Spark Response News Blog

Spark Etail acquires online fashion retailer Frank & Faith...

2012-01-09T09:00:00.007Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Jennifer Tate (01642 584790).

Today, Spark Etail, a division of leading contact centre and fulfillment specialist, Spark Response, has announced its acquisition of ethical fashion label and online retailer, Frank & Faith www.frankandfaith.com.

Spark Etail was formed in March 2011 and is a leading full service online retailer of ethical products, owning and operating Ethicalsuperstore.com, Natural Collection and recently acquired Spirit of Nature. The company also provides e-commerce technology and marketing services to leading UK online retailers.

Frank & Faith has been operating in the ethical sector since 2006 designing, manufacturing and retailing fashion, accessories and lifestyle products. The brand was created by Anya Pearson and Mark Swire to fill a gap in the ethical fashion market and its design-led product range uses the best eco-friendly fabrics including organic cotton and bamboo. The entire Frank & Faith Collection is proudly manufactured in the UK.

As of today, the retailer will operate under Spark Etail’s experienced team from its head office in Gateshead and there will be no disruption to its service.

Noel Lambert, Managing Director, Spark Etail says: “Since its inception, Spark Etail has grown significantly and in response to market demand we have been actively searching for a strategic acquisition to enhance our current fashion portfolio. Frank & Faith is an ideal fit for Spark Etail, as it has an established, loyal customer base and excellent ethical and organic credentials. With the introduction of the brand to our portfolio of companies we are forecasting group turnover in excess of £15 million over the next year.

“Utilising our expertise in the online retail market we plan to invest significantly into the brand to enable it to continue to grow and evolve. As the company currently designs and manufactures its own lines we plan to work alongside new designers so that future collections can expand and we’re also planning to harness our buying power to support more small producers and to increase stock levels across the existing collections and offer a wider choice of styles and designs. Investment will also be channeled into redevelopment of the online store which we envision will become home to the widest range of ethical fashion brands online.”

Anya Pearson, co-founder Frank & Faith adds: “We are incredibly proud of Frank & Faith and while we are sad to be stepping away from the business we are confident that the acquisition represents an exciting new journey for the brand. That Spark Etail has opted to buy the business outright is testament to its success and the potential growth opportunities in this marketplace. We believe that the team at Spark will ensure the brand continues to evolve and as a result Frank & Faith customers will continue to enjoy even greater collections of beautiful ethically produced fashion.”

Through its current retailers Spark Etail stocks products from some of the world’s largest and most recognisable ethical brands as well as small niche companies including Suma Wholefoods, Komodo, Ecover, Divine Chocolate, Neal’s Yard, Cafédirect, Traidcraft, Faith in Nature and Tearfund among others, enabling customers to ‘buy what you believe’.

For more information about Spark Etail please visit www.sparketail.com

Managers swap office desks for shop floor for the year’s busiest period...

2011-12-16T09:25:00.000Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Leanne English (01642 584790).

Managers at one the UK’s leading contact centre and fulfillment specialists are swapping their suits for jeans as the business experiences its busiest period of the year.

The months of September through to December are Spark Response’s peak months with clients including Toys R Us, Cancer Research UK and Ethical Superstore all experiencing a seasonal increase in orders.

In the run up to Christmas, Spark has seen an uplift of around 40% on order volumes for major retail clients and, during the first two weeks of December, despatched over 114,000 orders, equating to almost 370,000 items with a retail value of around £10m.

In order to ensure client demand is met, members of the management team are supporting the fulfillment teams, who work tirelessly to get orders dispatched in time for Christmas.

Peter Slee, Managing Director, Spark Response, said: “Our business is highly seasonal, so from early September until late December our teams work around the clock to ensure customers receive their orders in time for Christmas. And, while it’s our busiest time with customer demand at its highest, we are also committed to providing the high quality of service our customers come to expect all year round.

“This is the perfect time of year to give all of our management team and non-operational staff the opportunity to be part of the action and experience our fulfillment operation at its absolute peak. This year, we’re delighted to welcome our chairman, Barry Stiefel, who has travelled up from London on a seasonal visit and has been happy to lend a hand alongside the rest of the managers and directors.”

Spark hit the headlines earlier in the year when it purchased the assets of EthicalSuperstore.com and formed a new eCommerce division, Spark Etail. Peter continues: “We end 2011 a very different business and we also have members of the Spark Etail team pitching in to help get orders out the door. These guys were essentially a client this time last year, so it’s great to be able to see the new team integrating so well into our business.”

Recent figures have shown that more and more people are choosing to buy online, with many ordering gifts right up until Christmas, meaning Spark will continue to despatch orders up until Thursday, December 22, for delivery on Friday 23.

Spark, whose clients also include Soap and Glory, FitFlop and Best Direct, has recently taken on 150 temporary staff to meet the demand of the Christmas rush, taking its totally workforce to around 330.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response Lands John Partridge Contract

2011-11-15T17:59:00.001Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Leanne English (01642 584790).

Spark Response, one of the UK's leading contact centre and fulfillment specialists, has secured a contract with one of the North East's most luxury brands.

Gateshead-based Spark is to provide trade and consumer fulfillment support to John Partridge, the recently re-launched luxury English heritage clothing label.

The company, whose other clients include Toys R Us, Soap and Glory, Ethical Superstore, FitFlop and Cancer Research UK, has been awarded the contract by the Northumberland-based firm after meeting its requirements.

John Partridge has been re-launched under the ownership of former Penny Plain managing director Nick Oliver, working alongside David Reay, a former Barbour, Jockey and Warnaco director, and Gary Newbold, former head of design at Barbour.

The trio bought John Partridge from the Bollin Group and has secured major investment from venture capital company FW Capital and business angel Anne Holliday. Nick, David and Gary have reinvigorated the brand, appointed Spark to provide the distribution support it needs and is aiming to have its products in department stores soon, just as John Partridge did in its heyday.

Peter Slee, Managing Director, Spark Response, said: "This is a really exciting contract for Spark as we're always keen to develop strong partnerships with North East companies. John Partridge is a reputable quality brand which, under the direction of Nick, David and Gary, has the potential to be one of this region's biggest fashion success stories.

"As a business we are always looking for new opportunities to develop so I'm delighted that John Partridge selected Spark to help it realise its plans for expansion on the back of the major re-launch."

The deal to purchase John Partridge, which was established in the 1960s came about after Nick, who left Penny Plain in 2007 and spent a few years away from the apparel sector, decided he was ready to return. He was then introduced to David and Gary through mutual friends.

The men believe they can restore the brand to its former glory and are also targeting overseas expansion.

Nick Oliver said: "John Partridge is a major brand within the apparel sector but after a few soft years, it had lost its edge. There is no doubt with the right direction it can be re-established as one of the country's leading brands and back on the shelves of Selfridges, Liberty and other leading department stores as it used to be.

"With the expertise myself, David and Gary have, we've drawn up some really exciting growth plans which also include pushing the brand into country clothing and sporting goods stores, independent retailers, increasing its presence in the UK and overseas, including the US market, and launching a consumer website. With the appointment of Spark Response, we believe we have the ideal partner to help us take the business to where we think it should be."

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Seasonal recruitment drive brings early Christmas present at Spark Response

2011-10-10T11:38:00.000+01:00

Source: Velvet Communications/Leanne English (01642 584790).

Contact centre and fulfillment specialist, Spark Response, is creating 150 temporary jobs to meet the demand of the Christmas rush.

Gateshead-based Spark has started the recruitment drive as it prepares to meet the increased demand over the festive period.

Spark is looking to bring in the extra bodies to help in its fulfillment centre, where products for clients including Toys R Us, Soap and Glory and FitFlop are dispatched, as well as additional support for its inbound call centre. The new jobs will take Spark’s total workforce to around 330.

Peter Slee, Managing Director, Spark Response, said: “Elements of our business are highly seasonal and these new positions will ensure we have the staff to meet the demand of our clients. From now until Christmas we will be incredibly busy so it’s an exciting time for new recruits to join Spark Response. And, while these jobs are initially temporary, there could be longer term opportunities for the right people.”

Spark Response currently employs 180 people and also counts Cancer Research UK, Red Direct, Ethical Superstore, Pavers Shoes and Best Direct among its clients.

If you are interested in applying for a job at Spark Response please call Edward Duffy on 0191 4959999, apply online or email your CV to recruitment@sparkresponse.com.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response funday boosts charity total...

2011-08-10T11:39:00.000+01:00

Source: Velvet Communications/Leanne English (01642 584790).

Staff at Spark Response have now raised £2,700 for Barnardo’s through a series of events including a family fun day, which was held at the weekend at its site in Follingsby Park.

The Gateshead based contact centre and fulfilment specialist has been raising funds for the charity throughout 2011 and the latest event to be staged was a circus-themed family fun day, with staff, including Managing Director, Peter Slee, dressed as clowns and overseen by a ringmaster.

Attractions on the day included a human wrecking ball, bungee run, stilt walkers and a magician and fire-eater. Despite the torrential rain, the fun day was well attended by Spark staff and their family and friends who took shelter under the 100ft marquee.

Suzi Campbell, North East Community Fundraiser for Barnardo’s, attended the event and said: “It’s fantastic to see the staff at Spark Response being rewarded for their hard work through the year, not least for raising vital funds for Barnardo’s. Although Barnardo’s is the UK’s leading children’s charity, we rely heavily on donations from the public and on behalf of Barnardo’s North East I would like to extend huge thanks to all at Spark for their efforts at the fun day and throughout the year to raise funds for us.”

Speaking of the event, Spark’s Managing Director, Peter Slee, said: “Once again the Spark fun day has been a great success and not only is it a great way to say thank you to the whole team for their hard work, we have also managed to raise much needed funds for Barnardo’s North East.”

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response celebrates year 3 PCI compliance achievement...

2011-07-26T09:45:00.000+01:00

Source: Velvet Communications/Madeleine Griffith (01642 584790).

Contact centre and fulfilment specialist, Spark Response, has successfully entered into its third year as a company compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

Gateshead based Spark was one of the first UK contact centres to become compliant with the standard, which is monitored by the PCI Security Standard Council. The organisation provides robust and comprehensive standards and supporting materials to enhance payment card data security, which include a framework of specifications, tools, measurements and support resources to help organisations ensure the safe handling of cardholder information at every step.

However, at the core of the Council’s work is the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which provides an actionable framework for developing a robust payment card data security process, including prevention, detection and appropriate reaction to security incidents.

The accreditation is particularly important given that in a recent study published by Connected World, a leading provider of communication solutions for businesses, it was revealed that despite almost 37 per cent of contact centres judging themselves to be fully compliant with the PCI DSS, 89 per cent admitted to not understanding its requirements and penalties.

Peter Slee, Managing Director, Spark Response says: “The results of the survey came as a surprise to us, as from a very early stage we viewed PCI DSS as an absolutely crucial element of our contact centre collateral, enabling us to effectively secure personal consumer data for our clients and their customers. That less than half of the UK’s contact centres appear to be compliant, gives our successful progression to year three even more significance.”

Trevor Cushen, QSA at Sysnet Global Solutions, is responsible for assessing Spark’s PCI DSS compliance on an annual basis and adds: “We’ve been extremely impressed with Spark’s ability to both adapt to the stringent regulations of the standard and to have remained compliant into a third year.”

“The contact centre and e-commerce industries are among those in which PCI DSS compliance is becoming absolutely vital, so to be entering year three is a particularly great success story for Spark and the contact centre industry.”

Following assessment, Sysnet submit a recommendation to the major payment card providers based on the on-site review of security measures and procedures in place within Spark’s premises and business systems.

Spark also provides contact centre and fulfilment support to organisations including Toys R Us, Cancer Research UK, Straight Plc, Even Greener, Best Direct, Red Direct, FitFlop and Soap & Glory.

Its success lies in the diversity of its client base and range of services offered, as well as its commitment to continually enhancing its service provision. Over the course of the last four years, the company has overhauled its operations, investing heavily in technology and quality, restructuring its approach to sales and marketing and redesigning its 200,000 square foot facility, resulting in the business experiencing a significant turnaround.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Clowning Around for Charity...

2011-06-23T13:00:00.000+01:00

Source: Velvet Communications/Madeleine Griffith (01642 584790).

The circus comes to town in August for staff at Spark Response, a contact centre and fulfilment specialist based in Gateshead. Staff will be dressing up to raise funds for two nominated charities, Barnardo’s in the North East and Cancer Connections in South Shields, in the company’s annual charity fun-day.

Each year, staff at the contact centre and fulfillment specialist choose a charity to support and host various events throughout the year including the annual family fun-day and staff sales featuring stock donated by clients such as FitFlop, Red Direct and Soap & Glory.

The running total this year so far stands at £2,189.68 and with money raised from the fun-day, Spark is hoping to smash last year’s total and raise over £6,000 for the designated charities.

Joanne McKenna, Contact Centre Operations Manager and event organiser, Spark Response, said: “The fun-day has become an annual tradition for Spark and each year we try to make it bigger and better than the last. We chose the circus theme so that we could have lots of performers throughout the day. There will be jugglers, stilt walkers and a magician. It’s always a great day for staff and their families and a fun-packed day for the kids.

“We’re confident that this year will be bigger than ever and we’re hoping to top all previous fundraising totals on the day. Our clients and suppliers donate some great gifts for the fun-day raffle every year and it’s always encouraging to see that businesses are so willing to contribute.”

Spark provides contact centre and fulfilment support to organisations including Toys R Us, Cancer Research UK, Straight Plc, Even Greener, Best Direct, Red Direct, FitFlop and Soap & Glory among others.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Meet the Spark Response 'Eco Champions'...

2011-05-18T10:47:00.000+01:00

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790).

Featured in The Journal (17th May 2011)

Staff at Gateshead-based contact centre and fulfilment specialist, Spark Response, are taking environmental learnings home with them following a sustained campaign of eco-awareness in the workplace. The company embarked on an internal communications project that helped save over £50,000 in the first two years through recycling initiatives and energy efficiencies.

As part of its environmental scheme, Project Focus, three Environmental Champions were appointed to keep their departments updated on the results of the scheme’s Key Performance Indicators, identify room for improvement and feedback any issues and suggestions to Quality Manager, Lindsey Pearson, who runs the company’s ISO 14001 Environmental Management System.

The Champions, who are seen to have gone to great lengths to mirror the efforts of their employer in their own homes as well as helping to spread the environmental message within Spark, got together for a Q&A session to talk about how Project Focus has influenced their home life.

The Environmental Champions are: Facilities Manager, Arthur Wilson, Partner Support Manager, Lauren Kane and Contact Centre Operations Manager, Sue Metcalf.

Why did Spark introduce the environmental management system?

LINDSEY: “As a business that deals with clients who utilise massive amounts of packaging every year, we have been environmentally-aware on an operational level for a number of years. We worked with our packaging partner, Kite, in 2006 to help them develop a suite of cardboard boxes that were equal in strength, but used less resources than the previous product we were using across our fulfilment clients. The trial was a success and saved Spark and our clients a lot of money, with the added benefit of the reduced environmental impact. Since then, Kite and Spark have shifted every packaging product we use to a version that is either recycled or recyclable, or both.

“Following this, we set out to find other ways around the business where we could make similar changes. Initially, this was purely from a cost-saving perspective. By 2008 we had been operating as a more environmentally friendly business for two years, and it was time to make sure our staff, clients and suppliers knew about it. We launched Project Focus with a themed ‘green day’ in August that year and within 12 months we had achieved our ISO 14001 status.

Did the staff accept the change straight away?

LINDSEY: “Remarkably yes, initially. We never doubted that the staff would take the scheme on board, but we were surprised that it happened so quickly. We did however have to come up with ways of reiterating the scheme’s key messages as efforts started to slip. That said, through staff input we saved the company over £26,000 in the first full year of the scheme. We could never have done this without the full and ongoing support of the staff.”

ARTHUR: “In the fulfilment centres, we’ve been recycling and energy saving for years. But it’s about getting the message out to the rest of the company, changing people’s daily habits and that can be difficult to achieve and takes time and a lot of repetition. Recycle this! Switch that off! A lot of staff at Spark were used to things being a certain way, throwing rubbish in the bin, leaving lights on when they weren’t in the room…”

LINDSEY: “...it just wasn’t a consideration for anyone and I think that’s still the case in a worrying amount of homes and businesses throughout the UK and worldwide. What we’re doing at Spark is a drop in the ocean, but we’re hopeful we can spread the word through our staff and by engaging with the wider community.”

Has recycling at work had an impact on the approach to disposing of day-to-day household waste at home?

LAUREN: “Massively for me. Until very recently, some local councils weren’t really very clear on what is and isn’t recyclable, especially before we got our blue bins, so when Spark introduced Project Focus we quickly had to change our habits. Instead of office bins under every desk, we suddenly had one bin for paper, one for plastics and others in communal areas for glass, printer toners, and everything else recyclable. There are very few bins for general waste now. It forces you to think before you throw anything away and that changes your mindset at home too. It just happens naturally I think.”

LINDSEY: “Because there’s still a lot of uncertainty with the way local councils recycle, and many authorities only recently able to recycle cardboard, we launched a Recyle@Work scheme. We actively encourage staff to bring certain recyclables into work, especially around times of increased cardboard and paper consumption like Christmas and Easter. Currently, we’re issuing incentives for bringing in used Easter Egg boxes.

Is recycling the only benefit or are there wider environmental benefits that have transferred from work to home life?

SUE: When it comes to energy saving, like with the recycling, the shift in behaviour at work comes home with you at the end of the day. You just get used to switching off lights when you leave certain rooms, making sure TVs aren’t on stand-by all night and little things like when you turn off your home computer, you get into the habit of making sure the monitor is off, the printer is off, and so on. We have little stickers on everything at work to remind us to save energy where we can, and this helps to keep the initiatives going, especially in the contact centres where absolutely everything runs on technology.”

ARTHUR: It’s those little things like switching lights off and turning the heating down a bit that might not seem to make much difference. Yes it might just save you £50 a year on your electricity bill, but if we all do it then it makes a huge difference to the environment and that’s what counts.”

LINDSEY: “I recently had cavity wall insulation installed, which saves energy by preventing heat loss through the walls. I’m also very conscious of monitoring the amount of energy used in my house in general. A lot of our staff have also recently had Hippo Water Savers installed in their toilet cisterns, which I ordered from the Carbon Trust. This reduces water usage with each flush. It doesn’t save a huge amount of money, but this is one of the newer phases of our overall environmental approach. Water conservation is about the wider impact we have on the planet.”

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Charity Introduces Groupwork Thanks to Spark Response Staff Donation...

2011-04-14T11:05:00.001+01:00

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

The Tyneside Rape Crisis Centre (TRCC) was able to launch a writing support group for women survivors of sexual violence thanks to a donation from a North East business.

The sessions have been funded by a donation last year of £3,500 from Spark Response, the Gateshead-based contact centre and fulfilment specialist.

Sue Pearce, Counsellor at the Tyneside Rape Crisis Centre, said: "We are very grateful to the staff at Spark Response for their kind donation which enabled us to run the group sessions. The feedback from the participants was very positive and not only did they receive support through the sessions; the fact that it was a group meant that the participants could meet other women who have survived similar experiences.

"We have been approached by many of the women who use our services in the past asking if we could offer group work, but we simply didn't have the funds to run them. Due to the overwhelming success of the scheme we will definitely be looking at running these sessions again in the future, if funding is available".

The sessions took the form of a closed group, which met 12 times, with each session lasting two hours. Over the course of the sessions, the support group developed the women's own positive methods of coping and the centre's workers helped the women who attended to build resilience and regain self esteem.

The TRCC relies heavily on private funding for projects such as group work and would not have been able to run these sessions without the donation from Spark Response.

Peter Slee, Managing Director, Spark Response, said: "We raise funds for a different charity each year and we are delighted when we receive feedback and find out exactly what the money raised has gone to. We are always keen to support charities in the region and finding out that we have made a difference is great motivation to our staff to continue to raise funds throughout the year."

Staff at Spark raised the funds during the course of the year through raffles, sales of ex-stock donated by clients, a sponsored chest-waxing, a Saturday football league, a family fun day and regular dress down days.

Spark provides contact centre and fulfilment support to organisations including Toys R Us, Cancer Research UK, Straight Plc, Even Greener, Best Direct, Red Direct, FitFlop and Soap & Glory.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response acquires ethical retailer and launches ecommerce company...

2011-03-16T12:38:00.001Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Spark Response, one of the UK's leading contact centre and fulfilment specialists, announced on Wednesday 16th March that it has purchased the assets of online fair trade, organic and eco-friendly products retailer, Ethicalsuperstore.com, out of administration. The newly acquired business will operate as part of a new subsidiary company, Spark etail Limited.

In the five years since its inception, Ethicalsuperstore.com, which includes three core sites – Ethical Superstore, Natural Collection and Onegoodmarket.com, has grown to become the UK’s leading single source for all things fair-trade, eco friendly and organic, and has the widest range of ethical brands and products online serving over 150,000 customers.

Peter Slee, Managing Director, Spark Response, said: “We have worked in partnership with Ethicalsuperstore.com and its associated eCommerce brands for some time now. This is a fantastic opportunity for Spark to broaden its offering and is a logical extension to our business.

“As part of its strategic commitment to the new company, Spark will be making a significant investment over the next year to profitably grow Ethical Superstore, Natural Collection and newly-launched Onegoodmarket.com. During the transition period, we aim to provide service as usual to consumers and, in time, we aim to grow the product range and services available.”

Spark entered into partnership with Ethicalsuperstore.com after taking over the retailer’s inbound call handling operation in April 2010. The handling of eCommerce fulfilment for Ethicalsuperstore.com and its partner brands followed in August with 16 members of warehousing and contact centre staff being transferred from its Team Valley head office to Spark’s premises on Follingsby Park to work on the account. Upon completion of the deal the EthicalSuperstore employees transferred to the new subsidiary company.

Peter continues: “We are delighted to welcome more members of the Ethical team to Spark, including co-founders Andy Redfern and Vic Morgan, who together with my co-Director Noel Lambert and myself will form the Board of Directors of the new business. The team at Spark has many years of contact centre and fulfilment experience and Andy and Vic bring with them their own years of experience in online commerce and marketing and we hope that this combined experience will lead to an enhanced service offering and growth for the company.”

Spark also provides contact centre and fulfilment support to organisations including Toys R Us, Cancer Research UK, Best Direct, Red Direct, FitFlop, Soap & Glory and Pavers Shoes among others.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response reaps further green rewards...

2011-03-01T14:29:00.000Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790) First published in The Journal, February 2011

Gateshead-based contact centre and eCommerce fulfilment specialist, Spark Response, is reaping the rewards after significantly investing in enhancing its environmental practices and credentials.

Pre-empting the Government’s introduction of the carbon reduction commitment, Spark’s Quality Manager, Lindsey Pearson, was tasked with implementing the company’s Environmental Management System in compliance with ISO 14001, which is one of a series of international standards for environmental management.

Since completing the qualification in 2009, Spark has experienced tangible business benefits as environmental credentials become increasingly important in the procurement and tender process. As part of its work towards attaining the IS0 14001 accreditation the company launched Project Focus, its environmental programme, and saved £26,000 in 2009 with a further £30,000 saving in 2010, equating to a total saving of £56,000 in just two years.

The ISO qualification took almost one year to attain, which included developing and introducing new infrastructure to enable environmental data to be captured, recorded and evaluated on a monthly basis. During this period staff education in terms of the short and long terms benefits of the qualification was paramount to the success of Spark’s efforts as during site visits, ISO assessors will speak to staff and canvas their views and knowledge.

Lindsey says: “Attaining a qualification like this is a team effort and it was crucial that we had the whole of our workforce behind the effort. Investing time explaining the benefits the IS0 14001 would bring to the business in the short and long term was particularly important, as in the midst of the recession, not everyone believed that we should have invested time and resources in environmental initiatives.”

Costs to get the scheme off the ground were in the region of £2,500 which included placing various recycling bins around the business, holding a Green Day to engage with staff and offering green incentives for people to participate and support the efforts. Procedures were also created to cover new policies such as recycling guidelines and legal requirements. In addition, Spark has four environmental champions who ensure the company’s message is communicated across all areas of the business and provide suggestions and feedback for future initiatives.

The benefits to the business since gaining the accreditation have been huge. Aside from the financial benefits, Spark has been able to engage with new suppliers especially those in the public sector that place environmental policies and practices in high regard. Furthermore, Spark’s eco credentials now support its wider brand and have provided opportunities for marketing and promotion.

Lindsey adds: “Since gaining the accreditation we have twice now achieved an environmental assessment where there were no non-conformances raised, which is reportedly quite rare and testament to our commitment to maintaining all aspects of the guidelines set out in the IS0 14001 standard. I would recommend that all business look at working towards achieving the status as it support procurement and business development activity, contributes to corporate social responsibility activity, encourages and engenders efficiency while benefiting the environment on multiple levels.”

UK WEATHER COSTS US £15K A YEAR

Building on the momentum of achieving ISO 14001 accreditation and the company’s Project Focus programme is crucial. In 2011, Quality Manager Lindsey Pearson will focus on improving efficiency in terms of water usage. The company is in the process of investigating ways to recycle and reuse water on site and in particular to utilise rainwater. Lindsey and the team are hoping to install a number of water butts and drainage systems across Spark’s site at Follingsby Park.

She says: “In an ideal world, we would have two soak-a-ways installed, one on each of our sites. We would then re-direct all of our drains and gutterings into these, ensuring that all rain water is captured and taken back down to the natural water level below ground rather than into the drains and sewers. Implementing this scheme would save us approximately £15,000 per year in sewerage charges alone. While the installation costs of such soak-a-way systems are significant, we are exploring ways of securing an interest-free loan to support the scheme from the Carbon Trust. It’s important to continue to challenge the status quo and find new ways of enhancing green practices and improving efficiency, not least in terms of financial savings.”

Spark continues to celebrate the success of its environmental policies and programmes and would encourage other businesses of all sizes to seek advice and guidance from The Carbon Trust and qualified ISO 14001 Environmental Management Consultancies in relation to bolstering eco credentials that benefit the business as a whole.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response announces official charities for 2011...

2011-02-22T10:38:00.000Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Gateshead-based Spark Response has announced the two charities it will be supporting throughout 2011.

The contact centre and fulfillment specialist will raise funds for both Barnardos in the North East and Cancer Connections through staff sales, raffles and a family fun day, among other initiatives. Spark raised £5,500 last year for its nominated charity and is hopeful to beat this record having already raised over £1,800 through a staff sale earlier this month and a Valentine’s Day raffle.

Each year, charities that are close to the hearts of staff members are put forward by Spark’s Employee Forum – a group of staff representatives from all areas of the business. Barnardos was nominated in memory of Colin Bongartz, former Head of Contact Centres at Spark, who sadly passed away last year.

South Shields based Cancer Connections was nominated by Account Support Manager, Lauren Kane, also from South Shields, who has had recent personal experience of the charity following a close family member’s battle with the illness. Lauren says: “I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the team at Cancer Connections. I wanted the organisation to be one of our official charities for 2011 so I could say thank you to the team for the great work they do. The support they offer is brilliant and a huge help to cancer sufferers and their families. I hope that raising awareness for the cause will allow others to benefit in the same way that my family and I have.”

Edward Duffy, Human Resources Manager, Spark Response, said: “We are proud to be supporting two fantastic charities this year and we’re confident that we can exceed last year’s total, which in itself is the company’s biggest single donation on record. We are privileged to have such generous clients who donate stock to staff sales and our family fun day raffle as these donations help us to raise the bulk of our charity fund each year. It’s important that the staff have a say in which charity is chosen so they feel fully involved in the whole process and it also adds to the sense of achievement at the end of the year when we announce our total.”

The total Spark has raised for charity since it began recording amounts in 2005 is more than £27,000.

Spark provides contact centre and fulfilment support to organisations including Toys R Us, Scottish Power, Cancer Research UK, Best Direct, Ethical Superstore, Red Direct, FitFlop, Soap & Glory, GANT and Pavers Shoes, among others.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Jobs for the girls (news feature)...

2011-02-08T10:57:00.001Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

There has been much debate in the press over the past couple of weeks about whether men and women are suited to particular jobs because of stereotypical, gender-specific strengths and weaknesses.

Spark Response in Gateshead is a contact centre and fulfilment specialist and, with jobs including picking and packing goods in a warehouse and driving forklift trucks, it might be surprising to discover that around 50 per cent of the staff there are female.

With clients including Toys R Us, Cancer Research UK, Soap & Glory and FitFlop, Spark’s two fulfilment centres, two contact centres and supporting offices have just under 200 staff. Around 50 per cent of these employees are women.

And proof, if it was needed, that gender doesn’t affect staff at Spark from realising their goals and achieving promotions, five out of its nine senior managers are female.

Vivien Gallagher has been with Spark for 12 years and is the head of fulfilment operations for Spark’s Toys R Us campaign. Vivien said: “Toys R Us is one of our biggest clients and the majority of activity for the client takes place in the campaign’s dedicated fulfilment unit. Around 40% of the entire Spark Toys R Us team is female and it works really well for us. There is a lot of physical work involved, of course, but both sexes are equally good at their jobs. We have a very dedicated and hard working team, regardless of gender.”

Victoria Fitzpatrick, 29, works alongside Vivien as Spark’s Toys R Us Account Manager, with a focus on the delivery and development of service levels, quality, reporting and the analysis of the key performance indicators of the campaign. Victoria says: “I’ve worked for Spark for ten years now and have always been given the same opportunities as my male colleagues and have worked my way up through the company from starting out as a Customer Service Adviser at just 19.”

Peter Slee, Managing Director, believes that the company’s success lies in the diversity of its client base, quality of staff and range of services offered, as well as its commitment to continually enhancing its service provision.

Peter said: “In order to successfully manage such a diverse mix of clients, we need a loyal, progressive and hard working team, but gender doesn’t come into whether someone is suitable for the job or not. We strongly believe in developing people and maximising their own skills and strengths in business. There’s real added value to be gained from experience and expertise, which comes over time with dedication and determination.”

Spark’s Senior and Middle Management Team consists of seventeen women who have either been promoted to management roles from starting out at a production level or have progressed to other areas of the business as their skills and experience have developed.

Peter added: “Many of our staff have worked their way up through the company and are testament to the fact that anyone can achieve their goals with hard work and ambition.”

The Spark team recently clocked up over 1,000 years combined experience, with over 500 of those years being attributable to the female workforce. The women at Spark have an average tenure of just under six years, which is well above average in the contact centre and fulfilment industry.

For more details about Spark Response please visit www.sparkresponse.com or call 0191 418 6077.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response wins contract with leading DRTV retailer...

2011-02-01T11:53:00.002Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Contact Centre and fulfillment specialist, Spark Response, has been appointed by leading TV and online retailer, Best Direct, to provide support as it continues to expand its retail offering.

Gateshead based Spark, will provide fulfillment support across the company’s television, web and retailer divisions, in addition to contact centre support for its Direct Response TV (DRTV) campaigns.

Best Direct was founded in 1992 and specialises in the retail of demonstrable products in the fitness, housewares and lifestyle categories. Purchased by Industex Spain in 2009 it continues to operate under the Best Direct brand and sales are generated via its TV channels on Sky 649 and Virgin 813. However, as the business has continued to expand and evolve, its retail trade has increased significantly, which was one of the key drivers behind it outsourcing its fulfillment provision to Spark.

The new contract follows a period of significant expansion for Spark as it secured a series of extended contracts and continuing partnerships worth over £30 million over the next four years. Furthermore, it recently announced its appointment by Ethical Superstore to deliver a contract valued at around £2m over four years.

Maureen Wilson, Managing Director, Best Direct says: “As our business has continued to grow a pace we began looking at ways to make our operations more effective from a cost perspective and to maintain the highest standards of service that our customers have come to know and expect. Outsourcing our fulfillment and a proportion of our contact centre operation was strategically crucial for our business and we evaluated our existing provision before approaching Spark. Working with its team will allow us to focus on consolidating our existing trade platforms, while planning for rapidly expanding retail and eCommerce areas. We are confident that in Spark we have found a long term strategic partner and that its expertise and capability will enable the Best Direct brand to continue to grow and develop into 2011 and beyond.”

Peter Slee, Managing Director, Spark Response says: “To have secured another high profile brand with such a rich heritage is testament to our commitment to delivering the highest possible standards of service and our proven track record in managing Direct Response TV and eCommerce accounts. Working with an outsourced and independent partner to ensure that high volume calls and associated fulfillment can be managed successfully is a key tool for organisations such as Best Direct, as they look to differentiate their organisation from others in an increasingly busy marketplace and we believe we will help them achieve just this.”

Spark also provides contact centre and fulfillment support to organisations including Toys R Us, Scottish Power, Cancer Research UK, Best Direct, Ethical Superstore, Red Direct, FitFlop, Soap & Glory, GANT and Pavers Shoes, among others.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Staff at Spark Response raise £5,500 for forces charity…

2011-01-20T10:07:00.000Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Staff at Gateshead-based, Spark Response, have raised over £5,000 for the North East branch of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) Forces Help, through a series of fundraising events and sales.

Each year, staff at the contact centre and fulfilment specialist choose a charity to raise funds for and host various events throughout the year such as the annual family fun day and sales of stock donated by clients such as FitFlop, Red Direct and Soap & Glory.

The 2010 donation of £5,477 is Spark’s biggest single donation to date and brings the total it has raised for charity, since it began recording amounts in 2005, to more than £27,000.

The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) Forces Help charity supports those serving in the Armed Forces, as well those who used to serve, and their families. Last year alone, the charity helped more than 50,000 people. Although SSAFA is a national charity, it has branches across the North East and helps countless families in the region.

Edward Duffy, Human Resources, Spark Response, said: “That we have been able to donate such a significant amount of money to SSAFA in the North East is testament to the commitment of our staff to fully support our charitable initiatives. We’re delighted with the total this year, particularly as £1,500 of the total was raised in December alone when everyone’s very busy and money can be tight. Some of our staff have family or friends in the Forces and SSAFA was chosen in memory of Dave Ritchie, a friend and former colleague who passed away a little over a year ago. Dave worked for the company for over ten years and served in the Forces himself. We’re happy to be able to give this money to such a deserving cause and I would like to thank all our staff for their commitment and generosity and hope that our chosen charity in 2011 is as well supported.”

Jeremy Feggetter, Tyne & Wear Branch Chairman, SSAFA, said: “We would like to extend a huge thank you to all of the staff at Spark Response for their efforts this year in helping to raise such a substantial amount. As a charity, we pride ourselves on the fact that we offer support not only to those currently serving, but also to ex-servicemen and women and their families. This may be financial, practical or emotional but without the support and generosity of individuals and organisations such as Spark we couldn’t continue to provide these services.”

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Incentive scheme sees Spark Response warehouse worker £1,500 richer...

2011-01-13T10:59:00.000Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

One member of staff at Gateshead-based Spark Response is celebrating the arrival of the New Year after winning an incentive bonus of £1,500.

Joe Walton, who works in the fulfilment centre at Spark, was awarded the cash bonus as part of the company’s Reward & Recognition scheme, which runs throughout the year and relies upon staff being nominated for their hard work and dedication. Employees are awarded either one or three points for achievements such as regularly exceeding targets, adding cost savings or efficiencies to the business or making an effort to make Spark a greener company. Each point earned equates to one entry into the annual draw, so the more points a staff member has, the better their chances of winning.

Joe, 55 from Gateshead, had received three points throughout 2010 for going the extra mile and showing dedication to his role. He also proactively identified a way of saving the company money, whilst positively impacting productivity for him and his warehouse colleagues. Speaking of his win, Joe said: “Obviously, I’m delighted to win the top prize which is particularly welcome so soon after the expense of Christmas. I was just doing my job as I would normally but the fact that what I do has resulted in me taking home an extra £1,500 at this time of year is a great incentive to go that extra mile at work.”

Other cash prizes of £750 and £500 were awarded to Rita Shiels who works in Spark’s inbound contact centre and Alan Baron who also works in fulfilment. Alan defied all odds and took home third prize for a second year in a row.

To decide the winners, all staff in the draw have their picture taken and their images flash up quickly on a screen before Managing Director, Peter Slee, stops the rotating images at random revealing the winner of each prize.

Peter says: “It’s more fun that way. The old names-out-of-a-hat routine wouldn’t drum up the same level of buzz and excitement. It’s an incredibly busy and positive time of year for us and it’s great to be able to give something back at this time.

“We’ve had over 1,000 nominations since we started the scheme in 2006 which clearly demonstrates the positive effect the scheme is having on the business. We have a very broad and diverse client range and we need a talented team of staff who can cope with that and help us in growing our business. To that end, the Reward & Recognition scheme enables us to let staff know how much we appreciate their hard work, and that initiative and dedication are valued and rewarded. The scheme is unique and I believe it plays a key role in engendering loyalty and creating a real sense of community and culture throughout the business.”

The scheme also names a Quarterly Hero every three months, whereby the employee with the most points for that period receives £100. The winner of the Hero title for quarter four 2010 was 22 year old Luke Anderson from Crook in County Durham, who received six separate nominations throughout the year, including four in the final quarter, and was recently promoted to a senior member of the inbound contact centre team at Spark.

Peter Slee continues: “Of course, all of our annual draw winners are worthy of their cash prizes, but it’s important that we do something that honours those who have achieved that little bit more than their peers. It’s not about putting anyone on a pedestal; it’s about getting a message out to the rest of the team around what R&R means. Luke was nominated six times in 2010 and only three others in the business can claim the same. The Quarterly Hero award is a way of reminding everyone that the scheme is there and giving tangible examples of the kind of positive achievements we’re looking to reward.”

Spark’s Reward & Recognition scheme has been running for five years in March and has seen over £15,000 in cash prizes awarded.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response staff clock up a thousand years experience (Newcastle Version)...

2011-01-07T14:00:00.000Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Staff at contact centre and e-commerce fulfilment specialist, Spark Response, have accumulated over 1,000 years combined experience, with many staff having been with the company for over ten years.

Many of the team at Spark admit that they originally believed working in a call centre offered only short-term job prospects as opposed to a permanent and fulfilling career. David Saveraux from South Shields, who was recently promoted to Team Leader says: “I came to Spark eight years ago. I’d just completed an apprenticeship in graphic design and came here on a short-term contract whilst looking for a design job. I was offered the opportunity to undertake extra training, given additional responsibilities, and eight years on I’m still here.”

Spark believes that its staff are its greatest asset and invests heavily in regular training to ensure the entire team develops and evolves to exceed industry standards. Wherever possible, Spark aims to promote from within whenever new management opportunities arise.

Contact Centre Operations Manager, Joanne McKenna from Gateshead, agrees. She started with Spark in 1998 as an adviser following a temporary role with BT’s Directory Enquiries service. Over the next eight years, Joanne was given several promotions, eventually taking on her current role in 2006.

She adds: “I’ve worked on so many campaigns across the years and turned my hand to just about everything. I even interviewed Trevor Flack nine years ago when he applied for a job as an adviser. He is now the head of our inbound contact centre so it’s been a pleasure to see someone I recruited become so successful within the company.”

Brian Smith from Felling puts staying with the company for so long down to the diversity of his role. He joined Spark ten years ago when he became sick of the shift work involved in working on production in factories. He did an NVQ in call centre techniques at Newcastle College and started working as a customer service adviser at Spark. He now works on a number of Spark campaigns including working very closely with some of Spark’s major clients on fraud detection.

Peter Slee, Managing Director at Spark adds: “That so many people choose to work for us for such long periods is testament to the team-oriented culture and sense of community we have engendered over the years. It’s also refreshing to know that long service records are being established in our contact centres. We have an average tenure of just less than seven years within our inbound team, and that’s almost unheard of in the industry.

Spark will employ over 300 people as it heads toward its busy season this winter. The company provides contact centre and fulfilment support to organisations including Toys R Us, Red Direct, Cancer Research UK and Soap and Glory, amongst others.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response charity sale supports armed forces...

2010-12-14T16:17:00.003Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Staff at contact and fulfilment centre, Spark Response, have raised over £900 for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA), through a charity sale*.

The SSAFA supports those serving in the Armed Forces and those who used to serve, as well as their families. Last year alone, the charity provided help to more than 50,000 people.

Deputy Operations manager, Steve Lawler, who has been with Spark for eight years, organised the event which was held at the contact centre in Gateshead.

Staff were invited to purchase products donated by Spark’s clients at a discounted rate with all proceeds going to the charity. The staff sales are held approximately three times per year and comprise unwanted sample items or returned goods that the company’s clients donate for charitable purposes.

Speaking of the event, 42 year old Steve, who is from Durham, says: “I hold sales throughout the year to raise money for charity, but I’m particularly happy with how much we raised this time. We’re really grateful to our clients who donate their products for these sales and with clients like Soap & Glory and Toys R Us there were plenty of staff buying their Christmas presents at the sale.

“Christmas is an important time of year to remember the men and women serving our country, both here and abroad, who often can’t see their families because of their duties. I was in the Royal Navy myself and have a lot of respect for what SSAFA do to support people in the Forces, particularly at this time of year.”

*The total amount raised by Spark Response staff in 2010 will be announced in January 2011.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Outbound staff share the secrets of their success...

2010-12-09T12:38:00.003Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

It’s no secret that high staff turnover is a common problem for call centres, especially in outbound services.

This is a major problem and one which all call centres need to address as it affects quality and increases recruitment and training costs.

Spark Response, a contact centre and fulfilment service provider based in Gateshead in the North East of England, is proud to report that its staff retention in the call centre is much higher than the national average with outbound staff staying an average of two years and inbound staff an average of seven and a half years. Below, three members of staff from the outbound sales division explain why they have been with the company for so long.

John Lentini came to Spark after an operation on his back meant that he couldn’t continue his job as a flower salesman:

“I applied to Spark on the recommendation of a friend who had come to see me in hospital after my operation. I thought I would take the job for six months whilst I got back on my feet and then look for something else. I’ve now been with the company for ten years. The shifts really suit me. I work 12pm-8pm shifts, which fit perfectly with my lifestyle and means I get plenty of time to spend with the family.”

Anne Capron (pictured above) was looking for a full-time job having worked part time in a newsagent whilst her children were growing up:

“I’ve been with the company for ten years now and my work here is pretty diverse. I work as a Sales Verifier, handling complaints and looking after some elements of quality assurance.”

She is also an internal auditor and audits procedures from around the business as part of the ISO 9001 Quality Management System.

Jason Tulip was used to ‘cold calling’, having been a door-to-door salesman for five years before joining Spark. He enjoyed the sales aspect of his job and was looking for a new challenge in a new environment and found that the 12-8 shift patterns worked well for him.

“I was soon hooked on the job, largely due to the uncapped commission bonus scheme.”

He has now been with the company for eight years, is a consistently high performer and recently won departmental advisor of the week.

Spark believes that its people are its greatest asset and always strives to hire the best possible candidates and offers employees the opportunity to try new roles within the company. While many people continue to view the industry as simply providing stop-gap jobs, Spark is committed to creating an environment where the continual personal development of its staff is a key priority and as such creates a loyal and content workforce that remain with the company for as long as possible.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response enjoys busiest day of the year...

2010-12-03T11:41:00.005Z

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

The freezing weather conditions haven’t deterred staff at Spark Response in Gateshead on their busiest day of the year.

Over 300 staff at the contact centre and fulfilment specialist, whose clients include Toys R Us, FitFlop, Ethical Superstore and Soap & Glory, will support the fulfilment of around 9,000 orders by midnight tonight, which equates to approximately 35,000 items. This will bring the total for the company’s peak week to 45,000 orders, with a retail sales value approaching £5 million, by midnight on Sunday.

Staff working on Spark’s Toys R Us campaign are literally working around the clock to fulfill orders and meet the increased demand for the Christmas rush. With a multi-skilled workforce and reviewed seasonal shift patterns, Spark will operate with a 24/7 facility and production team until mid December.

Peter Slee, Managing Director, said: “As we approach Christmas, we hit our operational peak and our fulfilment centres and inbound contact centre understandably become extremely busy. We have systems in place to make sure we can deal with our seasonal peaks and ensure that all orders go out in time for Christmas.

“As more and more people turn to the Internet for their Christmas shopping, we have experienced this period getting increasingly busy year on year, even despite the recession. As trust has grown in the UK’s carrier and postal networks and in our clients’ websites, people tend to order right up to Christmas. We’ll be dispatching orders right up until the 23rd for delivery just-in-time. We even receive increasing numbers of orders on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day than ever before, from customers looking for a post-Christmas bargain, so other than a brief break on the 25th and 26th it’s business as usual over the festive period for Spark.

“We have experienced some challenging and disruptive weather conditions this past fortnight, along with the rest of the North East, but that so many orders are being fulfilled is testament to the dedication and commitment of our fantastic staff. We’re confident that, despite the continuing winter freeze, our clients customers will get what they wished for in time for Christmas.”

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Fulfilment & Contact Centres for Charities - Special Feature...

2010-11-28T11:47:00.001Z

Source: Charities Management / Mitre House Publishing / Velvet Communications

In this article we re-cap the advice that three key members of the management team at outsourcing specialist, Spark Response, had to offer on providing call handling and order fulfilment services to charities.

As outsourcing continues to prove increasingly integral to charitable organisations looking to maximise efficiency and profits, it is vital that the selected partner can provide the level of support and expertise required. More importantly, the charity must recognise that, while its contact centre and fulfilment support may be managed externally, it still has a role to play in the success of any campaign or ongoing activity. Outsourcing such services should be viewed in terms of creating a strategic partnership between the charity and the service provider in order to ensure the best possible results are delivered.

DIRECT RESPONSE TV FULFILMENT

Earlier this year, Peter Slee, managing director at Spark, explained how a contact centre needs to focus on being able to service the fulfilment requirements of a charity’s direct response television (DRTV) campaign.

FORECAST FOR SUCCESS. Forecasting can be challenging, as consumer response to a DRTV campaign can be unpredictable. However, it remains the most crucial element of the process for the contact centre team, as it is their responsibility to assess the forecasts supplied by the charity.

EVALUATE. In some cases, the charity may not possess a forecast. In this instance, both parties need to work together to evaluate the success of past campaigns, or if there is no historical data, then the contact centre must refer back to its own knowledge and experience of similar activity for other clients. Resources should be planned for within 15 per cent of the anticipated response and it is essential to plan for peaks in activity above and beyond this. Any third party provider with sufficient experience will be suitably prepared to anticipate the unexpected.

WORK TO A REALISTIC SCHEDULE. In the first instance, a copy of the confirmed media schedule is paramount to inform the contact centre’s thinking. However, schedules alter and while the centre may be given notice of changes, mistakes can be made and an advertisement can be issued ahead of time unexpectedly. Unplanned peaks in activity regularly occur and in order to deliver consistently high standards of service, it is imperative that a contingency is devised to counterbalance such situations.

HAVE AN ADAPTABLE APPROACH. Once the core team is in place it is essential that the centre is able to rapidly deploy additional team members to meet the demand generated by an unexpected influx in activity. Subscribing to cross-training methodologies, implementing flexible annualised hours schemes and utilising an intra-departmental overflow facility will contribute to minimising the impact.

FOCUS ON FULFILMENT. Most DRTV campaigns will require fulfilment support. Whether the campaign requires a simple letter or welcome pack to be issued following the initial call or a more comprehensive or personalised pack, an effective fulfilment infrastructure is critical.

Trusted carrier support is crucial. Carrier partners should be regularly evaluated in terms of service quality, flexibility and value for money.

Often “green field” delivery is required at major events (such as Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life) and some carriers won’t have the infrastructure or expertise to be able to provide this service which can see thousands of runner numbers and welcome packs delivered to the middle of a field at three in the morning. You need to have the industry intelligence to find such a partner.

ECOMMERCE FULFILMENT

Towards the end of summer, Partner Manager, Trish Stockdale, who has managed some of Spark’s key charity campaigns, looked at the wider ecommerce fulfilment offering and how to ensure an effective partnership is in place.

QUALITY ASSURANCE. Effective and quality-managed systems, procedures and protocols are important for all fulfilment contracts but, for charity accounts, these can change quickly and on a large scale. Assess your chosen partner’s accreditations. ISO 9001 is essential and there is increasing importance of ISO 14001 Environmental Management and compliance with the Payment Card Industry’s Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).

In addition to standard operational policies, it is also worthwhile checking the provider’s wider sector credentials – are they members of the Fundraising Standards Board, for example, keeping abreast of industry news and developments.

THE CHANGING FACE OF FULFILMENT. Fulfilment for charities can take on many different guises and can change throughout the year. While a provider may be tasked with delivering a stand-alone initiative, many specialists are retained by a charity and must therefore be ready to adapt to meet the needs of various types of activity such as seasonal, event led and PR or marketing driven activity.

Typical charity fulfilment will comprise the distribution of literature and fundraising packs. It requires an innovative store-pick-pack solution and it is essential that effective storage and labeling systems are in practice. There are, however, occasions when information packs must be tailored and personalised requiring a hybrid solution of response handling and order fulfilment, a service not all service providers can offer.

Seasonal products or event focused materials – such as runner packs including vests and sponsorship forms, are likely to be stored, picked, packed and dispatched in the same way as a typical ecommerce order, as opposed to an information pack request which could be fulfilled on the contact centre floor as well as in a distribution centre.

Ten do’s and don’ts of effectively managing charity fulfilment.

DO be prepared and plan for unexpected peaks in activity

DO offer as many value-added services as possible

DO get an understanding of the ‘bigger picture’

DO become a member of the Fundraising Standards Board Scheme

DO keep a focus on efficiency

DON’T rely on forecasting being 100% accurate

DON’T underestimate the value of getting ‘fully’ involved

DON’T fail to prepare and read the news

DON’T misjudge the level of resource required

DON’T underestimate the need to be flexible

CONTACT CENTRE SUPPORT FOR CHARITIES

In the third and final article in the series, Trevor Flack, Contact Centre Manager at Spark, explored the benefits of working with a contact centre to maximise and enhance efficiency.

Effective dialogue with your supporter is the key to unlocking your charity’s full potential. From the direct mail shot that lands on a potential donor’s doormat to the call handler taking donations following your latest appeal, the way you communicate has a direct and lasting impact upon the success of your organisation.

THE INS AND OUTS. When looking to outsource for the first time it is essential that a partner is selected based on your specific requirements. Does the contact centre have experience in dealing with charity briefs? What customer service standards does the provider hold? What will be my benchmarks for evaluating success?

For the provider, it is essential that they are furnished with all possible details in order to handle calls efficiently and professionally. Planning is a vital part of any outsourcing partnership. Forecasting will enable the charity to decide if there is an actual requirement for outsourcing.

EVOLUTION OF THE CONTACT CENTRE. As the charity sector has evolved and its operations have become increasingly sophisticated, there has been a need for its contact centre partners to adapt and evolve too. Today, there is a definite need for providers to be technologically savvy in direct response to the growing ecommerce market. As supporters often pledge donations or place orders for products online they expect to be responded to in the same way.

Conversely, as online order volumes increase, contact centre volumes increase alongside. The onus, however, is largely on queries rather than the placement of orders. For example, a charity with an ecommerce operation may take five per cent of its orders over the telephone, but will see 100 per cent of its order queries directed through the contact centre in some way and all cases require a degree of human interaction.

When looking for a contact centre provider you should assess not only the company’s ability to handle standard activity but assess its ability to provide added value. How does it manage call traffic and online activity? What are its credentials in handling ecommerce led charity accounts?

FLEXIBILITY. One of the greatest benefits of outsourcing is the flexibility it brings to your business model. While a permanent contact centre partner may work for some charities, a provider that is engaged to supply overflow support is crucial for many other organisations. Working with a contact centre to support an existing in house facility is an effective way of managing resources if you are able to identify a defined peak in activity for any reason. For example, a charitable organisation such as Comic Relief may utilise an in-house team for its primary contact centre activity, but an outsourced extension could be essential when it comes to fielding calls and successfully managing activity around high profile and televised events such as Red Nose Day.

IN SUMMARY. Choose an outsourced provider carefully. Assess all areas of their operations, and don’t just focus on the surface aspects such as location, price and what the provider says it does in its sales brochure. Once chosen, develop a strategic partnership approach, work together, and enhancement to your charity, profitability and customer experience reputation will be achieved. Think planning, flexibility, people, technology, quality, efficiency and evolution.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response green initiatives save the company over £50k (updated)...

2010-11-23T11:56:00.006Z

Source: The Journal/NCJ Media/Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Gateshead-based contact centre and eCommerce fulfilment specialist, Spark Response, has saved over £50,000 through a sustained energy reduction drive.

Following the launch of Project Focus, the company’s environmental programme, Spark saved £26,000 in 2009 and savings for 2010 are currently totalling £25,000. Spark is predicting a total saving of £54,000 by the end of the programme’s second year. *

In addition to the significant financial savings, the company’s carbon footprint has also reduced with carbon emissions being cut by 12 tonnes per month on average. During 2010, 71 tonnes of CO2 have been saved compared to the same period last year (January to June), equating to an 18 per cent reduction year-on-year.

The company’s energy consumption was the first area of this business to be analysed and methods to minimise usage were evaluated. Notices and stickers were put up near all light switches and machinery to prevent appliances being left on unnecessarily, and motion-sensors were installed in staff toilets. This activity, coupled with an investment from Spark into more environmentally friendly appliances and accessories, contributed towards the £26,000 saving. During 2009, the company achieved an energy saving of 15 per cent when compared to 2008, despite heavily increased business volumes.

In addition to its energy efficiency drive, Spark has also embarked upon a large scale recycling campaign. The company’s material wastage was assessed and ways to reduce it were identified. One of the first measures introduced was a recycling scheme that saw most of the general waste bins removed from Spark’s offices and fulfilment centres. In their place, recycling bins for cans, plastic and paper were introduced and communal recycling areas were set up for other materials such as glass and printer toners. The scheme proved to be so successful that Spark cancelled a quarter of all general waste collections in 2009 as waste levels had dropped so dramatically. On average, 75 per cent of Spark’s waste is now recycled.

Furthermore, Spark has worked closely with packaging partner, Kite Packaging, to develop an environmentally-friendly packaging range for clients and all products used are now either recycled or recyclable, or both.

Speaking of the achievements, Lindsey says: “The success of Project Focus and, more specifically, the energy efficiency drive has relied heavily upon the cooperation of our staff. It is encouraging to see the results that have been achieved in a relatively short period of time. So far, everyone has embraced and complied with the new system and this has enabled us to make a significant financial saving, as well as considerably reducing our waste output, which is vitally important for our local and wider environment.

“By the end of the year, we are expecting to have reduced our carbon emissions by 108 tonnes, which will represent a 15% year-on-year saving and a total of almost 180 tonnes of CO2 saved in the first two full years of Project Focus. I’m always looking for new ways to reduce the carbon footprint at Spark and am thrilled that the project is having such a positive impact across all levels of the business.”

As part of Project Focus, Spark has offered staff incentives such as the cycle to work scheme in association with cyclescheme.co.uk whereby employees can borrow up to £1,000 from their employer to purchase a bike and accessories tax-free. Staff are also encouraged to bring in their old mobile phones for recycling in exchange for Spark reward and recognition points, which increase their chances of winning a cash prize at the end of the year.

Lindsey hopes to build on the success Spark has experienced so far and has ambitious plans for water drainage, which she hopes to implement next year.

Spark’s top tips for implementing an energy-efficiency and eco-awareness programme:

1. Get started: assess everything. Look at all areas of your business and determine where , how and when energy efficiencies can be put into place. Ask yourself: do these lights need to be on all day? Is anyone switching off this printer at night? Is there a cheaper alternative to this fan heater? Look into having your scheme accredited. An official ISO assessor/consultant or the Carbon Trust can advise you on this.

2. Make recycling as easy as possible. Use a colour-coded system for disposing of all major recyclables like paper and plastics, install communal areas for less common materials like glass, introduce secure waste bins for confidential documents and leave a minimal amount of general waste bins for things like sweet wrappers, crisp packets and other non-recyclables.

3. Communication is key. It can be a challenge getting your staff to buy-in to energy saving and recycling. Frequent and consistent messages are a good way of helping staff to understand what it is you’re trying to achieve, how you are going to achieve it and why you are doing it. Most importantly, provide your staff with regular updates as to whether or not you are achieving what you set out to.

4. Make sure your communications mean something. The Carbon Trust issues tangible energy saving quotes like “Office lights left on overnight use enough energy in a year to heat a home for almost 5 months”. Use these quotes around your business where they will have the most impact and give your scheme real purpose. Ideally, brand these messages using your own corporate style or that of your eco-scheme.

5. Incentivise green ideas and efforts. Offer spot prizes such as branded promotional freebies and free entries into cash prize-draws to those who show recycling and energy saving initiative or make suggestions that could enhance your scheme.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Not Ready to Retire...

2010-11-03T09:33:00.004Z

Source: Alison Goulding / The Sunderland Echo

While some of us may dread Monday mornings, Marjorie Burn has always enjoyed the working week.

The 61-year-old, who lives in Red House, is the longest-serving member of staff at Spark Response in Washington, a call centre and distribution warehouse.

To her, work is a home from home and she has no plans to retire. Marjorie said: “I don’t want to put my feet up. I’d go round the bend if I stayed in the house!”

Throughout her working life, Majorie has had three jobs. Her first was working for the Littlewoods call centre, in Hendon. After that, she began to work for Marketforce.

But when Spark Response set up in the area in 1982 – many of Marjorie’s friends went to work there. Marjorie explained: “They kept telling me they had lots of work for me and for me to get a job there myself. I didn’t want to move at first because I knew Marketforce always sent for me when they had work. Then, one Monday I’d been finished and my friend rang again and said ‘Now don’t pretend you’ve got work because you’ve been finished and you can start here tomorrow.’ She told me that one of the girl’s brothers had a van to pick everyone up in the morning. I got picked up that Tuesday and everyone was so friendly and chatty and from then I stayed.”

“There’s no ‘them and us’ nonsense between the managers and the staff. Our directors know everyone’s name and they come and chat.”

Marjorie has been at Spark Response for more than 22 years and now works in warehouse administration after starting in promotions and moving on to finance. She said: “When I started my boss knew I could handle cash and that I loved messing on with figures. Anyone who had misplaced an order or a payment would come to me and I’d help them find it and get their totals to match again.

“I had to take four weeks off work recently because I’d had surgery on my face to remove a cyst. It was okay at first, but I wanted to be back at work. I would be nice to hit 25 years. For 20 years I was given £500, a gold watch and some flowers. It was perfect timing as my fridge had broken so I got a new one with the money. It came in very handy.”

Marjorie believes that times have changed when it comes to retiring. She said: “I think years ago people were older before their time. My grandparents looked old when they were only in their 50s. Now peop,e have a younger outlook and they want to carry on doing things.

“I can’t see the point of packing in if you’re fit and capable. I think if I retired I would have gone straight to the WVS and served in the hospital shop or something like that.

Excerpt taken from feature published in The Sunderland Echo, 14^th October 2010 by Alison Goulding. Photo courtesy of The Sunderland Echo.

Spark Response secures Ethical e-commerce contract…

2010-10-07T12:11:00.009+01:00

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Contact centre and fulfilment specialist, Spark Response has secured a contract to provide support to EthicalSuperstore.com, the UK’s leading online retailer of ethical, fair trade and eco-friendly lifestyle products.

The new contract is valued at around £2m over 4 years and will support the ethical retailer from Spark’s Gateshead base at Follingsby Park, transferring the campaign from its current in-house-managed operation at Team Valley, also in Gateshead.

Spark was awarded the contract following a competitive pitch and as a result of its recent expansion and growing reputation as one of the UK’s leading and most respected outsourced service providers to the e-commerce industry. Spark has been managing inbound customer service and order calls for the retailer since March, with fulfilment of its e-commerce and catalogue home shopping orders following in September.

EthicalSuperstore.com stocks ethically-sourced, fair trade and eco-friendly products from leading brands including People Tree, Burt’s Bees, ECover and TraidCraft among others, as well as partner brands Natural Collection, Suma Co-operative, Divine Chocolate and Guardian Eco Store

The company’s current portfolio includes over 5,000 products covering fashion, health and beauty, electrical appliances, food and drink, sport and outdoor equipment, electrical appliances, books, music and DVD’s, children’s toys, home and garden accessories and stationery and office supplies.

Peter Slee, Managing Director, Spark Response says: “Ethical Superstore is the leading online retailer in a growing market sector and we are delighted at securing the contract to service the company’s contact centre and e-commerce fulfilment requirements. As we continue to operate in a challenging and unpredictable economic climate, to add another market leader to our existing portfolio of high profile brands and organisations is strategically crucial for our business. Furthermore, our new partnership with Ethical Superstore is testament to the commitment of our staff to deliver the highest possible standards of customer service and excellent value.”

Andy Redfern, Chief Executive and co-founder, EthicalSuperstore.com adds: “Following a period of significant growth and continued interest in ethical products among the retail industry, we needed to consolidate and enhance our customer service operation in order to maintain our high standards. Partnering with Spark provides the best possible solution, as they are the North East’s leading provider and indeed one of the UK’s best e-commerce contact centre and fulfilment specialists. We are looking forward to working closely with the team at Spark as our business continues to evolve and believe that our investment will help to further our business growth.”

Spark also provides contact centre and fulfilment support to organisations including Toys R Us, Red Direct, Cancer Research UK, Soap and Glory, FitFlop and Running Bare among others.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response staff clock up a thousand years experience...

2010-09-30T09:47:00.003+01:00

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

The staff at contact centre and eCommerce fulfilment specialist, Spark Response, have accumulated over 1,000 years combined experience, with many staff having been with the company for over 15 years.

61 year old Marjorie Burn is the company’s longest serving member of staff, with over 22 years of service. Marjorie has worked in various roles throughout the company and her long service was rewarded at 20 years with a gold watch and a cheque for £500. Instead of retiring earlier this year, former Finance Assistant Marj decided to stay on and has since relocated to the warehouse, where her Spark journey began in 1988, and where she’ll continue to work full time as she aims for her quarter-century service.

Marj believes that it is the culture at Spark that makes it such a good place to work and says: “Nobody at Spark is unapproachable. Peter Slee, the Managing Director, is regularly down in the warehouse - he knows everybody’s name and often stops for a chat. In a lot of companies, staff don’t mix with management, but there’s a family atmosphere here. The company do a lot for the staff; it was our family funday earlier this month, which we have every year and the company pays for. It’s great fun and enables everyone to get together.”

Julie Usher, who has worked in the company’s fulfilment centre since 1994, agrees: “I love the fact that your job can be different every day. Although I work in the warehouse, I’ve turned my hand to almost every job in there in the past fifteen years. If there’s something you’re interested in, like forklift driving, the company will provide training.”

Spark believes its staff are its greatest asset and it invests heavily in regular training to ensure the entire team develops and evolves in line with industry standards and that it can operate efficiently.

Arthur Wilson, who works in the facilities department, has been with the company for nearly 16 years. He joined Spark after a 30-year career in the police force.

He says: “The systems we have in place today are very different from the way things were done when I first started. Everything was done manually back in 1993 when I started working for Spark as the company driver. We were based in Washington back then but we’ve since moved to the Follingsby Park site and grown in size. As the company’s grown, we’ve had to move with the times.”

Arthur emulates his colleagues’ comments: “I really can’t fault the atmosphere working here; we really are like a family.”

Spark will employ over 300 people as it heads toward its busy season this winter. The company provides contact centre and fulfilment support to organisations including E.ON, Toys R Us, Red Direct, Cancer Research UK and Soap and Glory, amongst others.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Optimising your service response to caller demands...

2010-09-20T09:41:00.000+01:00

Source: Charities Management / Mitre House Publishing / Velvet Communications

In the third and final article in our series, Trevor Flack, Contact Centre Manager at Spark Response, one of the UK’s leading contact centre and eCommerce fulfillment specialists, explores the benefits of working with a contact centre to maximise and enhance efficiency.

Effective dialogue with your supporter, whether by phone, in writing or in person is the key to unlocking your charity’s full potential. From the direct mail shot that lands on a potential donor’s doormat to the brand ambassador fronting your marketing campaign or the call handler taking donations following your latest appeal, the way you communicate has a direct and lasting impact upon the success of your organisation and its performance in a competitive and challenging arena.

Your contact centre provision is the heart of your operation and its vital that you have can meet the needs of your supporters at all times. While your in-house call handling team may be well placed and versed in managing standard call traffic, working with an independent partner to deliver high profile events or campaigns or to manage seasonal peaks could support the growth of your organisation and help set it apart from its counterparts.

The ins and outs of outsourcing

Outsourcing can offer huge advantages to the charity sector if managed effectively. When looking to outsource for the first time it is essential that a partner is selected based on your specific requirements. Does the contact centre have experience in dealing with charity briefs? What customer service standards does the provider hold? What will be my benchmarks for evaluating how successfully the provider operates and will the provider agree to meet all requirements?

For the provider, it is essential that they are furnished with all possible details in order to handle calls efficiently and professionally. Planning is therefore the most critical stage of any outsourcing partnership. Indeed, forecasting will enable the charity to decide if there is an actual requirement for outsourcing and how best to introduce any overflow support.

While forecasting is often challenging, as consumer activity can be unpredictable depending upon the bigger economic backdrop, such as the recession we are currently operating in, it remains the most crucial element of the process for the contact centre team.

Whether the campaign is for an existing or new client, it is the contact centre’s responsibility to assess the forecasts supplied by you, the client and challenge their accuracy when and where required. Failure to question and evaluate at this stage could have a serious impact upon the success of the activity for the charity.

Once the forecast is agreed then resources should be planned for within 15 per cent of the anticipated response. It is then essential to plan for peaks in activity above and beyond this and ensure measures are in place to provide unbroken service to the charity and its supporters. Planning at this level is vital and whether you are working with a provider or managing all activity in-house, investing in resource management is critical for maintaining customer service standards and helping you to mange any unexpected influx.

In some cases you may be able to produce a forecast, but in this instance your preferred partner would work with you to evaluate previous activity and historical data, as well as referring back to its experience of similar activity for other orgnaisations. In addition a contact centre partners would also allow for unexpected peaks in activity as a result of high volumes of press coverage, a particular event or endorsement. It is the responsibility of the service provider to ensure it is fully integrated into your wider supply chain and aware of all communications activity, potential breaking stories and key dates associated with your charity.

The Evolution of the Contact Centre

As the charity sector has evolved and its operations have become increasingly sophisticated, there has been a need for its contact centre partners to adapt and evolve too. Today, there is a definite need for providers to be technologically savvy in direct response to the growing eCommerce market. As supporters often pledge donations or place orders for charitable products online or via email they expect to be responded to in the same way.

Conversely, as online order volumes increase, contact centre volumes increase alongside. The onus, however, is largely on queries rather than the placement of orders. For example, a charity with an eCommerce operation may take five per cent of its orders over the telephone, but will see 100 per cent of its order queries directed through the contact centre in some way and all cases require a degree of human interaction.

Flexible support

One of the greatest benefits of outsourcing is the flexibility it brings to your business model. While a permanent contact centre partner may work for some charities, a provider that is engaged to supply overflow support is crucial for many other organisations. Working with a contact centre to support an existing in house facility is an effective way of managing resources if you are able to identify is a defined peak in activity for any reason or can predict a surge in the volume of calls. For example, a charitable organisation such as Comic Relief or Children or Unicef may utilise an in-house team for its primary contact centre activity, but an outsourced extension could be essential when it comes to fielding calls and successfully managing activity around high profile and televised events such as Red Nose Day or Soccer Aid.

Similarly other events or activities that draw national attention such as an appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee or a telethon will warrant the appointment of an outsourced contact centre partner that can deliver exceptional standards of customer service immediately.

Once the core team is in place to deliver the activity it is essential that your chosen partner is able to deploy additional support to meet and manage the demand from any unexpected peaks in activity. The cross-training methodology is simple yet highly effective and is utilised by the leading contact centre providers. Before appointing a contact centre provider you should analyse its training and development programmes and feel confident that the call handlers interacting with your supporters and donors are trained to the highest possible standards.

Developing varied levels of skill among its workforce and ensuring that there is an overflow team of call handlers that can join the core team at short notice, is crucial for any contract partner and provides a valuable resource for any campaign, but especially in relation to charity activity.

If a contact centre can agree to adopt an annualised hours approach - a particularly powerful tool when needing to scale activity up or down - it will allow you to benefit from the greatest degree of flexibility as this approach ensures that the workforce is entirely flexible. The contact centre can release staff during quieter periods and quickly deploy them during seasonal and campaign-driven peaks.

Furthermore, minimum call abandonment rates should be of the utmost importance to you and therefore it is worthwhile ensuring that your preferred partner has a wider consumer services team that can be quickly deployed to support the core team during peaks or any surge in activity.

Enhanced service

While contact centre provision and fulfillment services are often viewed as a package, because more often than not, contact centre activity results in the need for fulfillment of some shape or form, the two requirements do not necessarily have to be met by one provider. In some cases, the contact centre may not be in position to provide even basic fulfillment such as the distribution of a follow-up letter or a sponsorship pack. It is therefore vital that you have a clear brief and ensure that your chosen provider can deliver your exact requirements.

There are direct cost benefits to be enjoyed by working with a contact centre and fulfillment specialist, including combining fixed costs such as account management. As the contact centre will be required to communicate with the fulfillment centre at various times, whether to query orders, check products, as well as coordinating returns and replacements, placing both functions with one partner is hugely beneficial from an efficiency point of view, which in turn presents significant cost savings. However again it is imperative that the fulfillment credentials are fully explored and evaluated.

Underestimating the resource and sustained levels of customer service required to effectively manage your communication and direct interaction with supporters is potentially catastrophic, as supporters expect an enhanced level of customer service when donating to a charity. Contact centre operations are a vital cog in the charity communication chain and unfortunately in many cases, are not adapted or improved as often as they should be.

Working with an outsourced and independent partner to ensure that high volume calls and when necessary fulfillment, can be managed successfully is a key tool to differentiate your organisation from others in an increasingly busy marketplace.

Published in the Autumn 2010 issue
of Charities Management magazine.

http://www.sparkresponse.com
http://www.charitiesmanagement.com

Spark Response funday raises further funds for Armed Forces charity...

2010-08-17T15:06:00.004+01:00

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Staff at Spark Response have now raised £3,800 for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA), through a series of events including a family fun day, which was held at the weekend.

The Gateshead based contact centre and fulfilment specialist has been raising funds for the charity throughout 2010 and the latest event held was a superhero-themed family fun day, which saw Captain America rubbing shoulders with Wolverine and The Incredibles climbing the wall.

The SSAFA charity supports those serving in the Armed Forces, and those who used to serve, as well as their families. Last year alone, the charity provided a reliable, caring and trusted service to more than 50,000 people. The cause was chosen by Spark staff in memory of colleague and Royal Engineers Captain Dave Ritchie, who passed away last year.

Speaking of the event, Spark’s Managing Director, Peter Slee, said: “We hold a fun day for the staff and their families every year as it’s a great way to say thank you to the whole team for their hard work whilst raising funds for a charity close to the hearts of many staff members. We are proud to support a charity that recognises the men and women that work so hard to serve our country. We will continue to raise funds throughout the year and I am confident that the passion and generosity of the staff will ensure we raise lots of money for the organisation. We’re on target to raise over £5,000 this year, which will be our largest-ever single donation.”

The free fun day event was held at Spark’s site on Follingsby Park in Gateshead where attendees were treated to a fun-filled day of food, refreshments and rides and attractions including a human wrecking ball, climbing wall and a soft play area. Raffle prizes were donated by clients, suppliers and other local businesses. Ticket sales for the raffle boosted Spark’s charity fund by £400.

Since 2006, Spark has raised over £20,000 for local causes and in December 2009 made a £3,500 donation to the Tyneside Rape Crisis Centre and donated £3,500 of Christmas presents to the children’s ward at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response secures £30m new business over four years...

2010-08-12T15:11:00.001+01:00

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Contact centre and fulfilment specialist, Spark Response, has secured a series of extended contracts and continuing partnerships worth over £30 million over the next four years and as a result is forecasting £12 million turnover for this financial year alone.

The Gateshead based company provides support to organisations including E.ON, Red Direct, Cancer Research UK, Soap and Glory, FitFlop, Running Bare, among others.

Peter Slee, Managing Director, Spark Response, says: “That we have secured £30 million worth of revenue is testament to our reputation for delivering exceptional standards of customer service and excellent value, and a positive reflection of the true partnership approach we adopt with all our clients. To have secured significant streams of work from a diverse range of high-profile brands is not only strategically crucial for our ongoing business growth, but to secure contracts of this value in such a short period of time is almost unheard of in our sector especially in today’s current economic climate.

“The new and renewed contracts consolidate our national reputation and demonstrate our ability to provide a flexible and effective service from our base in the North East.”

Mr Slee believes that the company’s success lies in the diversity of its client base and range of services offered, as well as its commitment to continually enhancing its service provision. Over the course of the last three years alone, the company has overhauled its operations, investing heavily in technology and quality, restructuring its approach to sales and marketing and redesigning its 200,000 square foot facility, resulting in it having two of its most successful years since the business began in 1982.

He adds: “We’ve worked hard to build a wide-ranging and varied client base covering multiple sectors including high street retailers, energy providers, charities and smaller e-commerce businesses. Our clients are some of the leading names from the fashion, footwear, mother & baby, giftware, publishing, recycling and home furnishings sectors among others. I believe that it’s this diversity that has allowed us to emerge over the last few years as a modern, progressive, growing and robust business.

“We offer home shopping, trade and retail fulfilment solutions including e-commerce development and both inbound and outbound contact centre services – a true and, I believe, unique end-to-end service offering and one of our biggest differentiators.”

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Spark Response green initiatives save the company over £50k in 18 months...

2010-08-06T09:00:00.000+01:00

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Gateshead-based contact centre and fulfilment specialist, Spark Response, has saved over £50,000 through a sustained project reducing the amount of energy that the company uses and embarking upon a large scale recycling drive which saved the company £26,000 in 2009 and a further £24,000 so far in 2010.

Pre-empting the Government’s introduction of the carbon reduction commitment, Spark’s Quality Manager, Lindsey Pearson, was charged with implementing the company’s ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, which is one of a series of international standards for environmental management and forms part of the company’s own internal environmental programme, Project Focus.

One of her first tasks was to address the company’s energy consumption and introduce methods to minimise it. Notices and stickers were put up near all light switches and machinery to prevent appliances being left on unnecessarily, and auto-sensors were installed in the toilets. This activity, coupled with investment from Spark into more environmentally friendly appliances and accessories, contributed towards the £26,000 saving. During 2009, the company achieved an energy saving of 15% when compared to 2008, despite increased business volumes.

Lindsey’s next step was to investigate the company’s material landfill waste and identify ways to reduce it. A recycling scheme was introduced that saw all but one general waste bins removed from offices and fulfilment centres and replaced with three recycling bins for cans, plastic and paper and communal recycling areas were set up for other materials such as glass and printer toners. This scheme proved to be so successful that Spark cancelled three out of 12 general waste collections in 2009, as they did not have enough general waste to warrant collection, it had all been recycled. On average, 75% of Spark’s waste is now recycled. In addition, Spark has worked closely with packaging partner, Kite Packaging, in developing an environmentally-friendly packaging range for clients. All products used are now either recycled or recyclable or both.

Lindsey said: “The success of Project Focus, and more specifically the energy reduction drive, has relied heavily on the cooperation of all members of staff and it is encouraging to see the results that have been achieved in a relatively short period of time. So far everyone has embraced and complied with the new system and this lead to us making a significant financial saving, as well as massively reducing our waste output, which is vitally important for our local and wider environment. I am always looking for new ways to reduce the carbon footprint at Spark and am thrilled that Project Focus is having such a positive impact across all levels of the business and that we are yielding some impressive results early on.”

Staff are also encouraged to bring in their old mobile phones for recycling in exchange for Spark reward and recognition points, which increase their chances of winning a cash prize at the end of the year.

Lindsey hopes to build on success Spark has experienced so far and has ambitious plans for water drainage, which she hopes to implement next year.

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Making sure charity fulfilment actually works...

2010-07-16T10:09:00.010+01:00

Source: Charities Management / Mitre House Publishing / Velvet Communications

Following the DRTV article by Spark Response’s Managing Director, Peter Slee in our last edition, Trish Stockdale, Partner Manager, provides an insight into wider fulfillment issues facing the charity sector.

The fulfillment provider is one of many crucial cogs in the supply chain. For charities, a fulfillment partner must provide a service that is dedicated and personalised, responsive and efficient and that ultimately enables the organisation to increase its profitability. As e-commerce continues to play an ever more vital role in the charity sector, the entire supply chain including the fulfillment provision, must future-proof its offering to ensure it can continue to deliver the highest possible standards of service and value.

For the fulfillment provider a decision must be made as to the level of service it can provide, as it is crucial that the charity is entirely confident that its needs can be met. So, as a fulfillment specialist could you service a generic charity account distributing simple materials all year round, or do you have the capability to manage bulk seasonal orders? It is important to answer this question realistically, as any successful service provision partnership demands a transparent and honest working relationship.

PLANNING FOR SUCCESS. Preparation and planning are the cornerstones of successful fulfillment and while the provider must be prepared to accept that there are some things that simply cannot be planned in advance, working closely with the charity to prepare realistic forecasts is a vital part of the process. While forecasting is often challenging, especially in the current unpredictable economic climate or due to the nature of the charity sector, it remains the most crucial element of the process for the fulfillment team.

Whether the campaign is for an existing or new client, it is your responsibility to assess the forecasts supplied by your client and challenge their accuracy if needed. Failure to question and evaluate at this stage could have a serious impact upon the success of the campaign for the charity and damaging consequences for your reputation.

In some cases the client may not have produced a forecast, in this instance work with them to evaluate previous activity records and if there is no historical data, then refer back to your own knowledge and experience of similar activity for other clients. Once the forecast is agreed then fulfillment resources should be planned for within approximately 15 per cent.

While forecasting provides a basic guide to activity, charities often experience unexpected peaks in activity as a result of high volumes of press coverage, the launch of a new e-commerce campaign, an event or high profile endorsement. To ensure efficiency it is vital that the fulfillment provider is fully integrated into the wider supply chain and is kept abreast of communications activity, potential breaking stories and key dates associated with the charity. Having the resource and experience to manage such peaks in fulfillment is what will set you apart from your industry counterparts.

EFFECTIVE OPERATIONS. Resource and proven operational systems are at the heart of fulfillment and are the primary deciding factors for charities when considering to partner with a provider. People are a key asset and it is vital that the core resource is bolstered by additional team members that can be deployed immediately to meet the demand generated by an unexpected influx in activity.

An ‘annualised hours’ methodology approach can be particularly effective for those campaigns that are annual as opposed to seasonal and therefore more likely to experience unexpected peaks of activity. This ensures that the workforce is entirely flexible and is a particularly powerful approach when needing to ramp down activity too. Staff can be released or redeployed during quieter periods and redeployed during seasonal and campaign-driven peaks, whilst providing a level of financial stability to the workforce and added value to the charity.

Effective systems and protocols are important for all fulfillment contracts but for charity accounts, that can change quickly and on a large scale, considerations must be taken into account.

Suitable storage and access is a major issue as more space may be required at various times of the year. If there is ample storage to meet the projected forecast, is there an alternative surplus storage facility that can be brought into play should the forecast be exceeded? This is a simple but vital question. Similarly, is the IT operation comprehensive and able to manage high volume and high frequency orders in a simple and effective fashion? A proven system and clear protocol forms the basis of the fulfillment operation and should be regularly evaluated and improved when and where necessary.

In addition to standard operational policies it is worthwhile enhancing any wider sector credentials by becoming a member of the Fundraising Standards Board which will help in keeping you abreast of industry news and developments and ensuring you fully understand the issues facing charity organisations and how you can adapt your offer to meet their needs.

THE CHANGING FACE OF FULFILMENT. Fulfillment for charities can take on many different guises and can also change throughout the course of the year. While a provider may be tasked with delivering a stand-alone initiative, many specialists are retained by a charity and must therefore be ready to adapt to meet the needs of various types of activity such as seasonal, event led and PR or marketing driven activity.

Typical charity fulfillment, which often comprises the distribution of literature and fundraising packs, as well as smaller items such as pens and pin badges, requires an innovative store-pick-pack solution and it is essential that effective storage and labeling systems are in practice. There are, however, occasions when information packs must be tailored and personalised and in this case, a hybrid solution of response handling and order fulfillment is needed. Not all service providers can offer this service and so it is vital that the charitable organisation looks at the bigger picture when choosing a partner as this type of service may be of use at sometime during the partnership.

Fulfilling basic literature and smaller charity items is very different to fulfilling a customer order for Christmas cards and wrapping paper and protocols must be in place to accommodate such activity. Seasonal products or event focused materials – such as runner packs including vests, sponsorship forms et are likely to be stored, picked, packed and dispatched in the same way as a typical Ecommerce order, as opposed to an information pack request which could in fact be fulfilled on the contact centre floor as well as in a distribution centre.

SUPPLY CHAIN - THE BIGGER PICTURE. Fulfillment specialists often rely on sub contractors to operate and it is crucial that all partners are evaluated frequently to ensure that the best possible value and service is acquired.

Every type of fulfillment depends upon trusted carrier support. Carrier partners should be regularly evaluated in terms of service quality, flexibility and of course for value for money. Maintaining a high level delivery service is imperative whilst remaining conscious of the charity’s costs and the level of income that goes direct to the cause. Any fulfillment partner providing seasonal support will require all carrier partners to be aware of the potential scale of activity and it is vital that the fulfillment specialist fully understands the carrier’s capability such as how many depots and hubs a carrier has, what its average and peak traffic is at each depot and what its average and peak capacity is.

For many charities, ‘green field’ delivery is often needed in relation to the staging of major events such as the Virgin London Marathon and some carriers will not have the infrastructure or capability to provide this service. Industry intelligence is vital to the fulfillment provider to find such a partner that can service the charity’s requirements in full.

As previously noted, print capability will often be a consideration for a charity and fulfillment providers can be required to assemble and issue a personalised pack perhaps comprising various elements. Not all providers offer this added value service and so from the charity’s perspective it is crucial that any potential partner’s breadth of service offering is explored and evaluated in full.

From the fulfillment specialists perspective, it needs to question whether its existing print facility or partner could personalise merchandise or literature in high volumes, to high standards and under strict time constraints, if required.

IN CONCLUSION. Underestimating the expertise and resource required to provide effective fulfillment solutions to the charity sector should not be underestimated. There are many steps that can be taken to ensure that fulfillment can be successfully managed at all times and this combined with investment – both financial and in terms of time and effort - into effective planning and a commitment to constantly enhancing service provision and adding value at every level, will lead to a long term successful charity partnership.

DOs AND DON'Ts OF CHARITY FULFILMENT
Trish provides her tips for effectively managing charity fulfillment.

DO be prepared, plan for unexpected peaks in activity
DO offer as many value-added services as possible
DO get an understanding of the ‘bigger picture’
DO join the Fundraising Standards Board Scheme
DO keep a focus on efficiency

DON’T rely on forecasting being 100% accurate
DON’T underestimate the value of getting involved
DON’T fail to prepare and read the news
DON’T misjudge the level of resource required
DON’T underestimate the need to be flexible

Published in the Summer 2010 issue
of Charities Management magazine.

http://www.sparkresponse.com
http://www.charitiesmanagement.com

Sports retailer trebles orders after outsourcing fulfilment...

2010-07-15T09:47:00.001+01:00

Source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Specialist sportswear retailer, Running Bare, experienced 100 per cent growth of its e-commerce website, www.runningbare.co.uk, in 2008/09 and its projections for the future are bright. Managing Director, Anthony Stiefel, says he owes a lot of this to the fact that he took the decision to outsource his order fulfilment to Gateshead-based Spark Response.

“We started using Spark in the summer of 2007 and it had a significant impact immediately. We had just become one of the only UK retailers to be stocking the massively popular FitFlop, a revolutionary footwear product which tones legs and buttocks, and needed a partner who could help us cope with the demand for the summer. We are now using the same infrastructure as many much larger retailers and, as a result, can compete on their level. Running Bare has more than trebled order numbers since partnering with Spark.”

Far from being a one-off summer fling, FitFlop now boasts over 20 styles, which can be purchased via Running Bare’s stores and online with Spark still acting as the sole fulfilment support for all online sales. As the footwear brand continues to grow, Mr Stiefel says that further growth for his business is expected.

“The team at Spark has helped us with so many aspects of the business from troubleshooting customer areas of our website to taking all of the worry of order fulfilment and delivery off my hands, leaving me free to concentrate on expanding my business.”

Running Bare was set up in 2004 by Stiefel on return from a trip to Australia. He opened his first shop in Putney, London followed by another store in London and a third in Tunbridge Wells. The business was an instant success, which the team puts down to the fact that they ensure they are selling the products their customers really want.

Mr Stiefel soon realised that he needed to extend the reach of his product and set up his e-commerce site in 2005. The site now accounts for the majority of his business.

As the online business became too much for Running Bare to manage effectively on its own, Mr Steifel looked for a company who could ease the pressure on his fast-growing business. Spark has over twenty years of experience dealing with small independent businesses, highstreet names and large international brands. Since then, the company has built up a reputation based on its partnership approach to helping its clients’ businesses to grow. Spark currently boasts Cancer Research UK, Toys R Us, E.ON and Soap & Glory among its clients.

http://www.sparkresponse.com
http://www.runningbare.co.uk

Preparing to fulfil a charity DRTV campaign...

2010-06-25T09:05:00.006+01:00

Source: Charities Management / Mitre House Publishing / Velvet Communications

PETER SLEE, managing director of Spark Response, explains how a contact centre needs to focus on being able to service the fulfilment requirements of a charity direct response television campaign.

DRTV campaigns can yield impressive results for charities and have a proven record in attracting donations, fundraising and volunteer support alike. However, whether the contact centre is in-house or outsourced, there are important fulfilment issues to be considered. The key requirement is for there to be a proper fulfilment facility. This needs to be dedicated to servicing the campaign response. If the charity’s in-house contact centre or outsourced contact centre is unable to provide adequate fulfilment, the necessary fulfilment resource should be provided via an outside arrangement.

Whatever the path to fulfilment – i.e. whether the facility is embedded in the in-house or outsourced contact centre, or is supplied from outside the contact centre by a specialist fulfilment provider – there is a core agenda which should be pursued. The contact centre must ensure certain issues are addressed for fulfilment to be successful. This article sets these out.

FORECAST FOR SUCCESS. Forecasting may well often be challenging, as consumer response to a DRTV campaign can be unpredictable depending upon the bigger economic backdrop, such as the recession we are currently operating in, or the nature of the call to action and even the execution of the DRTV creative itself. However, it remains the most crucial element of the process for the contact centre team.

Whether the campaign is for an existing or new charity client, it is the contact centre’s responsibility to assess the forecasts supplied by the charity – and challenge their accuracy if needed. Failure to question and evaluate at this stage could have a serious impact upon the success of the campaign for the charity and damaging consequences for everyone’s reputation.

EVALUATE. In some cases the charity may not have produced a forecast. In this instance both parties need to work with each other to evaluate the success of past campaigns, or if there is no DRTV historical data, then the contact centre must refer back to its own knowledge and experience of similar activity for other clients. Once the forecast is agreed then resources should be planned for within 15% of the anticipated response. It is then essential to plan for peaks in activity above and beyond this and ensure measures are in place to provide unbroken service to the charity and its supporters. Any third party provider with sufficient experience and the necessary dedication to providing service will be suitably prepared and able to anticipate the unexpected.

WORK TO A REALISTIC SCHEDULE. In the first instance a copy of the confirmed media schedule is paramount to inform the contact centre’s thinking. Remember though, schedules alter and while the centre may be given notice of changes, mistakes can be made and an advertisement broadcast can unexpectedly be issued ahead of time. How will the contact centre respond to this? Is it prepared to manage a sudden surge in calls and the subsequent fulfilment requirements?

Unplanned peaks in activity regularly occur and in order to deliver consistently high standards of service, it is imperative that a contingency is devised to counterbalance such situations. Every contact centre will have an idea as to how best to manage unplanned activity, but cross training is by far the most proven and successful method.

HAVE AN ADAPTABLE APPROACH. Once the core team is in place to deliver the DRTV campaign it is essential that the centre is able to rapidly deploy additional team members to meet the

demand generated by an unexpected influx in activity. The cross training methodology is simple yet highly effective. While all new call operatives will be trained to handle calls for priority tasks, more experienced advisers should be trained to handle additional and multiple campaigns.

OVERFLOW. Developing varied levels of skill among a contact centre’s workforce and ensuring that there is an overflow team of call handlers who can join the core team at short notice is a valuable resource for any campaign, but especially in relation to DRTV activity. In addition, an “annualised hours” methodology, should be considered, as this ensures that the workforce is entirely flexible. Adopting an annualised hours approach is particularly powerful when needing to ramp down activity too. This allows the centre to release its staff in quiet times and deploy them during seasonal and campaign-driven peaks, whilst giving them the financial stability which paying them for hours they’ve worked in a calendar month won’t give.

Furthermore, minimum call abandonment rates remain of the utmost importance and therefore it is worthwhile the centre investing in developing a wider donor services team. While their primary duties may remain non-telephony related, it is beneficial for the team to be trained and ready to handle calls, as and when necessary. This resource if often overlooked to the detriment of the campaign.

FROM CALL TO COORDINATION CAPABILITY. So the core contact centre resource is planned and a contingency has been agreed. Now the focus should turn to fulfilment. Whether the campaign requires a simple letter or welcome pack to be issued following the initial call, or a more comprehensive and perhaps personalised pack or item is to be coordinated and distributed, an effective fulfilment infrastructure is critical. Every DRTV campaign will require some level of fulfilment and therefore trusted carrier support is crucial. Carrier partners should be regularly evaluated in terms of service quality, flexibility and of course for value for money.

Maintaining a high level delivery service is imperative whilst remaining conscious of the charity’s costs and the level of income that goes direct to the cause. The partner you use for regular and controlled activity may, or may not be suitable to deliver every DRTV fulfilment. Often “green field” delivery is required at major events (such as Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life and Bupa’s Great North Run) and some carriers won’t have the infrastructure or expertise to be able to provide this service which can see hundreds of thousands of runner numbers and welcome packs delivered to the middle of a field at three in the morning. You need to have the industry intelligence to find such a partner.

Also, it’s not just a matter of delivering the material for these event focused DRTV campaigns. It can be a matter of producing the material in the first place. Registration for participants can necessitate the fulfilment provider having to assemble and issue a personalised pack perhaps comprising various elements. Could your existing print facility or partner personalise literature or other matter in high volumes, to high standards and under strict time constraints? This question may not be looked at, but again it is your responsibility to ensure you are well placed to manage this element of the fulfilment. You must have the fulfilment capability. For instance, a printer offering a direct mail service is only a print expert, not a fulfilment specialist.

Underestimating the resource required to effectively deliver a DRTV campaign is unacceptable, although unfortunately it does often occur among less experienced service providers. There are many measures which can be implemented to ensure that high volume calls and fulfilment can be managed successfully and this, coupled with an investment into resource planning and a commitment to constantly enhancing your donor service operation – whether in-house or outsourced – should make DRTV entirely manageable.

First published in the Early Summer edition of Charities Management magazine.

http://www.sparkresponse.com
http://www.charitiesmanagement.com

Spark Response staff sale sends support to armed forces...

2010-06-01T00:17:00.000+01:00

source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Staff at Spark Response have raised £760 for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association, through a charity sale.

The Gateshead based contact centre and fulfilment specialist Spark will be raising funds for the charity throughout 2010 and the latest sale has taken the company’s current total to £2,343.

The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) Forces Help charity supports those serving in the Armed Forces and those who used to serve, as well as their families. Last year alone, the charity provided a reliable, caring and trusted service to more than 50,000 people.

Deputy Operations manager, Steve Lawler, organised the event and has held twelve charity sales over the last four years.

Staff were invited to attend the one-day event and could purchase products from some of Spark’s clients’ latest summer ranges at a discounted rate, with all proceeds being added to the fund for the charity. The staff sales are held approximately three times per year and comprise unwanted sample items or returned goods that the company’s clients donate for charitable purposes.

Speaking of the event, 42 year old Steve, who has been with Spark for eight years says: “I regularly organise staff sales to raise funds for charity and our clients kindly donated their unwanted spring and summer samples to our cause. The money raised from the sale will make a positive contribution to our rolling fund and I was delighted by the response of all the staff from the warehouses, through to the contact centre and the management team.

“The SSAFA is a worthy cause and as I was once in the Royal Navy I am proud to be supporting the charity and the men and women that work so tirelessly to serve our country. I have another couple of sales planned for the latter part of the year and there will be lots of other fun initiatives organised to raise more money. I’m confident that the passion and generosity of the staff at Spark will ensure we raise lots of money for the organisation.”

Noel Lambert, Operations Director, Spark Response adds: “The sum raised at the sale is testament to the commitment of our staff to fully support our charitable initiatives. Steve is a dedicated member of our team, generously donating his time to making sure the sales are a success and I would like to thank him for his continued energy and enthusiasm. Last year we raised £7,000 for two local charities and we hope 2010 will prove to be as successful as we work to support the SSAFA and raise awareness of the charitable work it delivers.”

http://www.sparkresponse.com/

Happy to be the centre of attention...

2010-05-11T22:58:00.004+01:00

Source: Lindsay Parker / Northern Echo / Contact Magazine / NECC

From call centre services for clients such as E.ON to handling web-based goods for high street giants like Toys R Us, Spark Response has gained a reputation for its flexible solutions for retailers. As part of this month’s Success feature, in conjunction with the North East Chamber of Commerce, Lindsay Parker meets its managing director.

THEY used to be barely acknowledged, seen as a discreet way of hiring in extra manpower without the hassle and cost of employing staff or hiring extra space.

Outsourcing companies may have had a valuable role to play in helping firms to grow – but it wasn’t an aspect of business that was necessarily shouted about. Until now.

“Years ago clients never shouted that they were outsourcing some of their business,” says Peter Slee, managing director of Spark Response, one of the largest outsourcing companies in the UK. “Now it’s become a much more accepted way of doing business

“We can work with a small business or a giant retailer and it’s about what the owners of that business want to achieve. They might want to focus on developing new products and the logistics side of selling them online can be a major headache, particularly if it’s seasonal such as selling geared around the Christmas market. By working with a company like us, it means they can be confident that if it’s 100 orders a day or 1,100 a day, we have the capacity to handle them.”

Ideally situated on the Follingsby Park business estate, between Washington and Gateshead, the firm is seeing a growing client list as its reputation spreads nationally. They include energy company E.ON, Toys R Us, the ecommerce division of fashion magazine Red (Red Direct) and the trendy footwear brand FitFlop, the latter of which is delivered into high street retailers ranging from Harvey Nichols to Fenwick.

The company was founded in 1982 as a specialist in handling brochures post production for clients such as British Airways and high street banks. Throughout the 80s and 90s it developed along with its customers’ needs to provide call centre operations for mail order companies. As Internet shopping grew, the firm branched out to provide ecommerce fulfilment solutions for web retailers, housing stock in its warehouse and handling distribution and customer queries.

The company saw its first major high street client in the home improvement giant B&Q in 2001. Spark helped it develop the online shopping side of the business and ecommerce soon accounted for 80 per cent of Spark’s business.

TALKING BUSINESS: Contact center operations manager Susan Metcalf chats with a Spark Response advisor.

“We managed a five-year campaign for B&ampQ with 13,000 products online – everything from a packet of screws to a new bathroom suite,” recalls Peter. “A lot of big companies like B&Q were going into ecommerce for the first time. We could handle everything from storing the products to answering queries from consumers with the contact centre side and overseeing the distribution of the goods.

“We give feedback as part of the process so we could let clients know which products were their bestsellers and how they were best segmenting them online. We were giving a seamless customer service no matter what we were selling and it enabled us to go to other national blue chip retailers who wanted to expand their ecommerce offering.”

At its height, 250 staff were dedicated to the B&Q contract alone. But when B&Q decided to take its contract in-house in 2006, Spark faced challenging times in the face of a £2.5m operating loss that year and having to make 47 staff redundant.

“Post B&Q it was tough for us,” says Peter. “Their objective was to prove the online sales concept worked, and it did, so they took it in-house. From that, we completely restructured the business. We took a more focused sales and marketing approach and brought in a significant number of new clients. By June 2008 we’d turned the company back around to profit.”

Spark’s turnover last year was £10.5m and in March this year it was named as a finalist in the North East Business Awards. The Majority shareholding of Spark is that of a private consortium led by former managing director and now chairman Barry Stiefel .

To meet the challenges faced post B&ampQ and the inevitable effects of the subsequent recession, Peter says the company has had to innovate. One of its largest units, for example, is filled with stock for an online retailer which serves its purpose for nine months of the year. For a further three months, around the Christmas sales period, Spark needs more space to house additional stock.

“How do you do that in a cost effective manner for the client and for us?” says Peter. “One of our challenges has been to match the space capability with our business volumes so we’ve created a partnership with Port of Tyne. It’s six miles away from us and they’ve got more than 300,000 square feet of very secure, clean, hi-tech operational space and we’ve developed a stock management scenario which means stock can go in there if it’s not required for short term sales.”

Spark has also taken on more new clients as its reputation spreads and, for the first time, has entered the charity sector with Cancer Research UK, looking after its online and catalogue gift shop – Shop to Beat Cancer.

The brochure side of the business is still strong too and the company provides call centre and post production brochure fulfilment for One North East’s campaign, Passionate People, Passionate Places. Meanwhile, if you receive a call from energy company E.ON, you’re likely to get one of Spark’s trained call centre workers on the line.

“Our staff are one of our greatest assets and they can be quite chameleon like at times as we work with more than 20 different clients,” says Peter. “The vast majority of staff can work across a number of campaigns and we have the technology to support that.”

Staffing wise, Peter says one of the strengths of the business has been its workforce.

The company has an average staff retention rate of seven years and employs 190 people which can rise around 270 during the peak September to December season. It runs a subsidised bus service for staff and runs bi-monthly employee forums so they can get the chance to sit down with company bosses.

Spark is also strong on corporate social responsibility work and holds regular fundraising events for chosen charities. The firm raised £3,500 for the Tyneside Rape Crisis Centre in 2009 which has allowed it to set up a support group, which launches in August. In April, it sent 191 computer monitors via Computer Aid to deserving causes across Africa and South America and worked with Port of Tyne to see them shipped across.

TAKING STOCK: Victoria Fitzpatrick, partner manager, and Michael Topp from Spark's Toys R Us team.

As far as the future is concerned, Peter is aware that Spark has to look at ways to constantly improve what it does to stay ahead of the game.

“If there are issues of orders being inaccurate or customers are not being handled properly then that will come back on us as a business,” he says. “We’re always looking to introduce new technologies to improve the customer experience so you can do things like identify the products at an individual level and naming the day their deliveries will be made.

“Traditionally, consumers had to order by December 12 or 13 to get their gifts in time for Christmas, for example. By 2009, customers were ordering up to December 22 and still getting them in time.”

The firm is also benefitting from the growth of the Internet as a way for people to shop. According to a report published by the Centre for Retail Research earlier this year, UK consumers spent £38bn online in 2009 – an average of £1,102 per shopper – and the centre predicts online sales hitting £42.7bn by 2010.

“The biggest trend we’re seeing is for retailers of the eBay generation, who don’t have a bricks and mortar presence but an online shop front,” says Peter. “The owners all typically want to focus on the product and on marketing it. They don’t want to focus on moving the product around and all the detail that involves and that’s where we come in.”

Regardless of trends, it is attention to detail, quality and flexibility that mean more and more people are shouting about Spark’s services. Outsourcing is an outcast no longer.

“We see one of our strengths as being where we’re based, here in the North East,” says Peter. “We have a great work force and a great physical location to work from and we’re looking to really build on that over the next few years.”

Spark Response by numbers

1.3m Orders despatched in 2009

4.5m Items handled in 2009

1.9m Customer interactions (email/phone/letter) in 2009

£3,000 Annual cash prizes issued through a staff reward scheme every year

£7,000 Raised for charities in 2009

200,000sq ft Spark’s facilities spread across two units at Follingsby Park

http://www.sparkresponse.com

Written by Lindsay Parker.

First published in the Northern Echo, 11th May 2010.

Funds raised by Spark Response staff give survivors of sexual violence a voice...

2010-05-05T13:10:00.003+01:00

source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Later this year, the Tyneside Rape Centre is launching a Support Group for Women Survivors of Sexual Violence.

The sessions have been funded by a donation of £3,500 from Spark Response, the contact centre and fulfilment specialist that is based in Gateshead.

The local charity was chosen by Spark Response following its nomination by one of the company’s outbound sales advisers, Karen Bowman-Kyle, whose sister is a volunteer at the Centre.

Staff at Spark Response raised the funds during the course of the year through raffles, sales of ex-stock donated by clients, , a free family fun day and regular dress down days amongst other activities.

The sessions will begin in August and take the form of a closed group, which will meet 12 times, with each session lasting two hours. Over the course of the sessions, the support group will aim to develop the women’s own positive methods of coping and the Centre’s counsellors hope that the women who attend will build resilience, while regaining their self worth and self esteem. Moreover, the Centre also hopes that the group will enable women survivors of sexual violence to forge friendships and support networks with other female survivors.

Dawn Bowman from the Tyneside Rape Crisis Centre says “We have wanted to offer the group therapy for some time, but a lack of funding has prevented us from developing the sessions until now. Survivors of sexual violence benefit from group sessions because they offer a different type of support than one to one counselling. Support groups offer the choice of a different counselling environment for survivors at a different stage in their journey after surviving sexual violence.

“Women who have used our services often ask if groups are available and feel that meeting other women who have survived similar experiences would help them to cope better with what has happened to them. Now, thanks to the generosity of Spark Response, and the time and energy its staff dedicated to raising the funds, we are able to provide this much needed service. There are still spaces available in the group and we would encourage any women that would benefit from the therapy sessions to get in touch.”

Peter Slee, Managing Director at Spark adds: “The Tyneside Rape Crisis Centre is acause often overlooked and overshadowed by more mainstream charitable organisations, so our fundraising efforts were all the more important. I am delighted that our donation will enable the Centre to operate the group sessions and provide support to so many women as they rebuild their lives. As a prominent business in the region, we are keen to support charities that make a real difference in the local community and I would like to thank all our staff for their passion and commitment to such a worthy cause.”

Since 2006, Spark has raised over £20,000 for local causes and, in addition to the £3,500 donation to the Centre, the company also donated £3,500 of Christmas presents to the children’s ward at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary. This year, Spark Response has chosen to support the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen & Families Association (SSAFA), in memory of co-worker Dave Ritchie, a former Royal Engineers Captain who passed away last year.

Pictured Top: Peter Slee (Spark) with Dawn Dowman (TRCC).
http://www.sparkresponse.com/

http://www.tynesidercc.org.uk/

Spark Response donates disused computer equipment to third world communities...

2010-04-16T10:07:00.008+01:00

source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Schools and hospitals across a number of third world countries are set to receive a host of computer monitors from a local contact centre and fulfilment specialist.

Spark Response has donated 191 computer monitors to the charity, Computer Aid, which will deliver the equipment to deserving causes across Africa and South America.

The donation is a result of Spark’s continued investment in improving its facilities at its Gateshead site. The company purchased new monitors in order to enhance energy efficiency but rather than simply disposing of the old equipment it contacted Computer Aid to offer the monitors to the charity.

Spark then contacted global logistics expert Port of Tyne to coordinate the shipping of the monitors to London, where they will be refurbished by the charity before being shipped overseas. Port of Tyne were delighted to be involved and immediately offered to transport the equipment free of charge.

Peter Slee, Managing Director at Spark Response, says: “Following a significant drive to be more environmentally aware, we launched a programme called Project Focus which is designed to ensure that we meet stringent green targets on all levels of our environmental policy and ISO 14001 accreditation. Upgrading our IT equipment to ensure greater energy efficiency was a pivotal element of Project Focus for 2010. We were determined to recycle the old equipment in a socially-aware manner and sought a worthy cause that would benefit from the donation. Computer Aid was an obvious choice as it has a proven track record in putting disused equipment to good use in the UK and further afield.

“We were thrilled that Port of Tyne offered to partner with us on this project and coordinate the delivery of the equipment to Computer Aid. We have a longstanding relationship with the Port as it provides our business with a 25 per cent storage expansion facility during peak seasons. It’s great to be able to combine our environmental and social responsibility efforts.

“We hope that the monitors make a real difference to the communities that receive them and would encourage other businesses with disused IT equipment to contact the charity.”

John Tye, Commercial Director of Logistics at Port of Tyne, adds: “When we heard about the charity initiative we were more than happy to help in any way we could. Working with the team at Spark, we have taken delivery of the monitors and will be shipping the cargo to London for collection by Computer Aid imminently.”

In addition to its donation to Computer Aid, Spark staff have raised over £20,000 for local causes across Tyneside during the last five years.

Pictured Top: MD Peter Slee and Quality Manager Lindsey Pearson at Spark with Port Of Tyne's Commercial Director of Logistics John Tye as the monitors were collected to be transported to ComputerAid in London.

http://www.sparkresponse.com/

Spark Response acknowledged in North East Business Awards...

2010-03-29T13:43:00.006+01:00

source: Velvet Communications/Elizabeth Eddy (01642 584790)

Contact centre and fulfilment specialist, Spark Response, was recently shortlisted in the prestigious North East Business Awards.

The Gateshead based company was one of only three businesses to be shortlisted from hundreds of entries in the Tyneside and Northumberland Company of the Year category.

The recognition follows a period of significant change for the company, as it has overhauled its operations to ensure increased efficiency and profitability despite the current challenging economic climate.

Spark’s Managing Director, Peter Slee, commented: “The business has undergone a major turnaround over the past few years. We’ve invested heavily in technology and quality, restructured our approach to sales and marketing and redesigned almost our entire 200 square foot facility, adding efficiencies to our business and continually enhancing our service provision to our clients along the way.

“To be shortlisted in these prestigious awards is a fantastic morale-booster for our staff as much of the company’s success is attributable to the performance of our employees. We work very hard to make sure our staff feel valued. There’s a real sense of being a family at Spark and that pays off in spades when it comes to efficiency and productivity.”

In addition to its awards success, Spark has recently been appointed to deliver contracts for a number of high profile organisations and national brands, including Cancer Research UK and the Soap and Glory cosmetics company. These new clients join its impressive roster of accounts including Toys R Us, E.ON, Weaveworld and Red Direct among others.

Pictured top: Spark's Managing Director Peter Slee at the awards alongside fellow shortlisted companies and the award category sponsor.

http://www.sparkresponse.com/

Spark Response "Hero" receives senior management promotion...

2010-03-16T15:19:00.005Z

Source: r//evolution Marketing/Judy Walker (01434 606 155)

One of last summer’s double-winners in the first Call Centre Hero Awards has been promoted just over six months after receiving his accolades. Trevor Flack, from Gateshead’s Spark Response, won Support Hero England and Support Hero UK whilst Performance Development Manager for the inbound division of the contact centre and fulfilment specialist.

Managing Director at Spark, Peter Slee, is delighted to announce the news to awards organiser, Call Centre Clinic: “It’s with great pleasure that I confirm Trevor’s new appointment as Contact Centre Manager here at Spark. Trevor moved into the role in February and takes overall responsibility for our inbound operations. Trevor’s development within the business, since he joined the team in December 2001, has been great to watch. I look forward to working with him closely on furthering his success, not only within the contact centre, but in a more client-facing environment and on a new business development level.”

Trevor received his awards last summer having risen through the ranks at Spark from humble beginnings as a call centre adviser. In his roles as Team Manager and Performance Development Manager, he had implemented numerous systems and procedures that emulate his employer’s core values as a service provider with a “constant focus on efficiency” and “fanatical attention to detail”. Implementations included utilisation trackers, customer callback systems, first call resolution initiative and e-mail quality and call grading standards.

Further award success comes to Spark this month as the company attends the nebusiness awards (North East Business Awards) dinner on the 18th as one of three finalists in the Company of the Year category at the Tyneside & Northumberland sub-regional final. Peter adds: “The business has undergone a major turnaround over the past few years. We’ve invested heavily in technology and quality, have restructured our approach to sales and marketing and have redesigned almost our entire 200 square foot facility, adding efficiencies to our business and continually enhancing our service provision to our clients along the way”.

http://www.sparkresponse.com/

Spark Response cleans up with Soap & Glory contract...

2010-03-02T12:36:00.006Z

Source: r//evolution Marketing/Judy Walker (01434 606 155)

Gateshead-based contact centre and fulfilment specialist Spark Response has won a new contract to provide trade fulfilment for the cosmetics brand Soap & Glory.

Spark already works for BrandHandling, the brand owner of Soap & Glory, providing fulfilment services for another of its popular brands, FitFlop Footwear. When the brand was launched in the UK three years ago, it was an instant success – almost five million pairs were sold in the first two years. Spark shipped pre-orders for women’s activewear retailer Running Bare, who were one of the first suppliers to stock the product for its UK launch and had taken thousands of orders from pre-registering customers. As public demand grew, in 2008 Spark began to ship direct for BrandHandling’s trade customers.

Now Spark is fulfilling orders for Soap & Glory’s trade customers into high street retail giants like Harvey Nichols. The brand, which was launched in the UK in 2006, comprises a range of bath, body and beauty products and is the brainchild of Marcia Kilgore, the founder of the Bliss spa chain in New York.

Victoria Montrasio, Global Sales & Marketing Manager for Soap & Glory Cosmetics said “We needed a logistics partner for our brand distribution in the UK that had experience in retail supply and compliance, added to which Spark Response’s successful support of our sister brand FitFlop made them an automatic choice.”

“Soap & Glory is a very popular brand and we’re delighted to win the business,” added Spark Response’s managing director, Peter Slee. “We see ourselves as a partner rather than a supplier and winning Soap & Glory is a testament to the type of relationships we have with our clients.

“From supporting Running Bare during the FitFlop launch, we went on to win BrandHandling’s direct FitFlop trade business and have now further grown our partnership into supporting the Soap & Glory trade campaign.

“We’re probably better known as an eCommerce fulfilment company, however there’s an increasing demand from companies like BrandHandling who need a partner like Spark to handle the supply chain aspect of their business, which gives them the opportunity to concentrate on product innovation and brand development.”

Mr Slee went on to say that Spark had won a further major eCommerce client, Kids Playstore, in 2008 through its FitFlop work. “One of Kids Playstore’s co-founders was so impressed with the service she’d received from placing a Running Bare order that she asked them who their fulfilment partner was and got in touch with us,” he said. The rest, as they say, is history.

Pictured: (top) Partner Manager Victoria Fitzpatrick and Project Manager Beverley Ord and (above) Phil Robertson and Stephen Wood from the Soap & Glory fulfilment team at Spark.

http://www.sparkresponse.com/

Spark Response Expands Service Portfolio With New Storage Solutions...

2010-02-12T09:36:00.001Z

Source: r//evolution Marketing/Judy Walker (01434 606 155)

Gateshead-based contact centre and fulfilment specialist Spark Response is offering a new storage service to local businesses as part of its service portfolio expansion.

Spark has strategically developed its brand over the last three years, restructuring its sales and marketing approach and becoming a recognised and respected name in eCommerce fulfilment and contact centre services. “Our business is growing” said managing director Peter Slee, “we’ve seen success on a national and international scale and we’re a major north east employer because of that. We’re delighted to be able to expand our portfolio with this new storage offering and will hopefully grow further as a local service provider as a result.”

“Our business is seasonal and activity-based,” explained Mr Slee. “This means that we often have storage capacity depending on our clients’ seasonality. We believe there is a gap in the market for storage facilities for companies who are starting to outgrow their current space and are looking to outsource to a partner with the potential of becoming more than just a storage provider. Or it may well be that they simply have a slow-moving product they would like to put into deep storage at an external site and concentrate on their revenue generators. We are aiming to fill that gap. Our experience extends way beyond storage and warehousing and that’s our differentiator.”

Following a string of high profile contract wins and renewals over the last few months that add to an impressive client portfolio that includes Cancer Research UK, FitFlop, Toys R Us, E.ON and Red Direct, Spark is seeking to grow its business within the North East region.

“We’re a proud North East business and believe in forming and developing local partnerships. We’re the chosen contact centre and fulfilment partner of One North East’s North East England tourism campaign and are about to go live with a major local eCommerce retailer.”

Spark is also partners with Knowledge IT and Port of Tyne, who have both been instrumental in helping develop our service offering over the past two years.

“We’ve developed our services substantially and have dedicated a lot of time and resource into continually improving our technology, quality, efficiency and security.” Said Slee. “We’re one of the founding tenants of Follingsby Park, just off the A1 and A19, which now has over one million square foot of business space and is one of the north east’s best kept secrets. The site has 24 hour security coverage and our facilities themselves are covered 24/7 by CCTV, supported by our in-house security team.”

“I believe there are businesses within the region that have grown to the point where they need the services of a contact centre or fulfilment point. Those are the companies we are aiming at this year and our new storage offering is just one way of achieving that.”

For more information on the Spark Response storage offering, call Natalie on 0191 418 6014.

http://www.sparkresponse.com/

Can we rely on Geordie charm to save jobs?

2010-02-11T14:58:00.006Z

Source: Chris Knox, The Journal, 10th February 2010

Last month's news that 900 staff at the Shop Direct call centre in Sunderland were being made redundant was a blow to the North East's call centre industry. Christopher Knox assesses the strength of the industry in region.

THE North East has always been well regarded in the call centre industry, with the Geordie accent proving popular among businesses and consumers alike.

As a result, many of the UK’s blue chip companies’ e-retailers have set up operations in the North East over recent years, with the industry supplying work for around 60,000 people in the region, which equates to more than 5% of the working population.

This growth looked set to continue with the announcement last year that Tesco Bank was to create 1,000 jobs at the Quorum Business Park, Longbenton, North Tyneside, while other call centre firms such as Convergys and 2Touch are also looking to bring in additional staff.

Last month also saw one of the UK’s largest contact centre recruitment events take place in Sunderland, which attracted companies such as Barclays, EDF Energy and Lloyds TSB.

One of the biggest reasons why many companies have chosen the North East for their call centre operations is the popularity of the accent, with Geordie seen as more successful than others in sealing the deal or putting in-bound customers at ease.

Research conducted by YouGov shows that, while 52% of British consumers prefer a ‘Queens English’, 26% of consumers rate the Geordie accent within their top five favourites when calling a call centre.

This has been helped along by the rise of celebrity in recent years, with singer Cheryl Cole and double act Ant and Dec doing their bit to ensure that the accent is favoured by the public and in turn call centre operations.

Additional figures from analyst Contact Babel show that the popularity of the accent translates directly into how many businesses have or have considered opening up a call centre in the region over recent years.

Figures for 2008 showed that Newcastle rose one place to the top the table of favoured locations for call centres, followed by Glasgow, Leeds and Sheffield.

It is not only the accent that appeals to call centres, with Contact Babel’s figures also showing the region has the lowest staff turnover of contact centre workers in England.

Leading brand expert and author James Hammond said: “With personalities such as Cheryl Cole and Ant and Dec dominating the media, it’s no surprise consumers have become familiar with the Geordie accent and currently favour it above more traditionally perceived call centre accents.

“However, these accents may only work well in their respective contexts. An effective voice is a consistent and authentic one. The voice that you use to attract footfall must also chime with the customer’s experience of the company.”

However, there is a fear that the economic downturn could have the effect of rocking the North East from its mantle, with the economic downturn and a industry shift towards e-commerce leaving the region’s call centre workers exposed to the threat of job losses.

This was certainly the case last month when 900 staff at the Shop Direct call centre in Hendon, Sunderland, were axed after being given the devastating news that their posts were being made redundant and that the site was to close.

The firm said a total of 1,500 workers would lose their jobs at three of its seven UK call centres with Burnley, Newtown in Wales and Sunderland all closing.

Shop Direct, formerly known as Littlewoods Home Shopping, said that with more customers managing their own accounts online, calls to their contact centres had fallen from 33 million in 2005 to only 19 million today.

Other developments that have asked questions about the health of the region’s call centre industry include worrying trading figures from the region’s biggest independent operator, Hartlepool-based Garlands, with last year’s pre-tax profits plummeting from £2m to £476,000 last year, forcing it to cut over 200 jobs.

Hopes that department store retailer John Lewis would redress the balance by opening a call centre in Newcastle, which would have created hundreds of jobs, were dashed in December when it instead opted for Manchester and Glasgow.

One company boss that is acutely aware of the changing face of the region’s call centre industry is Peter Slee, managing director of contact centre and distribution specialist Spark Response in Gateshead.

The £10.5m firm has enjoyed year-on-year growth despite the recession, with the extension of existing contracts and the winning of new ones putting it on course to increase its turnover by 10%.

Despite the threat of online trade, the firm, which can count Toys R Us and Cancer Research UK among its clients, expects to maintain its 184-strong workforce by ensuring it has an equal mix of business and clients.

Mr Slee said: “Although there has been a downturn in some areas, I don’t believe what happened to Shop Direct is symptomatic of the direction in which the industry is going as a whole.

“That particular site was based around one particular client, and, once it started to notice a shift towards online trade among its customers, it was only a matter of time before jobs would be lost.

“Our operations are 70/30 in favour of business over the web and some of our clients will see only 5% of their orders come in via the telephone, however that doesn’t mean we expect to be cutting jobs as we believe there will always be a place for traditional call centre workers and expect further growth in both areas.

“Most people like to hear a voice as part of their final transaction or like to be put at ease when talking about something like a financial services product.

“We run a multi-channel business, which allows us to be flexible with our clients as well as retain our hard working staff.”

Another issue that has been hotly contested over recent years is the decision by many companies to move their operations abroad in order to cut costs, with the banking sector coming under heavy fire from the public.

However, a continuing backlash amongst consumers has made firms reconsider the long term value of cheap foreign labour.

A recent poll by YouGov showed that more than half of respondents found it annoying when foreign call centre staff did not understand their problem, followed by the inability of staff to give an answer outside a given script.

As a result, UK businesses are now reversing their decisions, with BT being a leading example after bringing over 2,000 call-centre jobs in India back to Britain last year.

Paul Buie, manager of Tyne and Wear Development Company, which holds the annual North East Contact Centre Awards, said: “The region’s contact centre industry makes a major contribution to the local economy each year.

“Companies are beginning to realise that the money they save by taking their contact centres abroad is ultimately lost once they start losing dissatisfied customers.

“This is why I believe the call centre industry will continue to thrive in the North East.

“Statistics show that we have a dedicated workforce here in the region, as well as the kind of people that consumers want to talk to over the phone.”

Although attrition rates may be low in the North East, one factor that has plagued the call centre industry for some years is poor attendance, with call centre bosses suffering more than most when it comes to Monday mornings.

Jonty Pearce, editor of Call Centre Helper magazine, said: “One thing that call centres don’t like to mention but is something that has affected everyone of them, is poor attendance.

“The problem has got so bad among some centres that they dread what they call ‘Black Monday’. As call centres traditionally employ younger workers, often students, many find that a worrying percentage of them are a bit worse for wear come Monday morning and often don’t come into work at all.

“It is a problem that affects all call centres, not just those in the North East, and is far more complicated to deal with than many of the other factors that influence profitability.

“In terms of economic and technological changes, I still believe call centres will be a big industry in five years’ time.

“There are some areas of life that you simply can’t turn to the internet for.”

Call Centre Stats

* 60,000 employed in call centres in the region – which is 5% of its workforce

* 800,000 people employed in call centres around the UK

* There are more than 150 call centres in the region

* Garlands is the North East’s largest independent call centre company employing around 2,000 in Hartlepool, Stockton, Middlesbrough and South Shields.

Most appealing call centre accents according to YouGov:

1. Queen’s English: 52% of people chose this in their top five.

2. Scottish: 34%

3. North East (Geordie): 26%

4. Leeds/Yorkshire: 24%

5. Welsh: 19%

http://www.sparkresponse.com/
http://www.nebusiness.co.uk/

Written by Chris Knox.
Published by kind permission of nebusiness.co.uk / NCJ Media.

Stand and Deliver - Interview with Peter Slee, Managing Director at Spark Response

2010-02-02T13:37:00.003Z

Source: BQ Magazine, Winter 2010

Peter Slee has enjoyed a variety of careers, from banking to cable TV. But it’s customer contact and order fulfilment that brings him greatest job satisfaction, he tells Brian Nicholls.

NOW, few of us seriously believe Father Christmas meets his annual delivery commitment with an army of “little helpers” at the North Pole.

Some work at Follingsby Park, skirting Gateshead and Washington – and aren’t so little. They’re employees of Spark Response, one of the nation’s six major customer contact and order fulfilment services, distributing millions of orders to retailers’ online customers between October and December.

Now prime attention is back to non-seasonal buys and requests. On behalf of Red Direct, the e-commerce arm of Red magazine for example, Spark Response is handling customer contact and all order fulfilment for readers. Online buyers of Fitflop footwear are served likewise. Spark directly also puts Fitflops into stores like Harvey Nichols, Fenwick and John Lewis.

The reader in Brighton responding to a “come North East” invitation in her newspaper may think she’ll hear from the secretary of a landladies’ organisation or a tourism chief.

In fact it will be the versatile staff of Spark Response, ensconced down Follingsby’s avenue of warehouses big enough to berth battleships, who will respond on behalf of regional development agency One North East and the “passionate people, passionate places” campaign.

Christmas past has reconfirmed managing director Peter Slee’s belief that the public are more than ever confident in the reliability of internet shopping. “They were even buying successfully through us on December 21st and 22nd this year,” he grins.

“It helps that the carrier network in support is now much more reliable and robust, and that orders can be tracked on their journeys. We put out masses of orders daily, but Christmas brings it into focus with a different sort of pressure.

“Many buyers do order early. But many are also trusting - waiting till almost deadline. We were still putting out thousands of orders on December 21st. November is our annual peak, and this time was 50% up on the previous in despatch terms. We’ve done that in pretty accomplished fashion.”

Though clad in luminous safety jackets rather than elves’ pointy green hats, staff still worked a 24 hour shift system among presents stacked 36ft high, many switching to the warehouse work from other duties. Despite forklift truck and radio scanners, staff still made round trips of up to a mile at a time, up and down aisles, servicing customers from the like of Toys R Us, Red Direct, Kids Playstore, and Totally Funky.

Even Christmas Eve e-appeals get Spark attention. “Carriers aren’t collecting then. But we respond as flexibly as we can, and sympathetically. Where there’s been a problem, perhaps a delay in distribution – it does happen – you try to come up with something. Customers know they’ll get a refund. But we may also try to direct them to a store selling the item near their home.”

Items handled range from a tiny piece of jewellery or a handheld computer game to an outdoor gym – items of over 100kgs even. They draw down from stacks of 7,000 product lines at peak and could cope with maybe 10,000.

Yes, Slee agrees, you hear horror tales of people disappointed by late deliveries for a special occasion. “But our advantage towards getting out on schedule is a long serving staff. Even many taken on temporarily have worked for us previously. They know routines. They are first option in seasonal recruitment.

“In 2005 we sent human resources staff to Cracow to recruit Polish workers because we found it difficult to get UK staff who could deliver on the campaigns. But for the last couple of years we’ve been able to recruit locally - Washington, South Tyneside and Gateshead. They’re doing well for us.”

He himself – father of two children and two stepchildren, all grown up – is Sunderland born and bred (educated at St Aidan’s) and he and his wife live there now; he may be spotted on Saturdays at the Stadium of Light.

Staff grows from nearly 200 to 300-plus at peak, when around 70,000 items are being despatched daily. Like many high street stores, Spark makes about 35% of annual turnover then. Summer campaigns are being sought to level the year’s workload.

“The more we build up other months with a permanent staff handling the volumes the better,” he says. Attractions of working full time there get a boost this year when chairman Barry Stiefel’s long held ambition to develop a level of employee ownership is realised.

Now that the company no longer makes £1m loss on £8m turnover but instead £400,000 pre-tax profit on £10.5m turnover – with a switch from red to black in three years – there is confidence the profits will be regular.

The board comprises Stiefel, Slee and operations director Noel Lambert (he and Slee share 15% of the equity), a “great guy” more than 20 years in the industry, who joined in 2007 from Two Ten Communications in Wetherby.

Spark Response’s origins go back to the mid-1980s when Eddie Shotton started a family owned direct mail and wish fulfilment business called Mailcom at Crowther in Washington. It used coupon and phone call; today e-business provides more than 90% of Spark Response’s activity.

Shotton, subsequently a Direct Marketer of the Year, also set up Virtutel. He and his family have a transformed Mailcom today at Milton Keynes and Boldon, which shares with Spark a client in telemarketing, E-on.

The business was acquired and split out in the 1990s as part of a parcel of six UK purchases by a South African media group, Primemedia. But by 2002 all had been resold. Stiefel, a London associate of Primedia shareholders, acquired Spark. Slee joined the following year as a director, becoming managing director in 2006.

"From a packet of screws to a bathroom suite, our staff coped. That forged our reputation as a partner who could do pretty well everything you could throw at us."

A five-year partnership with B&Q from 2001 enabled B&Q to establish www.diy.com and Spark Response to handle 13,000 different product lines for every B&Q warehouse. “From a packet of screws to a bathroom suite, our dedicated call centre staff of 160 coped. That forged our reputation as a partner who could do pretty well everything you could throw at us,” Slee says.

Spark’s average link with outsourced staff is now five years – “quite unique in our business. It engenders pride in the business, a sense of being part of the family. It also delivers efficiency and productivity.”

Slee attributes Spark’s financial transformation to the performance of its employees and to the firm’s majority shareholders who, although London based and with worldwide interests ranging from an Australian airport to a US multi-billion dollar cash and carry, showed patience while a plan was created to deliver profit.

What had to be done? “Various issues,” Slee says. “Some contracts weren’t delivering profit. Another challenge was matching the physical side of the business to its revenues.

“Come to a business park like this and you’re getting into, typically, 15 year minimum leases. However, when you start a business with a new client you are typically starting a one, two, three year contract - fact of life.

“What hadn’t been so well matched in the past was fixed overhead to likely revenue. We took major steps to consolidate space, converted some office space into warehousing and moved our contact centres to a brighter, more modern environment.

“We released £600,000 of fixed overhead annually. We’ve two warehouses giving 200,000sq ft now – still massive but matched to throughputs and volume for our clients. Two other units earlier were probably surplus to need then. You must in a business like this understand your space needs and get flexibility. That’s tough amid a commitment to such long leases.”

Now a strategic partnership with Port of Tyne less than six miles away provides 25% more space, giving 250,000sq ft in all. “We use that overflow for campaigns with slow moving stock, or some buffer stock and perhaps bring that in on a just-in- time basis. That works well.“

Carriers meanwhile are selected by tender built around client preference, with a broad range of about six on the books. Some carriers do “ugly” - the large heavy product; others work on speed. “More and more orders are being delivered to our customers next day or certainly the following working day,” Slee joyfully reports. At the end of the day he is answerable - first point of contact.

"We’re not recession proof. But the internet side of business will still grow and, while a lot of retail campaigns have seen setbacks, we continue to see organic growth."

The last two years have shown that being certain of anything beyond two years is tough. But revenues have been growing 30% a year. “We’re not recession proof. But the internet side of business will still grow and, while a lot of retail campaigns have seen setbacks, we continue to see organic growth.

“For us now, client retention is crucial. We have to show daily our clients do right to give us their business.”

A daily conference for departmental heads keeps all aboard abreast of developments, and every effort is made to deliver to customers in accordance with clients’ aims.

Besides retaining blue chips, Spark looks increasingly for clients among entrepreneurial retailers. “They may have reached tipping point,” he explains. “They could be thinking about investing in contact centres and delivery points, whereas their focus and skill is in marketing and developing product range.

“We see ourselves as a key here, helping such firms to achieve yearly double-digit growth.”

Spark also wants to serve more charity e-businesses, having already won Cancer Research UK’s Shop to Beat Cancer. “Charities are growing retailers,” Slee points out. ”Cancer Research is the 16th most recognised brand, and we had a very strong pre-Christmas with them.”

And, encouraged by that One North East’s account for tourism, Spark aims also to partner one more big North East client every year. One thing Slee is certain about in otherwise uncertain times: “We will grow.”

It’s the magic touch that matters

Peter Slee, 48, talks and acts like he has found his true calling at last – pardon the pun. He might easily have been in call centres still, cable television, insurance or banking - the latter his first career for 17 years.

None of these, however, satisfied his wish to work in a tangible environment with a product he’d be responsible for handling at various points.

In retail banking’s branch network, he’d become by 1991 business development manager and branch manager of the TSB in Gosforth High Street. “I was delighted - looking to develop further. Then the bank asked me to spend some time in a New York bank well developed in telebanking. I was to bring the concept back to the UK.

“That was fantastic. I did three months in the USA and had a further visit. We then launched our bank’s first 24/7 operation in Team Valley - forerunner of what’s now Lloyds TSB Phone Bank.

“I enjoyed all that for so many reasons – radical departure from what I’d been doing... launching something new...going into the branch network I’d been 14 years with to find the staff...ensuring we’d deliver...make the business case stack up for the bank to roll out...

“Banks then wanted to reduce network costs while improving service. You couldn’t take tele-banking out now. It’s much valued. Customers like transacting from home and that sort of thing.

“I later did something similar with Commercial Union, a very traditional broker-based insurance company that wished to build a direct offering. I helped CU do that in 1994-5 in Preston. Then I got the opportunity to work with Comcast, the biggest US cable TV operator.

“It had the franchise for 250,000 homes on Teesside. Between 1995 and 2000 was the period of many mergers among cable companies. Ultimately we became part of NTL.

“I was NTL’s regional operations director for the North and national telesales director. Working for an American organisation was very interesting – very dynamic, different in cultural approach. "

"I was running a business with a team of people, a geography in which to work and a number of homes, and really running it.

“You devised and built marketing and sales strategies, took decisions locally and drove the business forward. It was a flagship operation that many other NTL strategies were built upon.

“But, post merger, a number of different companies were all crunched into one large body. By 2000 only NTL and Telewest remained in competition. Head office was in Hampshire and now it was the classic 6.30 Monday flight to London – to a more centralised business model with regional leaders arriving to take orders from head office, disseminating strategy not developing and building the plan.

The flight seat was vacated. “Back in the North East I became deputy MD of Garlands Call Centres for a year until 2002 - a really interesting business, growing dynamically with a good client base. Then I met Barry Stiefel and got the opportunity to work tangibly.

“Banking’s only tangible is money handed over the counter, Garlands much the same. With NTL you deliver services. In e-commerce you’re in a growing sector with opportunity to lead a business with multiple disciplines, as I found on joining Spark Response in 2003.”

http://www.sparkresponse.com/

http://www.bq-magazine.co.uk/

Written by Brian Nichols.

Published by kind permission

of Room 501 Publishing.

Spark Response Rewards Staff With Cash Prize Scheme...

2010-01-19T16:34:00.001Z

Source: r//evolution Marketing/Judy Walker (01434 606 155)

A customer service adviser’s dedication and commitment to her job was recognised by her employer, Gateshead-based Spark Response and her colleagues, when she won the top prize of £1,500 in their Reward and Recognition incentive scheme.

Sonia Taylor, 40, has worked for the contact centre and fulfilment specialist for eight years and also looks after credit control for Spark’s ecommerce clients and banking for its major publishing clients. She was delighted and surprised to find out she had won: “I wasn’t there when the announcement was made,” she said. “I only found out when my work colleagues started gathering around my desk, screaming excitedly that I had won.

“£1,500 makes a big difference. I treated my daughter to £500 just because I love her and I’m holding on to the rest of the money for the sales or anything else that I might need,” she said.

The programme, which has been running since 2006, allows all staff to nominate (and be nominated by) fellow employees for hard work and dedication. Every three months a ‘Quarterly Hero’ (the person with most nominations) is named and, at the end of the year, the overall winner is announced. Sonia received three awards during the year, all for her exceptional commitment to her job and the company.

Spark’s contact centre team manager Anne Patterson nominated Sonia for her attitude to her work. “I appreciate the time she has taken to help me fully understand all the banking procedure and to train two other members of staff new to the function,” she said.

Another of Sonia’s nominations was for demonstrating exceptional knowledge during a visit from a new client, Society Cards.

Spark’s managing director, Peter Slee from Sunderland, commented: “It is vital for us to show new clients that they are as valued as our existing ones. Sonia’s ability to impress the client and demonstrate her commitment to the campaign processes was commendable. It can be quite daunting for our frontline team knowing that clients are on site, without the added pressure of them asking questions about what they do, which can be a difficult line of questioning for the best of us. The visit left the client blown away and much of the impression they gained of our contact centre was down to Sonia.”

Mr Slee points out that the company’s Reward and Recognition scheme is a prime example of why Spark is a people-oriented business. “It is belief in our staff and our commitment to rewarding and recognising their hard work that makes us a great business to work for,” he said.

Every employee who is nominated in Spark’s Reward and Recognition scheme receives a token gift of wine or chocolates and a thank you card, which carries either one or three reward points – one for exceeding targets, three for generating efficiencies and savings. Each point is an entry into the big cash giveaway of £1,500, £750 and £500 for the first, second and third prize winners. Trish Stockdale was the runner up and Alan Baron won third prize.

http://www.sparkresponse.com/

Staff at Spark Response raise £7,200 for charity...

2010-01-04T16:30:00.001Z

Source: r//evolution Marketing/Judy Walker (01434 606 155)

Staff from Gateshead-based contact centre and fulfilment specialist, Spark Response, paid a visit to the children’s ward at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle in December to deliver Christmas presents to the young patients there.

The delivery of £3,500 worth of toys and games comes as a result of a record-breaking year of fund-raising by the company’s 200-strong workforce.

“We put a lot of effort into our fund-raising activities throughout the year,” explained Spark’s managing director, Peter Slee. “We have raised a total of £7,000 in 2009, a record amount for us.

“In consultation with staff through our Employee Forum we decided to share the money between the Tyneside Rape Crisis Centre and ward 14 at the RVI. Two of our employees have connections with these organisations, which mean the donations are more personal to us. The money donated to the Tyneside Rape Crisis Centre will be used to help pay for a group therapy session, which is a service the Centre haven’t been able to provide before, because they didn’t have the funds.”

Receiving a cheque for £3,500 from Spark Response, Dawn Bowman from the Tyneside Rape Crisis Centre, said: “The funds raised by Spark staff have been earmarked specifically to carry out therapeutic group work with female survivors of sexual violence. This is work that we have wanted to carry out for some time, but have been unable to raise funds for, as we have had to concentrate on sustaining our core work. Everyone here at the Crisis Centre really appreciates all of the effort Spark staff have put in to raising this amount of money.”

The Tyneside Rape Crisis Centre was put forward as one of Spark’s nominated charity by Karen Bowman Kyle, Dawn Bowman’s sister. Karen is an outbound sales adviser at Spark. The RVI was nominated by Quality Manager Lindsey Pearson, pictured with the gifts prior to the hospital visit.

Staff at Spark have raised funds for charity during the year through raffles, sales of ex-stock donated by clients, a sponsored chest-waxing, a Saturday football league, a free family fun day and dress down days.

Since 2006, Spark has raised over £20,000 for local causes through a number of staff initiatives.

http://www.sparkresponse.com/

Spark Response - Santa's Gateshead Grotto...

2009-12-04T14:49:00.001Z

Source: r//evolution Marketing/Judy Walker (01434 606 155)

Not many companies take on 100-plus staff in a recession but, in the run up to Christmas, when a client’s online orders increase a hundredfold, that is what it takes for Gateshead-based fulfilment and contact centre specialist Spark Response to make sure there are no disappointed children come Christmas morning.

With 95%-plus of a typical e-commerce retailer’s orders now made online, as opposed to the more traditional channels of telephone or catalogue, Spark’s seasonal recruitment drive brings some glad tidings to the area.

Spark, whose e-commerce clients include Toys R Us and Cancer Research UK’s Shop to Beat Cancer, has the task of playing Santa’s little helper to ensure all orders are delivered by Christmas Eve. And, with around 70,000 items being despatched daily, this is no mean feat.

Entering Spark’s dedicated Toys R Us fulfilment centre in Gateshead is akin to visiting a modern day, hi-tech Santa’s grotto, with staff in high visibility vests, rather than elves in pointy green hats. Toys are stacked 36 ft high in the 75,000 sq ft warehouse, where staff can clock up nearly a mile when they make a round trip up and down all the aisles.

“We’ll take on up to 120 temporary staff for a period of around three months to supplement our core out-of-season staff of around 180,” explained Spark Response’s managing director, Peter Slee. “It’s a great story to be able to tell in tough times and, what’s even nicer is that 20 to 30 of our seasonal staff come back year after year.

Peter said that Spark currently has two fulfilment teams working two 12 hour shifts across two units. “One unit is dedicated to Toys R Us and the other is home to a host of e-commerce clients like Cancer Research UK, Red Direct, Kids Playstore and totally Funky,” he said. “In the four weeks leading up to Christmas, we’ll put a 24 hour shift system into operation.”

The busiest two days for Spark tend to be the last Saturday in November and the first in December. “Being very much a people-oriented business with a team approach, we invite all our staff to work a shift in the fulfilment centre on these days,” said Peter. “We call this our ‘Part of the Action’ initiative and it gives everyone a real feel for what the operation is about at the peak of its activity.”

They always get a good turnout and Peter feels it is particularly helpful for staff from Spark’s contact centre to see the other side of the operation. “These are the guys who take the orders and deal with queries and complaints,” he pointed out. “This is when they really get to see the bigger picture. When you consider the contact centre only sees up to 5% of these orders coming through by phone but 100% of the queries, they can’t get a feel for the true scale unless they see it for themselves.

“We even had four of the Toys R Us head office team head up north to muck in a couple of years back,” Peter added. “It shows solidarity and says ‘thank you’ to the fulfilment team who do this day in, day out. The best of us are exhausted after half a shift!”

Spark uses a ‘zone picking’ system, with similar and popular products stored together for more efficient picking. Orders are taken off the system every 15 minutes and each picker gathers together eight orders at a time. Packers then scan and check every individual item before packaging the orders and passing to the freight carrier on a series of conveyors. The fulfilment team all carry wireless radio frequency scanners so orders are picked, packed and shipped quickly and efficiently.

“We have developed sophisticated software, known as our ‘despatch management system’, which has added real efficiency to our operation, enabling order packers to print customised delivery labels for any of our delivery partners,” said Peter. Once packed and labelled, parcels are loaded on to the equivalent of Santa’s sleigh - carrier trailers – to be whisked away to their destination.

http://www.sparkresponse.com/

Charity Choose Spark Response For Online Christmas Campaign...

2009-12-01T14:58:00.001Z

Source: r//evolution Marketing/Judy Walker (01434 606 155)

Gateshead-based contact centre and ecommerce fulfilment specialist, Spark Response, has just won a contract with Cancer Research UK to work on the charity’s ecommerce campaign over the Christmas period.

Spark will handle order calls and customer services, as well as fulfilling all orders from the charity’s Shop to Beat Cancer online store into 2010. The outsourced provider has previously handled successful campaigns for other not-for-profit organisations including World Vision and has a contact centre partnership with Remploy.

Managing director, Peter Slee, says he has seen a shift in how charities deal with partners in the outsourced contact centre and fulfilment arena: “Charities with retail or ecommerce offerings have become much more commercially astute,” he said. “They recognise the added value that an experienced outsourced service provider like Spark can offer. Because we can reduce their outgoings, they can maximise the proportion of income that translates directly into donations to their cause, without compromising on quality.”

Mr Slee is delighted to be working with Cancer Research UK and believes the account win is a testament to the achievements of Spark as a trusted service provider. “We always ensure that the customer comes first and, in an organisation like Cancer Research UK where charity income is crucial, this is really important,” he pointed out. “The campaign has kicked off to a great start and we are hoping for a very busy and successful season.” He added that he was optimistic that Spark would be able to work with the charity on future projects.

Cancer Research UK’s ecommerce manager, Katherine Dorrell, said: "We are pleased to be working with Spark on our ecommerce offer Shop to Beat Cancer. Their expertise in ecommerce fulfilment will help us to maintain excellent levels of customer service and continue to improve our relationship with our supporters."

http://www.sparkresponse.com/