Amy Preston, Customer Support Team Lead

Department: Customer Service

Developing at ForFarmers

“I first started working at ForFarmers in October 2018 as a Production Planner in the Dry, Moist and Liquids (DML) department. I was responsible for coordinating straights such as rapemeal, soya hulls, palm kernels and liquids which include molasses, yeasts and waste beer."

“Earlier this year my colleague, Cerys Jones and I took on new job roles which were created to support the commercial teams and make ForFarmers easier to do business with. We work closely together in order to create the best solutions, overcome hurdles and map out a clear pathway for protocols. It’s taken some time to navigate but we have worked extremely hard to get where we are today."

"I’m pleased to say it’s been a successful pilot and as a result our team has expanded. Colleagues from across the business have joined our team and they have brought a wealth of experience from all areas of the business. I’m really excited about this new chapter, not only can we build a great team culture but I’m looking forward to putting my managerial skills into practice.”

Customer first approach

“As a team our number one priority is our customers and therefore the team and I have plenty of ideas to ensure this goal is continuously met. We have been embracing innovation and change in order to develop a model and structure that drives forward our customer experience versus our competitors.”

“Our team takes ownership of customer queries from start to finish. We track query resolution times and always look to improve our customer experience and business processes. We work hard to ensure our customer first approach shines through every time.”

A typical day

“Honestly, every day is different and as a team we focus on a range of customer service tasks. These include setting up new accounts, completing pre-delivery hazard evaluations, credit and debits and ensuring that customer disputes are logged and actioned in a timely manner. We also categorise queries, investigate and find resolutions.”

“We are a key point of contact for customers and therefore keeping them updated regularly is an important aspect of our roles.”

Working with other departments

“Due to the nature of my role I work closely with a range of departments. Firstly, I work with the regional Customer Service departments and help them to complete requests for customers and account managers. I also assist the UK Credit Control department to ensure disputes are finalised to the best of our ability.”

“As I’m based in the Midlands, I help the Preston Pricing team with orders to ensure we invoice all tonnage by the end of the month. I also help with processing credits and debits.”

“We are also on hand to help with projects and this is when I often come into contact with the Supply Chain department. We are currently looking at ways to improve and automate our new account set ups and NAF process.”

“Additionally the team and I work with the DML and national Sales teams to help with any admin tasks that may result in the inability to prospect customers and sell tonnage.”

Our customers are our number one priority

Overcoming hurdles

"In the first couple of months we had to adapt, build new relationships and adjust to new ways of working. With an injection of time and effort, teams across the business now work closely with us and as a result we can provide benefits to both internal and external customers.”

“In just five months, we have achieved a number of successes including a significant increase in closed disputes and we have cut our resolution time down by more than 77%. This new lead time is so impressive and this really is due to the brilliant team I work with.”

Enjoyment

“I really enjoy working at ForFarmers but if I had to pick the best aspect it would be my colleagues. We are a supportive team and embrace our differences. We all pull together in times of need and together we’ve achieved so much in such a short amount of time."

“In the last 6 months I've have had lots of opportunities to drive change and improvement and it’s been a great journey so far. I get great satisfaction when a customer gives gratitude on an issue I’ve helped solve and no matter how big or small, it’s a really rewarding. Over the last few years, my responsibilities have grown dramatically and I’m really grateful for all of the opportunities that ForFarmers has offered me.”