Roger Thornton

I’ve always had “a bit of a thing” about Customer Service. Never one to subscribe to the school of “Hiya Mate, y’er all right?” It was with these ideas that I was asked to take on a project at 121 Customer Insight, a call centre in Salford Quays. This was in January 2007 after a lifetime’s service in Barclays Bank and many years of ensuing retirement, (be reassured, I did retire very early).

A major client of 121 was a well known High Street Insurance Broker and I was asked to take on their Acquisitions Project, on a scale that hadn’t been tried before. This would involve me in phoning brokers up and down our fair land, speaking to the owner, CEO or MD and asking whether or not they wished to sell their business. Not the easiest of calls you’ll admit and not one for the school of “Ere mate, d’ya wanna sell your business” and believe me that approach had been tried by a call centre with whom relations had been somewhat abruptly curtailed.

I remember that first meeting with the client, where I was sat with Directors, Acquisition Managers and the CEO of our own company, not knowing very much about insurance, but realizing that I didn’t need to. A lifetime of dealing with my customers at the Bank, never knowing who would walk through my door whether a Cabinet Minister or a carpenter, a dustman or a dowager had prepared me for such a situation. I prepared a script, respectful but not servile, assertive and with the necessary escape routes in place to avoid the difficult questions. The results were spectacular, confirming the validity of my approach. And there were unexpected consequences from these calls. Initially, I met with much hostility; we were accused of being a “predator” or a “bucket shop”. But I persisted and gradually over a period of 12 months I found that my approach had begun to change the perception that brokers had formed of our client. So much so, that rather than the contact being “Not Interested” they began to say that they’d like to keep in touch and we built up substantial ongoing, interest for the future. Not only that but I discovered that I possessed the ability to beguile and negotiate around gatekeepers thus reaching the normally unreachable, finding that I was able to make contact with targets where all previous efforts had failed.

The approach being tried and tested we were able to expand into other projects for the financial sector which required a high level of professionalism. At this level it is important to be able to hold an unscripted conversation, a considerable feat for young people just starting out on their careers. But this was something that I could teach; mentor would be a better description. To require a young, fairly inexperienced person to negotiate gatekeepers and to talk to a CEO in a manner that would convey a professional, businesslike and knowledgeable attitude when they have little idea of the complexities that are inherent in, for example, the Finance Industry, is in modern parlance “A big ask”. Psychologically it confronts issues of confidence and self esteem and so, in the early days, a trainee usually needs a lot of support and reassurance.

All the building blocks are in place, and now I hope to complete the dream I had those five years ago. And that is to provide an environment where Companies and Professionals can come, safe in the knowledge that their reputation and ambitions are safe in our hands. Not only safe but enhanced. Assured that we are all talking “the same language,” and speaking from the same script. To ensure that their experience is seamless, and smooth from the very start of the procedure. Confident in that they will be “Wowed” by what they see and what we do. For me the “Wow Factor” is the most important aspect. I believe that any contact a client has, whether with me at the Bank, or us at Bespoke Solutions, should be memorable. They are putting a lot of trust in us as a company and that trust has to be protected. I am astonished how often I hear that sales teams or directors do not like talking over the telephone and even less, like making calls to complete strangers. For me, this is the joy of what I do. I love talking on the telephone, and to be able to do so without restriction is heaven, especially as I am paid for it and don’t have to pay the phone bill!

So the advent of Bespoke Solutions is a source of great excitement to me and a new challenge which I relish. I am confident that with our range and depth of experience that we can make a real difference to Companies who are looking to reinvigorate their sales drive and enhance their reputation in the market place.