Looking for motivation?

Lawrence Jones, August 18th 2007, 3:13PM

Have you ever wondered what is the ingredient guaranteed to improve your life? Dedication and commitment. Dan Innes a good friend to whom I owe my life after he and five friends dug me from an early grave after I was buried in an avalanche shows he has it in abundance.

My earliest memories of Dan, outside of boyhood, was his 2 man effort rowing in a race across the Atlantic. No surprise 15 years on he is still growing strong with the same ingredients that makes him successful and larger than life: Dedication to whatever he sets his mind on and absolute commitment.

It came as no shock when I heard Dan was taking on not one, but 4 events in less than 40 days in support of the Alzheimer's Research Trust:

The King Sturge Property Triathlon at Dorney Lake
The British Etape, 193km cycling from Greenwich to Canterbury
The French Etape, 196km mountainous cycling
The full course London Triathlon.

Dan finished the 196kms challange crossing the line in 9 hours 49 minutes, which placed him somewhere in the top 2,000. He descibed his triumph as "an absolutely incredible day, full of mixed emotions, and an enormous sense of satisfaction at raising more cash for the Alzheimers Research Trust."

So if you are looking for motivation and dreaming about improving your life or someone else’s, take a leaf out of Dan Innes' book and get your running shoes on and start to push yourself today. It is not going to happen sitting on the couch!

If you want to find out more about the race or click here to see Dan finishing with a smile.

Tags: motivation, team building, ukfast
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Head in the clouds, feet firmly on the ground.

Lawrence Jones, February 19th 2007, 9:53AM

Well, after a long hard but very satisfying weekend climbing Snowdon with some of my team, I am reminded why I put team building so high on my list of priorities. This weekend’s jaunt in sunny Llandudno was an experience that was priceless.

With rucksacks full of packed lunches, dog food for my two boxers (Indy and Lara) and plenty of water, we left the St.Kilda hotel, Llandudno in a convoy of cars after a full welsh breakfast. (Same as an English one funnily enough)

The were a few of the team nursing headaches from the night before and a couple still suffering from partying too hard at the awards ceremony on Thursday night where we won Best Business Host in the ISPA hosting awards in London.

So the weekend was part celebration, part team building, and with a few new additions to the team a great initiation to UKFast and the way interact. Every department was represented with almost 50% of the company involved.

So why do I think it is so important?

In a world where we set ourselves goals that are so far in the distance, it is important to have a series of smaller goals, to help you get in the habit of achieving them and get you used to succeeding. How many of us have said or heard the phrase, I want to retire by the time I’m ….? The problem with a goal like this is it is so far in the distance.

Part of the fun of goal setting is the achievement of hitting the target. Climbing Snowdon is a big enough achievement to make you feel good about yourself, yet it is also something you can achieve in a day, and also share with others.

If you have any doubt, try it. Take a day out and take a few friends or colleagues and go and share the experience. To hit the big goals you have to hit a series of smaller ones.

UKFast's hosting team up Snowdon

In my opinion, a goal is not necessarily something you’ll hit every time. The purpose of the goal is to make you a better person during the challenge.

Tags: goal setting, motivation, team building, ukfast
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Is customer service important on the internet?

Lawrence Jones, June 12th 2006, 11:59AM

Just how important is customer service on the internet?

I have very definite views on this subject which are reinforced by my own buying traits. To me the very first stage when creating an online strategy is working out "how do I want to be perceived by my customers and am I prepared to deliver on my values?"

The answer to these 2 questions will probably determine the success or failure of your venture. To attract new business it is imperative that you demonstrate that you are a helpful organisation, so a well written site that has a clear navigation structure and helpful information is an essential ingredient. It is also a great investment and one that can save time and money in the long run. Make sure you show your address and include directions to show to prospective clients that you are proactive communicators. Are you yourself more likely to buy from a site that has all the information readily at hand?

Promising excellent customer service is one thing, now you have to deliver. Winning new business is important but keeping existing clients is even more so. It is important to treat your clients how you want to be treated yourself. So many businesses are great at winning contracts but then do not value the clients once they have them. Research shows that it is much more expensive winning new business as opposed to keeping existing clients happy. To ensure you deliver on the customer care aspect, I recommend you pay particular attention to staff training and motivation. A happy team will generate far more energy and positive communication which results in happy clients, than a mediocre or demoralised one. Unfortunately most business men and woman normally learn this lesson at the cost of their business. If you are able to learn this lesson early on in your business life, it will accelerate your growth.

Employing the right candidates in your recruitment process is also very important as it will be your team ultimately carrying out your customer service strategy. We have a very strict recruitment policy at UKFast, which includes a psychometric test which hones in on a candidates strengths or weaknesses. I am often asked, "is this a fair way to access staff?" I believe so, it is one of a number of points in quite a long process, however I believe it is important to help a prospective candidate find out about themselves too. There is no point putting someone into a position even though they have applied for it, when they are unable to perform the task. It will only create unnecessary conflict and stress in the long run. I have been in the fortunate position to be able to guide people into a career path which is more suited to their personality, giving them evidence explaining my findings. I have never been met with anything other than a positive response for my contribution and the overwhelming majority thanks me for pointing out something they already knew deep down.

So in short. Get the right staff from the outset. Train them to be passionate and diligent and make sure your marketing material online reflects this core value. It is rare in today’s business community and customers will thank you for it.

Tags: customer service, motivation
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