Communication Workshop, Jolanda Girzl

Konsument Europa/ European Consumer Centre (ECC)

Sweden

Web & Communication workshop

Karlstad 21 November 2013

Jolanda Girzl

European Consumer Centre (ECC-Net)

• Independent unit within the Swedish Consumer Agency SCA (CPC, NEB)

• Offers consumer advise in cross-border matters

• Part of the European Consumer Center Network, the ECC-Net

• Co-financed by the European Commission and the Swedish Consumer Agency 50/50

• Goal – promote consumer cross border shopping within the EU, Norway & Iceland

• Centres in 28 member states + Norway and Iceland.

• Aim – raise consumer confidence in cross-border transactions.

• Provides information and advice on consumer rights within the EU and feedback to the European Commission and other stakeholders based on practical experiences of case-handling.

• Assistance for the extrajudicial resolution of cross-border complaints and promotion of alternative dispute resolution and online dispute resolution. Regular exchanges with ADR-bodies, notified and non notified ADRs.

• Public information campaigns, reports, projects, surveys, publications and consultations.

• In 2012 the ECC-Net handled 72 067 contacts. 32 197 were complaints.

European Consumer Centres (ECC)

1. How can we use our websites in a more proactive way?

• Make sure that ECC websites has information of high quality that is updated.

• Taking into account new trends and tendencies, also in the political debate.

• Work closely together within the network to be as efficient and quick as possible regarding news.

• Having alerts within the network - warnings/blacklisting

• Top ranking on search engines, advertising?


• Use various channels to target consumers, adapted to each MS and consumer focus group.

• To be as present as possible especially on Internet, also audiovisual.

• Interactive : Consumer feedback to learn to improve or services (polls, satisfaction surveys, online-chats/forums etc).

• Launching a chat function with message “I see that you are surfing our website –how may I help you find what you are looking for?”


• Interactive FAQ• Involve other stakeholders/key players as

“added value” • Social media, Facebook, Twitter etc.• Reference to ECC websites in information

material, e-mails to consumers, news articles.• Links to ECCs on trade organisations

websites.• Explanatory videos on ECC website/ YouTube.• Measuring “like button presses” and responses

to the question ”was this useful to you.”• Tool-kit for self-help - complaint guides,

template letters, instructions, checklists etc.

2. How can we cooperate in the future regarding common information on our web sites? = “Common key messages”

• Use content created by one ECC centre, circulate articles etc. within the ECC-Net

• Closer cooperation between ECCs sharing the same language.• Share proactive information/trends, warnings with all the ECCs to

avoid duplication of work.• Harmonise information on topics of interest to all ECCs, also on

identification of the network.• Inform the other ECCs of planned press and media activities.• Cooperate for big EU events of all kinds.• Well prepare joint project reports, summaries, press material for all

to be used easily and quickly.


• Interactive FAQ within the ECC-Net.• Minimum criteria for web-page topics for each ECC. (joint project

reports, legislative acts etc.).• Consider the ECC communications more as a strategic function.• Ideal ratio 60-70 % proactive and 30-40 % reactive work.• Better networking and faster exchange of information between the

ECCs.• Share information or intelligence learned from proactive scanning of

the consumer environment so that all centres can be aware of the latest developments.


• ECCs to review each other’s websites and give useful feedback.• Introducing a forum in which we can share news items, reports and

additional information to use on our websites.• Common presentation about who we are, what we do, how we do it

– to create a more common image for the ECC-Net.• Organizing annual communication seminars/meetings with one

ECC as host.• As a network we should focus on our proactive work. Reactive work

much more likely to be better handled as a centre, unless is an EU wide issue or one that at least affecting multiple centres at once.

3. Submit a summary of your communication work for 2013.

• Media presence: Press releases/articles and privileged relations with some journalists.

• Web presence: Website improvement, social media etc.• Newsletters.• Using special events - Christmas shopping, tourism season,

Europe day, European Consumer Day, Passenger rights day, Year of Citizenship.

• Lectures and seminars, conferences, stands at different fairs etc.• Cooperation with other consumer organisations or stakeholders in

different campaigns.• Annual report, folders/brochures (less “paper” material).

4. Give some feedback regarding your office presence at fairs, workshops

and various events.• Almost all ECCs did participate in such events, either on their own

or in cooperation with other stakeholders or Networks, host or consumer organisations etc.

- specialized fairs/events such as tourism, EU-day etc.

- some ECCs participated in events for traders.• Arranging Conferences.• Participation in official programs organised by host organisations for

foreign delegations.• Joint events with the Representation of the European Commission

in the Member State.

5. Provide a list of your, information material, leaflets, giveaways

• Information material:

- Roll up stands, information panels and outdoor posters.

- Book mark/ruler (combined) with information about ECC.

- Reports about Ski-Resorts, Alternative Dispute Resolution in the Air Passenger Rights sector 2013, class action in France, Report about the planned obsolescence, Report about the Comparative

study between the directive 2011/83/EU and the law project in France.

- Statement about the revision of the Regulation 261/2004

- Questionnaire for consumers.

- Online educational game “Smart consumer”.

- Mini Theatre presentation.

- Videos about the network.

5. Provide a list of your, information material, leaflets, giveaways

• Leaflets: - Passenger rights – rail and road, Travelling, Travel Insurances, Package travel.

- Online shopping, Copy Right Law, How to claim goods bought in the EU, Risk-free online shopping, Internet fraud, Top Tips for

Selling Online (aimed at businesses).

- ESCP & EOP.

- General Info-Flyer, Get help and advice on your purchase abroad.

- Flyer in Croatian, Tourism in Cyprus, Shopping in Estonia, Travelling to Spain, Consumer rights in Lithuania, Tourism in Malta, Holidays in Portugal, Travelling to Ireland.

- Classification of hotels.

5. Please provide a list of your, information material, leaflets, giveaways

• Leaflets: - Buying car in Europe, Car Rental in other EU countries, VAT

when purchasing car in other EU countries, Purchasing the second hand car, Legalizing a motor vehicle in Portugal.

- Patient rights, Informations about health care in the EU.

- Informations about roaming charges, roaming and phone services. - Timeshare & vacation clubs.

- Christmas tips.

- Summer Survival Guide, Before travel.

- Services Directive, Buying services within EU – your rights.

- ADR for Consumers, ADR for Business.

- Different methods of payments, Cross border payments.


• Giveaways: Ice-scratcher, bags, metering rule, post-its, plaster-boxes, travel neck pillow, pens, bloc notes, calendars, book marks, clocks,

USB memory sticks, wall calendars, baggage tags, car sun shades, recycled shopping bags, water balls, frisbee discs, umbrellas,

textile bags, fridge magnets with notes, pencils, cups, USB – journalists, competitions, T-shirts, credit card sized leaflet, coins for shopping carts, sweets wrapped in ECC-Net logo paper, key-rings, post cards, reflectors, luggage labels, mouse-pads, eco-friendly bags, minigrip bags for air-travel, USB Cards for members of our online survey regarding customer data protection, envelopes for credit cards with logo ZEV, credit cards with logo ZEV and international emergency call number.


• Giveaways: Text-highlighters, block notes with pen, folders for documents, highlighter post-its, pen drives, backpacks, towels, agendas,

key holder with spotlight, key holder with distance meter, fans, name card holder necklaces, mobile phone holders, plaster holders,

stress-balls, pocketbooks, coasters, plastic bags for liquids in hand luggage during a flight, cosmetic travel bag, fans, sunshades,

mobile phone screen wipes, touch screen pens.

6. Please give some ideas on how to work on a strategy concerning

The ECCs proactive work:- Common presentation and case story

leaflets.- Online interaction with EU networks- Share posts of others via Facebook and

Twitter. - Contact the relevant business

organisations and European networks when the ECC Net makes reports.

- Use our statistics in a better way.- Alert system with warnings.- List of most relevant cooperation partners.


The ECCs proactive work:- List of upcoming topics (monthly or every

two weeks?) to be completed by all ECCs.- Clarify the logos to be displayed and the

co-financing to be indicated by all the centres on all publications.

- Common short presentation of the ECC-Net, layout version. (Emota report). This short presentation can be included in reports, power points etc.

- Purchase of gadgets for the entire network.


The ECCs proactive work:- Speak with one coordinated voice for important legal issues (Rev.

261/2004).- Regularly give input via the Commission to other networks,

European institutions and business federations on findings of the ECC-Net and topics of interest for them.

- Form an online discussion group, identifying and sharing emerging issues - assist in formulating a uniform response. (Alert system)

- Organisation of more joint events/conferences/seminars.- Clearly defined aim of the common activity and what exactly should

be achieved.- Creating a working group with PR-staff from different ECC’s.


The ECCs proactive work:- Every centre should make a proposal on something they consider

should be beneficial for the whole Net and present a proposal that should be voted within a limited date.

- Work more with our statistics for different areas in a strategic way, showing the national picture but also the overall situation within the ECC-Net, as the media often asks for numbers from the whole network.

- Use the statistic more efficiently so that we can spot possible trends and make priorities.

- Identifying possible tools and mechanisms and then support their production and dissemination.


Future cooperation with other European networks and business organisations etc.: SOLVIT, FIN-NET, Europe Direct, Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), EJN (European Judicial Network), the Representation of European Commission, CPC-Net, Chamber of Labour, NEBs, embassies, business federations and associations etc. (country specific).

Communication work focusing on ECCs websites – Evaluation issues

What metrics/key numbers and data points should we evaluate and what results do we seek?

Is the impact most important?

- How many linking to us?

- Number of page views on the news and press releases?

- Flow from a news article to an article page?

- Number of shares and likes on the web site and on FB?

- Traffic generated from search engines, Google?


Or should we focus on our service to the consumer?

Posts vs. page views on interactive FAQ (For example ECC Sweden’s Kundo).

- Should we strive for and measure how well we have conveyed knowledge?

- How many downloads are made of our material / our forms / our letter templates?

- How many people use complaint guides?

- How many "yes" we get to the question "Was this article helpful?" (This tick box is available on every article page on ECC SE web site.).


Or should we measure whether we have changed consumer behavior through our website by using:

- Consumer surveys.

- Web surveys.

- Exit polls, to ask a specific question "Have your website visit made you feel more secure than before, when shopping online?"

- Is a combination of the above mentioned points preferable or should we prioritize some of them?

How do you think we should work with accessibility and usability in the future?

- What are the requirements? What tests should we do? A / B testing (Experimental testing)?

- User tests with focus groups?

Thank you for your attention!For compiled responses to the questionnaire, please

visit:

http://goo.gl/rViWkP

Questions?

Education

Communication Workshop, Jolanda Girzl