Founded in York 21 years ago, York Data Services (YDS) were among the first businesses to sign the Good Business Charter (GBC) and are now encouraging other businesses to join the scheme.
York Data Services are an Internet Service Provider (ISP) providing fast internet connectivity to businesses across the North. The company, based at York Science Park, pioneered gigabit connectivity in York and helped the city become the UK’s first gigabit city.
YDS’ founder and managing director, Mark Fordyce, says:
Signing up to the Good Business Charter was a no-brainer in terms of what our business has stood for from the very start.
“The main benefit of GBC membership for us is the way it helps us showcase how our values inform everything we do, every single day.
“An open and transparent approach to customer service has been one of our priorities from the start. The internet sector often gets a poor reputation when it comes to opaque customer service practices, so we think it’s important that customers know exactly what they’re getting and how it works.
“Being GBC-accredited validates the reputation we’ve worked hard to build over the years among our industry peers and customer base."
As well as showing a commitment to customers, the GBC requires accredited businesses to demonstrate they are committed to reducing their environmental impact and continually improving their environmental performance.
Mark told us that the tech sector’s high energy use and impact on the environment is one of the biggest challenges facing the industry and that the GBC is helping YDS showcase their environmental credentials to potential clients.
There’s no magic wand that we can wave to instantly make our environmental impact disappear overnight, and the Good Business Charter understands that.
“Being a Good Business Charter member isn’t about doing everything perfectly from the start, but about constantly striving to find better ways of doing business for the benefit of our communities, our workforce and our planet.
“We’re very conscious of our obligation to the climate, and we’re constantly improving our network to reduce the energy that’s wasted when processing data.”
As well as improving workplace culture and consolidating the brand’s ethical reputation, Mark stresses the importance of the GBC in helping his business run smoothly.
One of the ten components we committed to when signing up to the GBC is ensuring we pay suppliers promptly. This just makes good business sense – if all businesses signed up to this ethos, everyone benefits.
“By paying our suppliers on time, we ensure our cash flow stays predictable and stable, and it goes without saying that it allows our suppliers, whom we rely on to be able to deliver our services, to maintain a stable cash flow too and continue to support us.”
Calling on other businesses to join York’s GBC movement, Mark said:
The GBC is growing fast, both here in York and across the country, and it couldn’t be easier to get your business on the journey to accreditation – it offers a great template to show off your values to customers, suppliers and partners.