{"id":26969,"date":"2018-03-06T17:42:47","date_gmt":"2018-03-06T16:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/?p=26969"},"modified":"2018-10-05T09:28:53","modified_gmt":"2018-10-05T07:28:53","slug":"using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/","title":{"rendered":"Using data to make your humanitarian organisation more client-focused"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Communicating with communities. Data. Information Management. Accountability to affected populations. To me, saying these terms in a row highlights how disassociated these different terms are for many, and how acutely humanitarian-centric, i.e. jargonistic they sound. They form &#8211; on the whole &#8211; mostly separate job profiles amongst different humanitarian organisations (including UNHCR), and are areas that have worked much better in rhetoric than in practice until this point in time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But concepts around, data, engaging communities and the nexus\/bridge that is the general rubric of \u2018Innovation\u2019 have more in common than many would think. The most forward-thinking organisations across the public and private sectors are doing more with data to support a new generation of service delivery focused around the needs of their clients, customers, and constituents than is currently achieved in the humanitarian sector. Why is this? What can we do about it? <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Concepts of Feedback and Accountability in the 20th Century<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only a couple of decades ago was the \u2018feedback box\u2019 the latest technology for soliciting feedback from community members in humanitarian response. This, alongside humanitarian actors\u2019 face-to-face presence on the ground, was the mainstay of our accountability to affected populations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some respects and contexts, sadly this is very much the same today. While societies have transformed across the world because of social, economic, and technological changes, creaking humanitarian architecture is struggling to keep up. And this is reflected in a lot of programmatic decisions that are taken by organisations that fall under the rather broad umbrella of \u2018humanitarian aid and development\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And one of the most challenging things to grasp? That we actually know a lot of what <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">should<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> be taking place, both in terms of the types of approaches, and technologies we should be using and even nuanced considerations to mitigate risk and uphold humanitarian principles. For example, we\u2019re always talking about not letting the loudest voices shout down the quietest and most vulnerable across \u2018inter-agency fora at a global level\u2019. So much of humanitarian delivery is based on anecdote. How has this remained the status quo, and what\u2019s preventing us from understanding the data behind the concepts put forward in feedback from the people we\u2019re serving? [NB: A colleague pointed out that this point itself was anecdotal so to illustrate the point with evidence more or less: at time of writing the Humanitarian Data Exchange contained only 3 datasets that have \u2018feedback\u2019 in the title, alongside a couple from the Inter-Agency Common Feedback Project Nepal (CFP) &#8211; not exactly a goldmine!]<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s be realistic. We as humanitarians don\u2019t have a good understanding of how feedback and perceptions function in humanitarian operations, in particular, what the data related to this looks like in practice.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are many different approaches to how data is collected in the humanitarian system, and we know there are lots of pieces of data that are available within agencies. Beyond what is being captured, there is still plenty of work to be done around capturing non-digital methods from focus groups to workshops that either go undocumented or where feedback is not captured using tools that can electronically aggregate the data; paper files left on the shelf. For what is captured electronically much of this is kept in silos, either organisational or within organisations or disciplines. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We are increasingly seeing a need for more intelligent sharing, access to feedback and perceptions data amongst organisations working in humanitarian response. To address this, there are also initiatives such as the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/hxlstandard.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Humanitarian Exchange Language (HXL)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which is aiming to align terminology used in humanitarian data, and the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/data.humdata.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Humanitarian Data Exchange<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; a central repository for open humanitarian data, and more are making an effort to try and bring organisations together to better share and open up data to help develop a more nuanced understanding of the needs of people affected by crisis. On top of this, when we are compiling data, we\u2019re often not sure what specifically is needed to bridge the gap back to humanitarian programme delivery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is not to say we have to be wedded to data, or even data in the form of feedback we\u2019re getting from communities. Some fear that embracing data-driven implementation means removing all human intuition and the nuance from decision-making. The reality is potentially quite the opposite; the grounding of evidence can make it easier for managers to resist trends and opt for something that maybe the data doesn\u2019t point to directly. They would be knowingly going against what the figures say, rather than blindly fumbling through the darkness. This requires absolute conviction and determination; something maybe less applicable when we\u2019re unsure about precisely what we\u2019re dealing with. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even some of the most forward-thinking pieces from humanitarian agencies only outline some of the first steps in how to better integrate concepts of data and community participation holistically in their programming. The language around the \u2018participation revolution\u2019 pervades the rhetoric, yet the frame of reference of this is squarely humanitarian reform. The CDAC Network is an inter-agency network that brings together local, regional and global actors to catalyse communities\u2019 ability to access\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">information and have a voice in humanitarian emergencies. Their 2016 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cdacnetwork.org\/tools-and-resources\/i\/20170515144140-pgeo4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">annual report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> rightly highlights the need for strengthened coordination and even \u2018common service\u2019 models for engaging with communities. The\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/160831cvcbriefingpaper-responsiveness-final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> International Rescue Committee (IRC)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u00a0works with <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/groundtruthsolutions.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GroundTruth Solutions<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; a third party organisation that developed their own methodology on capturing perspectives of communities affected by crisis &#8211; \u00a0to independently gather perspectives of communities. They make a concerted effort to link these with IRC\u2019s humanitarian programming, nudging the organisation forward.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is all good and could be marked as best practice today. But this is where we should be <\/span><b>today. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our future path to really ignite the \u2018participation revolution\u2019 needs to be a lot more ambitious. There is much more that can be done, and data lies at the core of this effort.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Using data to understand constituents<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beyond the general goals, what strikes me about the language used &#8211; and we\u2019re guilty of this too &#8211; is how unambitious it is. Many who work in the realm of feedback data often see the challenge as how to \u2018incorporate it into programming\u2019. Incorporate doesn\u2019t imply revolution, does it? We\u2019re looking for a paradigm shift in how humanitarian programming works!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To do this, we first need to understand how data-driven decision-making can work for in the best interest of communities, and capitalise on what we can learn from others.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So let\u2019s take the traditional approaches to capturing feedback: there\u2019s more to making something client-focused than merely recording perceptions of individuals that we\u2019ve gone out and solicited. In IRC\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rescue.org\/report\/16-key-lessons-collecting-and-using-client-feedback-highlights-irc-client-voice-and-choice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lessons Learned Report<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on the Client Voice Pilots, they acknowledge that feedback \u2018is rarely considered in isolation of other data\u2019 and that other information is considered when looking at decision-making processes. Let\u2019s turn this around. When looking at data requirements for decision-making, is the feedback data solicited the only constituent-focused aspect?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most of the documentation and policy guidance around Accountability to Affected Populations refers to feedback. When the policy wonks or even practitioners talk about this it usually means explicit, solicited, feedback from communities, either because they\u2019ve been asked directly, or they\u2019ve reached out to humanitarian organisations. But perhaps there are also ways to understand the needs of our constituents in a less direct way. By looking at their actions, and associated metadata we can gain insights about the community\u2019s preferences around particular services they are receiving, or situation they are in. Improvements can be inferred from data points and actions allowing us to build better solutions that can be mapped onto other forms of feedback received by the communities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And here comes the shift: We need to see client or constituent-driven programming which combines feedback data, with other types of data that drive or signal a shift in focus to constituent needs. This includes better capturing our face-to-face interactions securely. This includes passive reception of feedback data. This includes looking at the way services are being used, i.e. who is showing up to pick up goods at a distribution. Who is making a request to have more? Or who is accessing more or fewer medical services? It includes data on how community members are interacting with institutions and each other. This all paints a picture of individual\u2019s perceptions of their needs and desires, mapped onto what they are doing, and what is actually taking place around them, to develop and enhance our insights as providers and\/or regulators of protection and service delivery. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not only the data that directly relates to the attitudes and actions of individuals. Metadata also provides a huge amount of insights that can be better leveraged by humanitarian agencies. When systems become digitised the amount of metadata generated can be leveraged to provide much clearer idea about how services are used, how people communicate and move, how people spend time, and what choices they are making. This metadata can enhance targeting, drive efficiencies and ensure that more tailored and customised solutions can be provided for individuals based on their interests and needs, just like many in the private sector are doing today with metadata generated by customers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nonetheless, the prevalence of metadata doesn\u2019t come without its risks. Even if no personally identifiable information is captured, metadata can be used to triangulate individuals when it is cross-referenced with other data. It can also be used to infer locations, file formats of messages and more that, when in the wrong hands, can put people\u2019s lives at risk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Should these other data elements and metadata gathered from client behaviour be considered any less seriously than maybe the explicit feedback of one individual? By then connecting this data with feedback data &#8211; and other aspects of constituent contribution such as social media content &#8211; humanitarians could gain even greater insights as to what is going to have the most impact and deliver \u2018satisfaction\u2019 for clients.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Trends from the private and public sector<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe first step a company can take to stay competitive in the customer revolution is to unite traditional, social and demographic data under one roof in an easy-to-access location. This allows data to be seen holistically, enabling teams to derive more value and insights as opposed to separate, siloed bits of information.\u201d &#8211;<\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/insights\/2013\/06\/customer-centric-companies-need-a-data-state-of-mind\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Andy MacMillan is SVP and GM of Salesforce\u2019s Data.com.<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So what can we learn from others? To understand the potential of this approach we can look towards the public and private sector. It\u2019s no surprise that in the majority of analysts reports on recent years point to a greater involvement of clients\/customers in services delivered by organisations full stop.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From a scan of materials exploring this area, we see reports that to some degree formulate a broad consensus around different <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/service-delivery-trend.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">trends<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that are occurring and priority areas for action. There are also some good examples that demonstrate how different sectors and organisations have tried to revolutionise the way they operate to bring clients closer and utilise data in more creative ways to deliver solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To start, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/service-delivery-trend-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this graphic from Deloitte<\/a>\u00a0(page 6)\u00a0contains many of the elements included in other research that point to similar things. The priorities echo what has been on the mind of many at UNHCR. We\u2019re seeing a drive for more customer-oriented solutions, and by this, meaning a tailored experience for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/communicating-communities-individuals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the individual rather than the masses<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Given how far behind the humanitarian sector is, we have a relatively clear understanding of how to borrow many aspects applied to private and public sector reform to move us forward ten paces, yet there are still some contextual differences that make it difficult for the humanitarian system. Rather than act as ultimately one entity that governments\u00a0are, there is an entrenched separation between humanitarian actors. The challenge remains though: McKinsey acknowledge that \u201cgovernments have made efforts to improve service delivery through online portals or \u201cone-stop shops\u201d like centralized call centers\u2026[Citizens] find it\u2019s often still necessary to speak with multiple parties before their question is answered.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Governments are increasing the amount they are opening up their implementation of policies and have developed <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/20160111_Consultation_principles_final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">principles<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to citizens to give install a sense of democratic accountability. For instance, the UK government for instance prioritises involvement of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/get-involved\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">individuals and organisations within their main portal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Highlighting a variety of issues they refer to the relevant organisation who take responsibilities for different things.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/industries\/public-sector\/our-insights\/implementing-a-citizen-centric-approach-to-delivering-government-services\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McKinsey<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> highlight the need to identify natural break points in customer satisfaction. They state that by understanding data around customer satisfaction (specifically \u2018breakpoints\u2019 where satisfaction falls off the cliff edge) they can determine acceptable levels of service delivery to ensure that resources are prioritised effectively. They point to an example of call centre staffing and waiting times, something traditionally challenging for humanitarian organisations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Further to this they also recognise the importance of blending different types of data to gain further insights. They cite the example of the Australian Tax Office that combined different types of feedback data and general data from call-centre operation to improve IVR systems. They allude to it in this section of the article but if we transpose this onto the wealth of data created within humanitarian operations, rarely do we cross-check feedback data for correlations on other types of data sets (that may be easier to gather!). By doing this, we might have a better understanding of issues before clients\/constituents even raise them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For many years the private sector has used the framework of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2010\/11\/using-customer-journey-maps-to\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2018customer journeys\u2019<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to bring together different aspects of a business from data to resources to product to make this as smooth as possible. As humanitarians, we have a very hard time coming to an agreement or an understanding of what a container could be to bring the different types of data to better understand the needs of our constituents, and this practice could have application in this sector. By putting ourselves in their shoes as a starting point, it helps us frame our understanding around different aspects of our work with the impact it has on this journey. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mckinsey.com\/business-functions\/marketing-and-sales\/our-insights\/customer-journey-analytics-and-big-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has proven that those companies who have focused on journeys rather than isolated incidents or interactions are doing better at meeting customer needs than those who don\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From these examples and trends, some might argue there is an ideological bent in that it assumes the model of support and protection will see a greater role for the private sector and an evolution of the role of humanitarian organisations. It is a natural occurrence in modern liberalised economies and the link with general economic development is unequivocal. When we think about how this integrates with the commitments made in the <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/new-york-declaration-for-refugees-and-migrants.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New York Declaration<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we need to start thinking how comprehensive solutions are providers and that humanitarian organisations work more closely with the private sector, both in delivery and learning, to make humanitarian programming more client focused. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>What do we need to work on?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This challenge may appear insurmountable, \u2018not my job\u2019 or just a plain headache to affect. There are simple things that you can do today to help us on this journey, and maybe kick-start a sort of domino effect regarding how we\u2019re using the vehicle of data to make our programming more constituent-driven.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. How to work as one: collaboration not competition<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Time and time again it is the underlying politics of competition that hamper progress in the humanitarian sector. We find it hard to reconcile feedback, and data more broadly, across different humanitarian agencies. If we can\u2019t overcome this, we will fragment and disintegrate. That\u2019s not to say there aren\u2019t a number of individuals within organisations that endeavour to make this happen, but I know I\u2019ve been looked at with surprise by internal colleagues when opening up data or (securely) sharing information to partners that has previously been siloed. To start building a better collective understanding, we need to open up data, collaborate transparently, and build insights around our constituents needs together, rather than in isolation from each other.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What can I do today?: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start by reading <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/radical-openness\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c10 defining principles of radical openness\u201d on our website for simple actions you can take<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u00a0Be open-minded to working with others and leave your ego at the door. If they\u2019ve got a good thing working, see how you can get involved, rather than build a competing system\/product.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Borrowing from the private and public sectors: be faster<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a number of documents discussed in this article that outline trends, but there are many more pieces available that don\u2019t fall across the desk of the humanitarian practitioners. We need to get better at seriously considering them, along with other analyses of societal, business or other trends, at a high\/senior leadership level. The lessons learned can help save humanitarian\u2019s time and money, but also provide ideas for how we can do more practical things for instance with customer service approaches, or intelligent use of metadata for gaining insights.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What can I do today?: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think about how aspects of your job are tackled by public\/private sector organisations. This could be anything from design of transit areas for large groups of people to developing call-centres. There\u2019s a wealth of resources, many referenced in this piece that are a mere google away. Take the time to reach out and learn.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Innovation is here to stay<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps I\u2019m biased, but if there\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve gathered from speaking with peers in the private and public sector, and from documentation and reports such as the above, it is that innovation is here to stay. There\u2019s the oft-quoted phrase \u2018We need to innovate to survive\u2019. This is how it should be. We have a nasty history of resting on our laurels in the humanitarian sector and to provide client-centric services based on solid data, we need to be able innovation, and adapt quickly to changing contexts. We have to bring the end-users into our solution design and development at the earliest stages to make sure that it&#8217;s driven by their needs. This is the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/what-we-do\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">modus operandi<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the UNHCR Innovation Service.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What can I do today?: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give your staff space to innovate. Take time out of your busy schedule to think about how to do something differently. Apply for our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/innovation-fellowship\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Innovation Fellowship<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/what-we-do\/#contactus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">work with us<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Ask for evidence <\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So we need to start organising the data we have, jettisoning what isn\u2019t useful (i.e. stop capturing it) and start capturing things that are going to provide real insight. Securely store your data and learn how to leverage it in the right ways to support decision-making processes. Think about what these processes look like, what you\/your manager needs, be transparent and allow the data to speak for itself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What can I do today?: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Invest in the right staff and tools to work with data. Learn about data. Stop working from anecdote and do your best to make the data backing up your decisions as robust as possible. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Bringing constituents closer is the only way forward<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps the hyper-involvement that we\u2019re seeing on the fringe of some private sector organisations (who are using crowd platforms to determine the overall direction of service delivery and philosophy) would be too much for humanitarian organisations. Ultimately, there will be demand for greater input from all constituents involved, including those who are providing the finances to make the work happen, and those who are recipient to that. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where this hasn\u2019t been applied, organisations fail. Simple as that. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What can I do today?: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out our practitioner\u2019s guide to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/communicating-with-communities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Communicating with Communities<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Be pioneering in your programme design by getting tangible involvement from communities in decision-making. Make sure you\u2019re open to and acting on feedback from communities and don\u2019t shy away from opening up channels because of lack of capacity. There are ways to deal with it, and groups that will support you in this journey. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The \u2018refugee journey\u2019 of the future<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lives that people are leading are not determined by humanitarian actors. In reality, despite UNHCR, national governments, and partners providing services, occasionally managing settlements and so on, a large portion of people&#8217;s lives are lived amongst their friends and family without intervention. When interventions do take place, perhaps it would be good to consider these in their entirety? From the above resources, we saw the idea of a \u2018citizen journey\u2019 put forward as a framework for making sure data was being used to make services more customer-centric. I\u2019d like to re-frame this for UNHCR as the \u2018refugee journey\u2019. Not the journey they take to flee a country, but the metaphorical journey they take when they interact with the humanitarian response community. If from now on we start thinking more holistically about this journey, we will be better placed to understand the motivations of individuals, what they want and don\u2019t want from their journeys and how they can be more satisfied upon completing each journey. Maybe even easing the real journey they\u2019re taking towards a life free from persecution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>This\u00a0essay was originally posted in the recently released report: UNHCR Innovation Service: Year in Review 2017.\u00a0This report highlights and showcases some of the innovative approaches the organization is taking to address complex refugee challenges and discover new opportunities. You can view the full <a href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/year-review-2017\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Year in Review microsite and download the publication here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Communicating with communities. Data. Information Management. Accountability to affected populations. To me, saying these terms in a row highlights how disassociated these different terms are for many, and how acutely humanitarian-centric, i.e. jargonistic they sound. They form &#8211; on the whole &#8211; mostly separate job profiles amongst different humanitarian organisations (including UNHCR), and are areas [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":26976,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[644,543,659],"tags":[326,522,686],"class_list":["post-26969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cwc","category-from-the-field","category-year-in-review-2017","tag-communicating-with-communities","tag-feedback-mechanisms","tag-humanitarian-data"],"acf":{"author":"John Warnes","authors_title":"Innovation Technology Officer"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Using data to make your humanitarian organisation more client-focused - UNHCR Innovation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Using data to make your humanitarian organisation more client-focused - UNHCR Innovation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Communicating with communities. Data. Information Management. Accountability to affected populations. To me, saying these terms in a row highlights how disassociated these different terms are for many, and how acutely humanitarian-centric, i.e. jargonistic they sound. They form &#8211; on the whole &#8211; mostly separate job profiles amongst different humanitarian organisations (including UNHCR), and are areas [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UNHCR Innovation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UNHCRInnovation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-03-06T16:42:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-10-05T07:28:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/RF223124__DSC5877.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lauren Parater\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@UNHCRInnovation\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@UNHCRInnovation\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lauren Parater\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"18 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lauren Parater\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#\/schema\/person\/f197de84fe715f55e91cb34cdadf902b\"},\"headline\":\"Using data to make your humanitarian organisation more client-focused\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-06T16:42:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-10-05T07:28:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/\"},\"wordCount\":3601,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/RF223124__DSC5877.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Communicating with Communities\",\"feedback mechanisms\",\"humanitarian data\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Communicating with Communities\",\"From the field\",\"Year in Review 2017\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/\",\"name\":\"Using data to make your humanitarian organisation more client-focused - UNHCR Innovation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/RF223124__DSC5877.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-03-06T16:42:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-10-05T07:28:53+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/RF223124__DSC5877.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/RF223124__DSC5877.jpg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1000},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Using data to make your humanitarian organisation more client-focused\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/\",\"name\":\"UNHCR Innovation\",\"description\":\"Innovation starts with people\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UNHCR\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CFR-UNHCR-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CFR-UNHCR-logo.png\",\"width\":1466,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"UNHCR\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UNHCRInnovation\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/UNHCRInnovation\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/unhcrinnovation\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#\/schema\/person\/f197de84fe715f55e91cb34cdadf902b\",\"name\":\"Lauren Parater\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15e0b7d58755e296842afd6ef363338d496c82ead32ee0a5308e61afb0ae44f7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15e0b7d58755e296842afd6ef363338d496c82ead32ee0a5308e61afb0ae44f7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lauren Parater\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/author\/lparater\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Using data to make your humanitarian organisation more client-focused - UNHCR Innovation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Using data to make your humanitarian organisation more client-focused - UNHCR Innovation","og_description":"Communicating with communities. Data. Information Management. Accountability to affected populations. To me, saying these terms in a row highlights how disassociated these different terms are for many, and how acutely humanitarian-centric, i.e. jargonistic they sound. They form &#8211; on the whole &#8211; mostly separate job profiles amongst different humanitarian organisations (including UNHCR), and are areas [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/","og_site_name":"UNHCR Innovation","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UNHCRInnovation\/","article_published_time":"2018-03-06T16:42:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-10-05T07:28:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2000,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/RF223124__DSC5877.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lauren Parater","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@UNHCRInnovation","twitter_site":"@UNHCRInnovation","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lauren Parater","Est. reading time":"18 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/"},"author":{"name":"Lauren Parater","@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#\/schema\/person\/f197de84fe715f55e91cb34cdadf902b"},"headline":"Using data to make your humanitarian organisation more client-focused","datePublished":"2018-03-06T16:42:47+00:00","dateModified":"2018-10-05T07:28:53+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/"},"wordCount":3601,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/RF223124__DSC5877.jpg","keywords":["Communicating with Communities","feedback mechanisms","humanitarian data"],"articleSection":["Communicating with Communities","From the field","Year in Review 2017"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/","url":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/","name":"Using data to make your humanitarian organisation more client-focused - UNHCR Innovation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/RF223124__DSC5877.jpg","datePublished":"2018-03-06T16:42:47+00:00","dateModified":"2018-10-05T07:28:53+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/RF223124__DSC5877.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/RF223124__DSC5877.jpg","width":2000,"height":1000},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/using-data-to-make-your-humanitarian-organisation-more-client-focused\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Using data to make your humanitarian organisation more client-focused"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/","name":"UNHCR Innovation","description":"Innovation starts with people","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#organization","name":"UNHCR","url":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CFR-UNHCR-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/CFR-UNHCR-logo.png","width":1466,"height":600,"caption":"UNHCR"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UNHCRInnovation\/","https:\/\/x.com\/UNHCRInnovation","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/unhcrinnovation"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#\/schema\/person\/f197de84fe715f55e91cb34cdadf902b","name":"Lauren Parater","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15e0b7d58755e296842afd6ef363338d496c82ead32ee0a5308e61afb0ae44f7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/15e0b7d58755e296842afd6ef363338d496c82ead32ee0a5308e61afb0ae44f7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lauren Parater"},"url":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/author\/lparater\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26969"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26987,"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26969\/revisions\/26987"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.unhcr.org\/innovation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}