If you run a business that provides services to other businesses, then customer service and customer satisfaction is king. Your services are only as good as your reputation and finding and keeping customers will be critical to the growth of your business. A good business plan will help to make the services you deliver a great success. Whether your business is a start-up, large business or somewhere in between, Boost’s growth support and mentoring programmes can help you to pitch and sell your business, win and keep customers and grow. Read how three service businesses in Lancashire have benefitted from Boost support.
Bowland IT Services started trading in May 2016. It provides a wide range of IT support services, helpdesk and web design plus supply and installation of CCTV and security equipment. Owner Oliver Alcock was looking for mentoring support to help develop a strategic plan for the business and was keen to introduce new systems and procedures. He was introduced to Boost’s Growth Mentoring programme and matched with mentor Carl Bradshaw, a specialist in technology, business development and finance. During the mentoring they also focused on the pricing structure and billing system.
This prompted the introduction of a new structure based on time-based billing and introducing a call out charge. The changes made to the pricing structure have had the most immediate impact, with estimates indicating an increase in turnover of 25 per cent in the next year alone. Since receiving mentoring support Bowland IT Services has also recruited a business development executive, an IT technician and apprentice office administrator. The firm now has a team of five, with further plans for recruitment as the company grows. Oliver said: “The mentoring was very positive. Not only has it had an immediate impact on turnover through the changes made to our pricing structure, but it has also had an impact on the way I run the business. “Mentoring gave me the opportunity have a regular break from working in the business and to focus on it. I now have a clear strategy to achieve my objectives over the next couple of years and I am confident that I can make these a reality.”
Paisley Training and Consultancy provides high quality training to the care services sector that helps businesses meet Care Quality Commission (CQC) compliance. The business was established in April 2019. It currently has two business partners, Mark Tierney and Tracey Highland, who manage all aspects of the business. Mark and Tracey joined Boost’s Growth Support Programme to further understand business planning, finance, sales and marketing. They attended a wide range of workshops as part of the Growth Support Programme (GSP).
Over the course of the programme Mark and Tracey learnt about planning and using tools such as the business model canvas and the visioning orbit model which helped them focus in on what’s important to them and their business. They then developed a single page three-year business plan that aims to help Mark and Tracey identify growth opportunities and profit margins, team and training requirements and infrastructure and capital expenditure requirements.
Mark and Tracey also attended sales and marketing workshops covering digital and LinkedIn marketing, selling for growth, how to win and keep customers, as well as several workshops on financial planning. The support and guidance received through Boost’s GSP will provide a great framework for them to grow the business, make the most of digital marketing and give Mark and Tracey the confidence in pitching and selling their services.
Bloom Environmental Ltd offers waste management expertise to the private and public sectors. Karen Aguilera set up the business in 2018 whilst working full-time as an environmental sustainability specialist in industry. She currently runs the business as a one-man-band but plans future recruitment as the business grows. Karen first joined the Boost Growth Support Programme (GSP) in 2018 and has since attended marketing workshops to learn to ‘find, win and keep customers’. Karen has also benefitted from guidance and support through one-to-one sessions with Boost advisor Yusuf Musa.
She believes the support she has received through the Boost Growth Support Programme will ultimately help her to grow Bloom Environmental Ltd into a high growth company. Karen said: “I have been given expert support and access to invaluable knowledge on a whole range of topics on sales and marketing. These are the areas I never got exposed to, working in industry, and it is great to have so much explained, demystified and brought into reality.
“The team at Boost couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly and the access they have to such a wide field of expertise has been so beneficial. Boost’s advisor Yusuf was so much more than an advisor to me.”
If you run a service business and want to do more to improve your customer service and grow your business, complete the contact enquiry form and a member of the Boost team will be in touch to start your growth conversation.
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