Northern Employment put the customer first

Stephanie Duckworth, Joan Pooley, Chris Chamberlain

Northern Employment Services, one of Rochdale’s largest independent recruitment agencies, have become the first agency in the region and the second nationally, to be awarded ‘Putting the Customer First® - The National Standard for Customer Service.

Businesses entering for this national standard, managed through accreditation body, Customer First UK, undergo a vigorous assessment of all aspects of their customer service, from initial contact to after sales support.

Northern Employment Services achieved accreditation at its first attempt in only six weeks when it can take up to nine months and only 25% of businesses achieve accreditation at their first attempt.

The agency, which was founded by Joan Pooley and Stephanie Duckworth is in the fourteenth year of operation. In that time, explains Ms Pooley: “Customer satisfaction has always been at the top of our agenda. In the last 18 months alone, we have invested more than £100K, ensuring our systems continue to be designed around our customers’ requirements and we invest considerable time in ensuring all our consultants have regular training so that we can exceed expectations.”

The Northern Employment Services assessor stated that: “the organisation has a clear focus on customers and employees and are genuinely passionate about delivering high levels of service. Quality of service and care to candidates is given as much importance as the service to client companies.”

Chairwoman of Customer First UK, Helen West OBE, says: “'Putting the Customer First®' is a 'must have' for all customer-facing businesses. We are delighted that Northern Employment Services has recognised the benefits of the standard for its continued development and has excelled at accreditation.”

More than 400 businesses and organisations throughout the UK have achieved ‘Putting the Customer First®’.

Northern Employment Services were established in 1993 and have rapidly grown to become one of the most well respected agencies in the North West.   The company supplies permanent, temporary and contract staff in office, industrial and management roles to more than 200 client businesses a year, ranging from SME’s to FTSE 100 companies. They include blue-chip businesses such as McCormick Foods, Capita and Lloyds TSB.