity – and as I have already said, and will keep saying, the ECA is always here to help.
March 2011 ECA Today 13
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