We planned to excel by operating as a world-class organisation through seven key projects.
2016-17 highlights
Excel projects
| Action | Summary of progress for the year | Complete/not complete |
|---|---|---|
| Online renewal expansion We will improve the service available to members by expanding our online renewal services to incorporate SLCC levy payments, roll retention fees as well as payments for Registered Foreign Lawyers and non-practising members. | Online renewal was successfully expanded to all planned categories. | Complete |
| Smartcards and web forms We will incorporate Smartcard digital signatures into our existing processes for admission, removal, and restoration, and introduce interactive forms directly populating our membership database through Smartcard. | All our PDF forms are now smartcard enabled and we have developed a smartcard login option for our website. A number of forms have been submitted digitally signed, for example accounts rules compliance certificates. Online versions of student membership application and PC surrender forms have also been developed. Admission processes were subject to an internal audit review and the nature of the process is being currently looked at by the Regulatory Committee which will feed into the final version of the web form. | Complete |
| Law Society website We will create a new and world class website to enable us to deliver information, products and services to all of our audiences. | The new website launched on time and on budget. All teams across the business were involved in editing, deleting and migrating content from the old website to the new website – an excellent example of cross-team working and collaboration. We aimed to reduce the number of web pages by 50%. We have reduced the number of pages by 52% taking the number from 3,610 to 1,748. | Complete |
| Consumer experience We will aim to offer a world-class experience for all those who engage with us through improved customer service training as well as annual measurement of service levels provided through our professional practice helpline, trainee helpline, registrars, switchboard and complaints. | The consumer experience project has been delivered on time and on budget. 17 teams from across the business have produced action plans to improve customer experience for their internal and/or external customers. Additionally, seven teams took part in a survey to measure how their internal customers rated them. Managers and their relevant team members have an objective for 2017/18 to work through their action plans and improve customer experience internal ratings. | Complete |
| Information to the public We will improve and better promote the information we provide to the public with a focus on enhancing our popular online ‘find a solicitor’ search facility. | This project has been delivered on time and on budget. We launched our campaign aimed at the public, encouraging them to consult a ‘regulated Scottish solicitor’. A series of six ads have appeared at railway stations, across social media, newspaper websites and in Metro newspaper. We have purchased a new website domain name ‘findasolicitor.scot’ to help people find our search tool more easily. Members have updated their areas of work to assist with the campaign and the find a solicitor search tool was improved ahead of the campaign launch to improve the user experience. | Complete |
| Paperless committee work We will improve efficiency and security by reducing our reliance on paper across our committees in place of safer and more secure online committee portals. | Secure online portal facilities have been launched for every committee and the IT team performs ongoing maintenance of updating access for leavers/joiners. We have also continued the pilot for ‘Board packs’ with a view to purchasing and rolling out in line with Annual Plan objectives for 2017/18. | Complete |
| Learning and development We will produce a learning and development framework aimed at managing the Society’s talent. We will create and maintain a skills database, designed to meet the standards required for Investors In People Gold status in preparation for our assessment in February 2017. | Leadership competency framework and changes to performance review process/paperwork were rolled out with workshops taking place in September. There has been ongoing implementation of actions on the Investors in People (IIP) and Investors in Young People (IIYP) action plans in line with agreed timescales. | Complete |
Throughout the year, a record 42 colleagues (32%) participated in a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) day, spending time helping out a local charity or a cause. Activities included rebuilding chicken runs at a city centre farm, tidying up and re-planting the sensory garden at an early years centre, fence paining a local care home and redecorating a home for a previously homeless person via a Freshstart ‘hit squad’.
Our charity partner of the year was the Stroke Association, the UK's leading charity dedicated to conquering stroke. Throughout the year, we held bake sales, a table tennis tournament, organised a pub quiz and took part in the Edinburgh marathon relay. 28 colleagues, friends and family walked the entire West Highland Way in relay teams on one day. We raised a grand total of £8,300 for the Stroke Association.
