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Chamber Blog

Norfolk Chambers Podcast | Funding and the Future of Great Yarmouth

In this podcast Haze Carver (The Zinger) chats with Simon Best, Funding and programmes specialist & Harry Harris, Business Advisor from Great Yarmouth Borough Council to find out more on the success of their incredible £20 million grants programme, securing the town centre regeneration fund and what this means for the future of Great Yarmouth.   From the £13.7m investment Future High Streets fund, bringing to life the vision to transform and revive the town centre as a vibrant economic, cultural and community hub to the processed £20 million worth of Business grant applications during 2020, listen in to hear more about the exciting plans for Great Yarmouth. www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk

Norfolk Chambers Podcast | with Mark Keeler and Nigel Cushion | Keeler Recruitment

 In todays’ podcast Haze Carver AKA The Zinger talks with the brilliant Mark Keeler, Director of Keeler Recruitment, an agency that specialises in finance and Accountancy.  They are joined by the equally brilliant Nigel Cushion. Nigel is an Investor in Mark’s business and his Mentor, he is also Founder of leadership mentoring business  – Nelsonspirit.

Mark share’s his journey, from running a new business against the backdrop of Lockdown, how he grew Keeler from 1 person to a team of 5 in just under two years, smashed his sales budget in the first year and also how he found time to work on some incredible and exciting initiatives last year.

 

  Specialists in Accountancy & Finance Recruitment

Keeler Recruitment’s aim is to build a great company through developing value-adding, long term relationships with our clients, and developing access to leading candidates.

About Keeler Recruitment

What Norfolk business needs to ‘Build Back Better’

The Prime ministers Boris Johnson’s rallying cry is  “Build Back Better”.  But what might this mean, how does it translate into work activity and importantly, what do businesses need from those structures designed to support them?

Unquestionably, the last year has had a huge impact on the Norfolk business community with very few exempt from the urgent and complicated task of adapting out of necessity and need rather than by choice.  The economic impact of lockdowns and the subsequent changes in how we work, and of course where we work, are still being felt and will be for a while yet. So how do we go from this to ‘Build back better?

A great many of the supporting business conversations we are having and also a lot of the engagement we have, is around learning and applying new ideas and skills on aspects that they can directly influence, for example re-drafted business plans, looking to access finance and capital on the right terms and flexibility of approach in terms of staff working (to name just three,) but we are also voicing the needs for better infrastructure to support and help improve the chances of success.

The right infrastructure is very important.  For instance, without strong digital connectivity, how do businesses compete nationally and internationally and how do they ensure that their teams remain accessible, whether this is in the office or from home?  We also need excellent public transport links, whether this is bus or rail, that can meet the changing workforce timetable – is rush hour still nine to five or do we need wider ranging, more flexible timetables?  Cycle and walking links have become extremely popular over the last year – how do we capitalise on this popularity and it becomes the norm to cycle or walk to work? 

However, as a predominantly rural county, our road infrastructure is, without doubt, vital.  As our economy re-opens and our population and jobs grow, we need better infrastructure to ensure that our transport networks can cope.   

Our roads are a key lifeline into and out of the county for business, residents and visitors alike.  Good transport and road links are a priority to the business community, who need to efficiently and reliably transport goods, reach wider customer, labour and supply markets, and ultimately increase their profitability – thereby growing the local economy. 

As the only county in the UK without a motorway, improving the quality of our roads is critically important and work is already being done.  We have funding for dualling improvements to parts of the A47 – our main east/west artery road.  The Third River Crossing in Great Yarmouth will help support growth opportunities for offshore renewables and our enterprise zones, and Transport for Norwich is currently delivering £59 million of sustainable transport improvements, including £18 million from First Eastern Counties to be invested in its bus fleet and local services.

Further road improvements are planned.  The Long Stratton Bypass will make accessing Ipswich and Suffolk easier and will help reduce congestion and make the commute into Norwich easier for many South Norfolk residents.  The West Winch Housing Access Road, to the south of King’s Lynn, will form part of the A10 and help reduce traffic congestion, improve journey times and enable the delivery of much needed new homes. 

Finally, the Norwich Western Link is the ‘missing’ link between the A47 and the Broadland Northway (formerly the NDR).  This missing piece will complete a fully dualled orbital route around Norwich.  It will significantly improve journey times, especially for those trying to access north of Norwich and beyond; it will improve access to key employment sites, including the Norwich Research Park, Norwich Airport and the Food Enterprise Park; and importantly help lead to a reduction in carbon emissions from vehicles, that will no longer be queuing and rat-running through unsuitable roads and small villages.  Over a 60 year period, the Norwich Western Link will support Norfolk’s economy and local businesses by creating: £315 million of travel time benefits; £31 million of journey time reliability benefits; and productivity gains of £107million.

In an age where climate change is becoming top of the agenda, developing more road infrastructure is not always the answer, however Norfolk has lagged behind many other areas in the UK on infrastructure – these proposed improvements are necessary to ensure our county continues to contribute to UK PLC, supports economic growth, and creates prosperity and jobs.  We can ‘Build Back Better’, with the right infrastructure to support us.

How to raise your profile with Norfolk Chambers

Raising your profile within the Norfolk business community is key to reaching new potential clients and getting your name out there. As one of the largest membership organisations in Norfolk there are a number of ways, we can help with this. Members can use our website, events (virtual), social and our logo to help raise their business or personal profile and much more. Find out how we can help you… Promotion on our website

All members can post news, events, and blogs to our website. A selection of these are then included in our e-newsletter which goes out to over 2,000 contacts. We welcome everything from business announcements to training sessions so why not start taking advantage of this great resource? Members who regularly post have told us they see increased enquiries so if you haven’t already, create an account so you can start uploading content. Create your account here.

We’ve also created a handy guide for uploading content, view it here

Be listed in our online Directory

As a Chamber member, your business will have a listing within our online directory, this contains the details of all 950+ members and acts as your ‘shop window’ to the wider Norfolk business community. Our directory search engine will also allow you to be found by potential customers and clients.

Your listing will contain all your company information including your logo and any additional images you wish, company videos. It will also include links to news, blogs, events & training uploaded by your business.

Your listing will be automatically created for you when you first become a member, if you would like it updated please let us know.

Social media exposure

Everyone knows how much of an impact social media is having on businesses and having a strong presence is increasing in importance.

With over 16,500 followers across multiple social media channels, why not take advantage of Norfolk Chambers’ influence by using us to raise your profile and reach potential customers.

We use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn as a way of spreading good news across the county and we’d love for you to be part of the conversation. Our LinkedIn group contains over 3,000 connections and we share members news across our channels so you can let your fellow members know what great work you’re doing!.

Events

Norfolk Chambers of Commerce is running a varied programme of virtual events including online networking, webinars and online workshops.

Chamber Co.nnects are weekly network meetings for its members to network and chat with other businesses in a digital space. This is a great way to meet new people and get your brand noticed by others. There are also opportunities for members to speak at a Chamber Co.nnect as a 15-minute guest speakers on a topic of interest.

We are running a series of FREE webinars with the help and expertise of our members. If you’re interested in delivering a webinar with Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, please complete the online form to register your interest.

Using the Chamber logo for your business

As a member you can have license to use the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce member logo on your own marketing materials to highlight that you are part of the Chamber’s network.

This could be used on your company website, business cards, email signature and marketing literature. It allows your customers to recognise you are part of Norfolk’s largest business network and to identify your business to other Chamber members.

If you would like to find out maximise your membership please email hello@norfolkchambers.co.uk or speak to your account manager.

Views from the Picnic Table: Volume 2

A few weeks have passed since I penned the first ‘Views from the Picnic Table’ blog. How time flies eh? Seriously though, time is flying. What happened to April?

Sadly the wheels have firmly come off my plans for surviving lockdown: Start early, work for a few hours, break for a fruit based breakfast and a glass of water, back to work, maybe a jog or that promised hour to learn a few tricky guitar chords, before a vegetable based dinner, more water, and an early night.

So no, that’s absolutely not the current routine. Each day is full-on, but generally I work in the tee-shirt I slept in, whilst snacking on breadsticks and drinking coffee, although my lovely wife keeps poking orange segments or grapes at me. (Thanks Rachel)

Continuous ‘full-on’ days are a challenge and like us all, I hope it will be short lived, anyway I have always worked on the principle that success in a CEO’s role is routed in knowing how to spend your time, in fact I have a formula to manage my time known simply as 4.3.2.1 !

40% of my time spent on the business’s future

30% of my time on the strategy and doing to deliver that future

20% of my time looking at, understanding and reacting to the factors that indicate how well I’m doing with the 40 and the 30

10% of my time on me trying to be smart enough to do the 40, 30 & 20 !

What’s changed, and might explain why I’m showering less and wearing bedtime clothes in the day, is I’ve added the 1 to the 4 so 50% of my time is ‘future’ focused.

Right now, ‘future focused’ = Recovery program. What we need is a bespoke and highly effective program to support all of the region’s businesses with the complicated and unknown task of recovering from a sudden, enforced and prolonged shutdown.

The recovery program needs a narrative and design routed in ‘knowledge transfer’. The program should follow a logic that there are critical, interlinked stages of recovery that should be followed. We suggest there are three headlines that can be used to classify these stages of the recovery, which we are calling the 3R’s: Respond, Restart, Recuperate.

Respond = Activity needed now in readiness for restarting, based on the landscape we are heading into. For example: How to prepare to trade in a recession and critical new knowledge to adapt your business model because since trading was paused, consumers have been forced to change behaviours. Some of those behaviours will continue when restrictions are lifted. ‘If your customer didn’t have the Amazon app before the crisis, they probably do now!’

Restart = Furlough and financial support packages, for example, will they be phased out or will they dramatically end? Which businesses will be the first to restart and who will be last; and what incentives and support is needed to restart; is your supply chain ready; how, when and what do you communicate to customers?  

Recuperate = When the restart program is activated, most businesses financial plans/strategy/investment programs will not have a pessimistic variation designed to plan for a problem of this magnitude. How do we then sensibly support and grow healthy businesses and not zombie variations of their former selves?   

The ‘Respond’ elements are needed now and significantly more will be required in the coming months to manage the next two stages.

The Interactive Knowledge Exchange Framework:

An interactive Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) should be designed to run the 3R program and enable businesses to learn and share critical knowledge and understanding via a combination of blended resources: For example:

  • A digital platform to broadcast business advice and ‘how to’ stories told by businesses onto all devices. A series of coordinated support events across the region (when restrictions are lifted) 
  • A ‘refer on’ program, specifically for inbound call handlers such as the Growth Hub to support to ‘how do I do this?’, and ‘who can help me?’ enquiries 
  • A comprehensive library of structured macro and broad training seminars to be delivered both physically and digitally.
  • A mentoring program to assign physical support those most in need

I’ll be pushing this recovery concept forward now, if only to get my 10% back and have a shower! 

Collaboration, Connections and Coastal Conversations.

The Norfolk Chambers of Commerce team are really proud of the connections we have with Great Yarmouth, and as part of the membership team I really look forward to our monthly Coastal Connect events. Held at Great Yarmouth Town hall, it is the perfect venue to meet with local businesses and members, and of course non-members who are very welcome to come along and network. Networking and connections are key during difficult times and having access to help, support and advice from peers is fundamental in looking forward and moving on to stronger economic times. In collaboration with Great Yarmouth Borough Council, this week we launched our first virtual Coastal Connect. We were joined by Victoria Mallender, in her new post as Economic Growth Manager for the council. Victoria explained that almost £20m in funding had already been given out and that they were trying to get hold of another 1200 businesses that are eligible, but still haven’t claimed for funding. If you think you may be one of those businesses, please do get in touch with her here. From a mix of home offices, spare rooms and kitchens we had a really positive morning from a wide range of sectors and professions. In true Norfolk style there was such a supportive group –  advice, suggestions and probably most importantly, there was time to be listened to. The supportive stream continued in the live chat during each introduction with tips and suggestions being freely offered. What we are learning from lockdown is that it goes to show is that whilst it isn’t easy to gauge your audience’s responses with the mute buttons on, you can absolutely have a positive atmosphere and group with zoom! I want to thank everyone who attended and spent their morning with us! Connections are vital in navigating these fast changing times, and who understands better than your peers who are also facing similar challenges. Please do join us for our next virtual Coastal Connect as we will be holding them fortnightly.

Views from the Picnic Table

Not sure what day, time, or even what meeting it was.  Day 16 of captivity means time has become a bit blurred, but there I was, not secretly playing Zoom bingo, but staring into a screen of many faces, some people I know, and some I don’t.  Zoom Bingo, by the way, if you’re interested, is just like normal meeting bingo but specific to Zoom.  The top phrases needed to get a winning line being:

  • Can we all go on mute please.?
  • Sorry I was on mute
  • Hi, who just joined?
  • Turn your camera on
  • The sound of someone typing with a hammer whilst wearing a medieval jousting gauntlet. (my personal favourite)

Someone on the Zoom conference asks me a direct question:

“Chris, I hope you don’t mind me asking. I notice that you keep randomly saluting. Is this new Zoom etiquette? Maybe for when you agree with a comment?”

It’s true, I am saluting – but it’s nothing to do with meeting etiquette.

My office you see, or as I’ve stupidly named it, my ‘Inspiration Isolation Station’ is in a small room at the front of the house. The room is referred to as ‘the room that doesn’t exist’, as it’s a room that you normally pass through to get to a more important room – the downstairs loo. My wife, who often works from home, has the proper study, so it made sense that I’m in the room with the existential crisis.

But hey, it’s not that bad, a little chilly perhaps, due to a big bay window, at which I sit, perched on a picnic table, that normally spends 364 days in the garage.  My view from the picnic table is the driveway and a few trees, which single magpies and other birds often land in. Single magpies = Bad Luck.

Some years ago, I was taught by my daughter, that the antidote to bad luck, generated by seeing a single magpie, was to salute it.  Something that for years I’ve chuckled about, but completely ignored. Not now.  I salute every one of those bad boys, that pop into my field of vision. No more bad luck please/thank you.

So I explained to the meeting what was really going on, why I randomly saluted and after the ‘noise’ died down, it was suggested that my ‘views from the picnic table’ shouldn’t necessarily be confined to what I see, but also – particularly in these unusual times, when all our outlooks are being challenged and changed – it might be interesting/helpful if, whilst sat at my al fresco working surface, I also offered a view on what I hear and think!

So these are my simple views, thoughts and interpretations. I’m not an analyst, a specialist, an advisor, expert or insider.  I speak not just from the point of view of the CEO of the Norfolk Chambers of Commerce, but also the CEO of a 125 year old established business that employs people and is dramatically affected by C-19 as many others we look to support.

So here goes:

The many discussions I have throughout the day are best summarised as:

  • What is happening and what do I do about it?
  • Here are the specific issues facing individual businesses, how do we play our part in keeping as many going as we can?
  • What does the end of this look like, when and what happens to ensure we pick ourselves up quickly and strongly?

Let’s start with the first one.  What is happening and what do I do about it?’  

We have, as a result of the Coronavirus crisis, a liquidity crisis. Businesses face severe cash-flow problems, which is damaging balance sheets, eating up reserves and crippling investment.

In a lot of conversations, I hear businesses looking for comparisons between the Coronavirus crisis and the financial crisis of 2008 because, quite sensibly, its known and remembered so past behaviours and actions might indicate potential current behaviours.

Having been around and owned a couple of businesses in 2008, for me it feels different. The financial crisis of 2008 was a systemic risk, where in simple terms, our financial system collapsed (I think I’m right there, but a little out of my depth.) In this situation banks, venture capitalists, and all manner of financial institution stopped lending and growth stalled, whereas right now ‘lending’ is being seen as a strong solution to the liquidity crisis.  

Government is telling the banks to do different and do it quickly, make cash freely available and on favourable terms. If lending is a solution, then the approach to lending, in this exceptional situation, must change and that worries me.

Banks operate with a risk adverse legacy, heightened from the 2008 crash, so this approach will not sit comfortably.  As a result of 2008, I am assuming that their preferred business process is likely to be more around ‘it’s a no to your loan request – convince me to change my mind.’

There is also a paradox which, in simple terms, means that the banks will of course look at a loan though the lens of ‘If you were in a strong position before the liquidity crisis, then you can borrow quickly and on favourable terms’, however if you had limited, poor, or no trading history before then ‘quickly and favourable’ will not apply and that takes time. Remember – ‘quickly make cash freely available and on favourable terms’.

Also a change in approach and decision-making is best achieved when adopted by the banks frontline people, not by rewriting computerised loan algorithms.  Tech has revolutionised high street banking and so frontline people are in short supply and the high street is ’empty’ both of banks and people due to ‘social distancing’.  Solving that doesn’t sound quick either.

But, given all that I am by nature a change evangelist, I do see dramatic shifts in behaviour and, even as I write, the news is coming though that the Chancellor has responded to the  calls of business to further relax the rules and allow more to access cash.

Don’t’ forget to explore all avenues to find your cash.  Including deferring your VAT and income tax payments; is it possible to furlough your non essential staff? And, depending on your size, some of you may be eligible for Small Business Rates Relief; and some for hospitality, leisure and retail grants.  Talk to your landlords about your rent payments and contact your suppliers – what options are available and what compromises can be reached?

Access to cash should be on terms that doesn’t just shift the challenge from now to repayment.  We must act now on the right terms so ‘how do I pay this back’ doesn’t becomes the loudest voice on the block.

‘Cash is king’ as they say, which actually was the phrase often used during 2008 financial crisis, as it will help businesses deal with recession which is more than likely to follow. I triple, ‘full admiral’ salute that.   

Norfolk businesses pull together to offer support packages

In a time where businesses are being hit with immense disruption, uncertainty and financial challenges the Norfolk business community is coming together stronger than ever.

Yesterday I put a call out on LinkedIn (24 March) looking for businesses who were offering support to fellow Norfolk businesses and I was met with a huge response. Businesses of all shapes and sizes offering their services and expertise to help others through this difficult period.

If you have anything you would like to add, please get in touch

Hethel Innovation are offering free business support around a number of topics:

  • Business plan reviews
  • Marketing reviews
  • Finding relevant funding
  • Research for product development
  • Diversifying your offering
  • Ideation chats
  • Conversations around survivability
  • Customer segmentation

01953 859100 / info@hethelinnovation.com

101 Websites, Apps and Email Marketing are offering discounts on a number of their services to help boost your email marketing. www.smartmessenger.co.uk / enquire@101ltd.com

Akcela Ltd are offering two days of consultancy to any SME that is struggling and needs support. Find out more here.

WLP have been supporting SME businesses in Norfolk and East Anglia for over 25 years, throughout the ups and downs. We’re offering free advice and support, or just someone to talk to about your business and the problems you’re facing. Enquiry@w-l-p.co.uk or 01953 882141.

GetBrisk are offering the opportunity to promote your services for free through their exciting new tech platform. jamie@getbrisk.com / www.getbrisk.com

The Armoury Agency are offering free advice and guidance to local retailers or food & drink producer that needs ecommerce / customer acquisition advice. Find out more.

Human Capital Department are offering free HR advice and support to businesses in Norfolk on issues relating to Coronavirus. info@humancapitaldept.com / www.humancapitaldept.com

Max Computer Support are offering free IT support to anybody working from home who doesn’t have any outsourced IT support. jason@maxcomputersupport.co.uk / 07818 410082

Media in a Box are offering all small businesses a 20% discount off all website and e-commerce development, Search Engine Optimisation and Social Media management. As well as free website health checks for all businesses. https://www.mediainabox.co.uk/

JDC Corporate Finance Director Chris Adlam is offering free telephone advice and support to local businesses. https://www.jdccorporatefinance.co.uk/news/support-helplines-covid-19/

National Apprenticeship Week 2020

Today marks the beginning of National Apprenticeship Week 2020, which puts a spotlight onto apprentices across the UK. Celebrating this year’s theme of ‘LookBeyond’, the focus is on the experience and skills gained during the apprenticeship, and the opportunities that are available after completion of the course.

I joined Norfolk Chambers of Commerce back in December 2019, taking on a level 3 apprenticeship in business administration. Having completed a level 2 apprenticeship just before, I know the value of the role and how it is an excellent opportunity to continue developing my skillset in both a professional, and personal, sense.

I chose to go down the road of apprenticeships in the first place as I wanted to gain first-hand experience of working in a new industry, as the combination of on-the-job training and academic studies really covers all bases and gives you a strong foundation to kickstart your career with the doors that can be opened.

Although my time at Norfolk Chambers is still early days, I have hit the ground running and been heavily involved in the day-to-day duties of the Customer Experience Team and membership engagement. I have also been involved in supporting the finance team and the set up of networking events. I even attended said events, namely the first Great Yarmouth networking breakfast of 2020, and the Cinderella Theatre Royal Back Stage Tour and Networking Breakfast. From this I have developed my communication, networking and time management skills, to name a few. One of my biggest ‘LookBeyond’s this year, which I am very excited for, is attending the famous B2B Exhibition towards the end of 2020 – needless to say, my time here thus far has been a blast! I have been made to feel extremely welcome and I was soon trusted to have my own responsibilities, and as I know that I have the faith and support of everyone on the team I look forward to the year ahead and what the future may hold for me both during and beyond my apprenticeship.

I highly encourage anybody who is considering taking on an apprenticeship to take the leap and get stuck in! In this day and age where work experience is equally as important as qualifications, if not more so in some cases, the personal and professional development you will gain is invaluable in allowing you to ‘LookBeyond’ and create opportunities for your future.

The Norfolk Chambers Transport and Infrastructure Group Meeting 13/01/2020

The Norfolk Chambers Transport and Infrastructure Group met on Monday 13 January and top of the agenda was the importance of a more sustainable future, which means taking the right steps towards taking better care of our planet.

Group member, Ryan Coles who is the Group Travel & Fleet Manager for Aviva, presented to the group on Aviva’s plans for a more sustainable future.

Sustainability means taking measures to reduce waste, energy and carbon footprints. Ryan advised that making small changes such as removing plastic cups and cutlery from all offices and ensuring staff and visitors use reusable cups, has had a hugely positive impact on the business in terms of reducing an estimated 50 tonnes of waste and all companies need to make changes to ensure they are becoming a more sustainable business and individual, in and outside of work.

The group discussed Electric vehicles (EV’s) and the importance of moving towards this form of transport, however, it was noted that there is a major lack of charging points within East Anglia which poses a risk to the future of EV’s becoming the preferred car choice for many.

Sustainability is something the regions needs to take action on and with this in mind, the Norfolk Chambers along with Norwich City Council have formed a group called ‘Norwich Business Climate Leaders’. The purpose of its important first meeting will be to better understand both the challenge and mandate from the group’s sponsor, Norwich City Council and take action in supporting the city’s businesses with the significant task of becoming carbon neutral.

The next Planning and Development Group Meeting will be held on the 14 April at the Chambers premises and Network Rail will present on what rail infrastructure improvements are being done locally. 

Norfolk Chambers CEO helps launch Norwich Business Climate Leaders initiative

Following last week’s Norwich City Vision 2040 Conference, where Chris Sargisson, CEO of Norfolk Chambers helped to a launch an initiative to support Norwich and Norfolk towards becoming carbon neutral.  Norfolk Chambers, together with the Tyndall Centre, UEA, Aviva and Norwich City Council are calling for ‘super hero’ business leaders to join and form the ‘Norwich Business Climate Leaders.’ (NBCL)

The business need to focus on climate change is routed in corporate accountability with many business leaders viewing the issue as one of the greatest risks to growth stating: ‘business climate change isn’t just an environmental issue, it’s a pressing financial issue’.

What can we do?

Well, a former boss of Unilever recently spoke on how company boards should put climate change into their strategy and should seek “heroic business leaders” to deliver that strategy.

Heroic business leaders need to drive a compelling shift towards a low-carbon and more inclusive way of doing business and will need to do some heroic and exceptional things:

  • Setting new targets and measurements that are currently not being discussed, whilst still focused on the KPI’s that are being discussed.
  • Drive a strategic narrative into their business, that empowers everyone to think and act differently.
  • Influence and motivate those outside their business: supply chains, employees, other businesses, and the policy makers.
  • Create and embracing some ‘Big Hairy Audacious Climate Goals’!

These Big Hairy Audacious Climate Goals, when set won’t be achievable until dramatic mechanisms to stimulate new and different progress are put into place, forcing the re-engineering of the organisation to achieve them. A paradox in other words!

We need to do this because ‘normal’ isn’t working and we are on target to miss the global warming target set in the Paris Agreement in 2016.  

If you’re a business leader, either already on the zero carbon journey or wanting to start then you’re a ‘hero’ and we’d love to hear from you. 

With your input and the support of The Tyndall Centre, UEA, Aviva and Norwich City Council, we can form the Norwich Business Climate Leaders to set the exemplar of change and help save the world.

Drop me an email if any of this strikes a chord and we’ll be in touch.

Chris Sargisson Chris.sargisson@norfolkchamber.co.uk

Making customers smile

We aim to make our customers smile because happy customers stay for longer and spend more, which in turn creates a great trading environment for our retailers and caterers, helping them sustain their business and the thousands of local jobs that they provide.

We want our customers to really love coming to our Centre, to tell their friends and to come back, and it is through our brand that we create the emotional engagement that translates into customer loyalty.

Our brand is about making joyful memories, so that next time our potential customers are thinking about how to spend their time they choose intu. Those memories may come from one great event or a particular moment during their visit, so we do our best to make sure eveyr visit is memorable – with world class customer services, excellent facilities, the best examples of the best brands, and our signature products and services.

One of our measures of customer satisfaction is Tell into, a net promoter score (NPS) system, it is important to us as there is a strong link between high NPS, dwell time and spend. the right type of events, such as our recent and hugely successful Big Bugs tour, have a positive impact on this measure as they drive both engagement and footfall.

Most importantly for me is our customers’ contact with intu staff as tgus always has a very positive impact on NPS. Our teams are encouraged to interact with customers as often as possible during their day to day activities, and when we can generate a smile moment from just doing what we do and being who we are, we knoe we’ve done what we’re truly here to do.

As well as the NPS, Tell intu provides invaluable customer insight which enables us to improve our offer. We recently relaunched our Family Club because mums, dads and carers told us they wanted to have fun with their kids rather than leave them in a club. So we redesigned the club around that shared experience and over 5,000 local children and their families have signed up.

The value of a strong brand is well documented across many industries so, with ‘making customers smile’ being at the heart of our brand, is it working for intu? Since we rebranded in 2013 we have measured not only brand awareness but also efficacy through independent insight consultancy Hall & Partners. Five years on partner Kurt Stuhllemmer, exlains their findings:

“intu has successfully captured a strong sense of momentum with UK consumers in a relatively short space of time. intu ensures that brands are able to deliver to customers’ needs in destinations that they want to visit and that are already being talked about as destinations on the way up.

“This has manifested itself in a consistently strong sense of ‘brand advocacy’ with 60 per cent* of consumers aware of the intu brand saying they would recommend it to a friend. Those that would recommend the brand are over 14 times more likely to ‘go far out of their way to visit’ the centres than those they would not recommend, highlighting the importance of the brand’s successful focus on delivering experiences that delight and drive advocacy.

“This is also helping to drive repeat footfall, with 73 per cent* of intu brand advocates considering cisiting a centre as ‘the only one I would consider shopping at’ or ‘it’s one I would consider shopping at abose most overs’. In contrast, it is just 11 per cent* for non-advocates.”

So that’ll be a yes then!

*Continuous category brand equity study, Hall & Partners. All data quoted represents the full year average Jan-Dec 2018.