Department: Customer Service
"We need to be aware of the changing environment and remain positive whilst providing excellent customer service"
“I work as the Customer Services Team Leader for Scotland and the North of England. My career with ForFarmers started almost twelve years ago when I joined as a Customer Services Operator. For the last two and a half years, I have taken on the role as Team Leader and now manage three customer service advisors at Brydekirk.”
“On a daily basis, the team have to coordinate and liaise with a variety of departments and individuals including account managers, transport planner and production. A large amount of our products are made to order and as result delivering on time and in full can be challenging but it is part of all of our roles to make sure we achieve the best service for our customers.”
“My team and I cover a large geographical area and as a result each day is a bit of a juggling act but with support and communication we aim to be as efficient and effective as possible.”
“Due to the nature of our products and short delivery time scales, the team try to pre-empt forward orders by proactively calling customers. This helps us plan ahead and smooth tonnage across each week and month.”
“In between answering calls from customers and account managers, who phone in with new orders, I also review our reporting analytics which include our On Time and In Full percentages. I review our analytics across three of our sites Brydekirk, Penrith and Preston in order to try and establish if we can do things smarter or more efficiently. We also deal with delivery issues caused by a vehicle breakdown and any complaints raised by customers or account managers.”
“Interestingly the whole customer service team are all from farming related backgrounds and this knowledge and understanding definitely helps us when speaking to customers. I encourage the girls to build up rapport with our customers and have a natter, as we all know farming can be a very lonely industry and we could be the only contact they have all day.”
“The industry is constantly changing and at the moment with Brexit, uncertainty fills the air. This of course has an impact upon our customers and we need to be aware of the changing environment and remain positive whilst providing excellent customer service.”