St Albans Chamber of Commerce Community Business Awards 2015

Nominated by:Graham Pulsford, Managing Director

Young Employee Award

Clare Bassett

Clare Bassett - Position and Route Through JPA:

2015 – age 27. July - Customer Service AND Logistics Team Manager Role confirmed after 6 month pilot

2014 – age 26. Piloted new role of Customer Service AND Logistics Team Manager – taking on another 8 staff

2012 – age 25. Promoted to Customer Service Manager.

2011 – age 23. Promoted to Customer Service Team Supervisor.

2009 – age 21. Gains more responsibility and promoted to Customer Service Assistant

2007 – age 19. Joins JPA as part of Customer Service Team of 8 staff

Prior to JPA, employed at Tesco WGC to stack shelvesOn the up...!

A flavour of operational work by Clare’s Logistics Team

The end result of all that work by Clare’s Service and Logistics Teams

Meet Clare’s Logisitics Team

Clare Bassett – Outstanding Achievements:

Youngest ever Manager of JPA Customer Service Team

• 8 staff

• Responsible for: Front of House, H&S, Training, Enquiries, Quotations, Orders, Purchase Order Processing, Invoicing out, Customer Complaints and Snagging, Client Feedback

Youngest ever Manager of JPA Fleet, Delivery and Installation Team

• 8 staff

• 15 subcontractors

• 7 vehicles

• Responsible for: Fleet Maintenance, H&S, Training, Order Scheduling and Logistics, Goods In/Out, Deliveries, Installation, Moves, Labour Costs, Stock, Customer Complaints and Snagging

First female Manager of JPA Vehicle Fleet, Delivery and Installation Team

Youngest ever member of JPA Management Team

Found time to get married in May 2015!!!

Clare brings a fresh perspective to our Management activities, a different approach and a fresh view, essential for innovation and growth.

John Pulsford, OwnerJPA Furniture

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Meet Clare’s Customer Services Team

Clare... always at the heart of the action

Clare Bassett – Impact on our Company Success over the last 12 months…

• Implementing a wave of change and fresh ideas to JPA

• Still personally managing key company accounts worth £250,000.00 p/a

• Successfully raised over 2831 sales orders within Customer Services Team

• Sales orders processed within Customer Services to value of £4,833,483.00

• Over 1376 quotations raised within Customer Services

• Over £7,000,000.00 goods quoted by Customer Services

• Outstanding levels of client feedback – see over

• Response times for quotations, orders and enquiries improved by 15%

• Returns rate reduced to 0.4% across despatches over last 12 months

• Over 35,000 individual items successfully delivered and installed

• Installed successfully to over 400 individual delivery locations

• Achieved 20% reduction in labour costs

• Seamless integration with other departments to achieve Company Targets for first 6 months 2015

“…. it’s very hard to put into words how much Clare has been a great manager, friend and inspiration to me. When I started at JPA furniture, she has just been promoted to Supervisor and over 5 years I’ve seen her progress into managing two teams. I didn’t have much experience at the beginning, but with Clare’s excellent training, product knowledge and encouragement I have managed to progress to the projects team. Clare has a great approach to work, always with a smile even when there are 100s of things going on. Clare is not only a great boss but an amazing person and friend, she will always be there for anyone who needs a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on”

Amelia Cooper JPA Furniture

For the nearly eight years I have worked at UCL, I have sourced furniture from JPA for our staff office furniture requirements and much of our public space and reading room furniture needs. Whilst their prices are competitive, it is their customer service that stands out to me. JPA’s head office is very efficient at processing orders and answering any of our queries as they arise. I have on many occasions needed to sort out details of orders such as routine furniture quotations, organising delivery times to fit our needs or making last minute changes to quotations. The office staff have always been very helpful and amenable to our sometimes last minute and urgent changes. When JPA delivery and fitting staff arrive with new deliveries, they have always been helpful and resourceful in working around changes in schedule and overcoming obstacles as they have arisen. As they are familiar with UCL, and with Library Services, they are aware of noise issues and sensitivity to keeping disruptions to students studying to a minimum. JPA Staff have on all occasions been helpful, friendly and efficient in sorting out anything we needed. I can say that JPA is one of the few suppliers UCL uses that is actually a pleasure to do business with. It is this attention to customer service that makes JPA a valuable supplier to have available to us.

Scott Foulon(Acting) Assistant Librarian: Building Projects ManagerUCL Library Services

Successful JPA Installation & Service – UCL Cruciform Hub

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So what do JPA Suppliers, Clients and Staff say about Clare?

As a major supplier to the JPA group for almost 20 years it is unusual to notice a new relationship as new people come and go.

Clare joined JPA in a customer service role and her enthusiasm and desire to understand our partnership relationship have led to great improvements in what was already a great relationship.

Innovative and creative she makes a positive contribution to both our businesses and is a firm favourite of our sales, customer service and logistics teams

Ian Blackburn Sales Director The Senator Group (JPA Key supplier)

I have known Clare since she joined JPA in 2007. My initial impression of Clare was of a bright, sparky young woman with a willingness to learn and right from the start she fitted in in the CS team, quickly settling into the job, the routines and processes, and building up her knowledge of products.

Clare has extremely appealing qualities which were recognised very early in her emploment by management and have been developed to enable her to hold her current managerial postion of CST and Logistics Manager, e.g. Engaging personality with a sense of fun and the ability to clearly communicate to all levels.

I look forward to seeing her progress further!

Jim Rawlings, Director, RQA JPA Quality & Environmental Consultants

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Clare is a real credit to the Management team at JPA.

She really is the heart & soul of the customer service/logistics team and will always ensure jobs are carried out with the highest level of service & care.

Clare is highly efficient in all aspects of her job roles at JPA. She promotes a positive, well-organized team.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Clare; not only was my time at JPA productive & enjoyable; it was also fantastic working within such a methodical team.

Clare’s support as a Manager was always appreciated by myself & I know the same applies to others working in her team.

Clare’s moto of there is no ‘I’ in Team really does apply within her work ethic - she will always do her utmost to ensure her team feel well supported & direct as necessary to meet the varied demands of the business.

I still have a very good relationship with JPA & speak very highly of the whole team & of course Clare as I worked with her very closely with her for a very happy 4.5 years!

I wish her all the best as her career progresses at JPA & am very thankful for the time I worked with her.

Jazmine Lawrence – Sales Account Manager at Thorns Group. (Ex JPA Customer Service)

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In working with JPA over the past few years, I have had the pleasure of seeing Clare grow and develop with energy, confidence and a passionate commitment to provide the JPA clients with exceptional service.

Going the extra mile in the norm for Clare and a ‘can-do’ attitude has enabled her to overcome many challenging situations when trying to resolve issues and make things successfully happen for JPA clients. This positive business focused mind-set is not limited to external clients, as she has developed in the past few years, so has her level of responsibility within the business and she has successfully applied this in her management style. This belief in making things happen equally extends to her management and training of her staff and team, ensuring that everyone is given an opportunity to shine, develop and be respected.

It has been with Clare’s tenacity and exceptional customer service that has led to so many wonderful client testimonials for the JPA team, which in turn is allowing JPA to go from strength to strength, and underpinning JPA’s business growth.

Jane Dell GrowthAccelerator Coach and Accredited Business Advisor Jade Business Solutions Ltd

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Clare and she is incredibly deserving. I always think a work place is very much be about management attitude and a happy work place means a supportive, professional and well organised management team.

Your work force has always been incredibly helpful from your office team through to your great delivery guys and I suspect this is down to the sense that they know they are valued. I think a few organisations out there could do with a week or 2 at JPA to see how its done!

Where would we be without you !

Anne Skinner Human Resources Divisional Manager UCL Staff Accommodation Officer University College London (JPA Client)

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Your guys were great today – very professionalPlease thank them again for me Cheryl Webster Office Manager & PA to Divisional Manager and Divisional Clinical Director, UCLH

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I just wanted to say a very very big thank you to you and your team for the smooth running of our installs so far this year, as always JPA services are second to none !!Linda Norton Steward Magdalen College, Oxford (Client)

I would like to say huge big thank you to everyone for all their help today in installing the new desks, installing the new computers/reinstalling the old computers and for installing/reinstalling the new phones.Everyone from JPA Furniture, IT and Telecoms worked exceptionally hard to get this done today, and I sincerely thank you all very much. You all came on time and got the work done as arranged – thank you!!!Jacqueline Apps Divisional Admin Manager, UCLH (Client)

I would like to say having used JPA for a number of years for large and small projects the standard of service they provide has been exceptional. Price is not always the overriding factor with regard a tender and supplier evaluation. My experience tells me suppliers promise everything but often cannot deliver a cradle to the grave type service . In this regard JPA fulfils this criteria, problems with any issues are always dealt with promptly and resolved amicably . Service is the key factor from my viewpoint and JPA deliver this in abundance from sales , office staff to delivery drivers everyone is helpful and responsive.

Keith Shore, Faculty of Law, Bentham Hse (Client)

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What do our client’s say about Clare’s Team?

We are so pleased with the design, furniture, delivery, service, fitting, great guys.Thank you also for pushing this through for us in accordance with our timescale. We are very happy!Sarah Pretorius St Albans District Council

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Recommendation

I am delighted to nominate Clare for this award as she is a shining example to all young people in business.

Her talent, drive and formidable organisational skills are complimented by enthusiasm, an infectious

personality and sense of fun.

It has been a pleasure to watch Clare develop and grow at JPA over the last 8 years and I look forwards to seeing Clare develop her new role and her continued

positive impact on JPA’s success as a business.

Graham Pulsford, Managing Director