Mentoring
CMCS are very proud of our inclusive environment and our desire for succession planning by growing from within.
As a relatively small business, with just 25 people, the importance of having the right people and, crucially, the right balance of people is imperative because when a client invokes their DR plan, everyone at CMCS must pull together and work as a team in a flexible, co-ordinated manner.
It is also vital that our people are as multi skilled as possible, as during an invocation they may be called to various areas of the operation to support the workload.
Peter Marshall – Sales and Client Services Director
With our Client Services team being tightly structured, it’s key that we have the right calibre of people as the dynamics of the department and the correct level of client interaction is crucial.
We always look first to promote within and when the role of Customer Account Manager came up, we were delighted with the internal response.
Justine previously worked on the shopfloor, but her level of confidence and her knowledge when talking to customers, as they were shown around our site, stood out clearly to us as a great strength to the business.
Justine has been at CMCS for several years, but the subsequent transition to the Account Manager role was always going to require a completely different mindset and knowledge base so it was important that we brought her along at the right pace, alongside the right people and with the appropriate structure behind it.
We ‘buddied’ Justine up with one of our more experienced Customer Account Managers, Colin, to learn about the DR testing requirements for before, during and after each exercise.
The feedback that we are receiving from clients proves that Justine is, and will continue to be, a great asset to CMCS.
Colin Hughes – Customer Account Manager
Justine joined the Customer Accounts Team in November 2022. She had several years’ experience working in the production area as a machine operator. This gave her a foundation to commence her role in the CAM team, but I believe she will admit, it is a totally different environment to be customer facing and there was plenty to learn. In production, everything needs to be in place before you start.
A little like a Formula 1 racing driver. If your engines running, you have you tyres and fuel in the tank, off you go. A CAM is more like an engineer. It’s down to you to ensure all components are in place before the driver can start.
Building customer relations is not easy either. This comes with an element of confidence and experience. You also need to ensure that you give every issue raised, the same element of importance and you follow through with any commitments you make.
Justine joined us with an unequalled element of enthusiasm and a pleasant manner, which was a great start for building client facing relationships. This part she found easy, and I believe gives her most job satisfaction.
Over the last 10 – 11 months, her job knowledge has also improved dramatically, and her perspective has opened. It was a little difficult in the beginning as we went through an upgrade in how Disaster Recovery exercises were managed.
It must have been very daunting for her at the start as expectations are always high for the role. I’m sure there were times when she asked the question of herself – “What have I done?”
I had to learn early that she needed to take smaller steps as it was unfair to expect giant strides.
It was important for her to gain that foundation before absorbing the extra responsibilities that our role has evolved into; however, she has proved capable of taking the CAM role on board This will only improve with the realisation of her capabilities soon.
Justine Brooks – Customer Account Manager
I started at CMCS in 2015 as a production operative; however, I have delved into other roles which included cleaning and covering reception. I instantly knew that this was the company I could progress with and have a clear career path.
In 2022 CMCS posted an opportunity for a Customer Account Manager position. I immediately thought the role was perfectly suited for me and I applied accordingly and was successful with my application.
I feel I have grown into this role and really enjoy coming to work to see whatever the day has to offer. Some challenges that I have faced are the amount of responsibility, paired with client communications. I like to push myself as hard as possible to achieve my goals and I feel I have made a very good start. I have had managerial experience in the past so knew I could apply my knowledge and experience to my current position. I work alongside Colin, and he has helped me flourish in this role adroitly. Some of the key aspects Colin has mentored me in are testing procedures and Client communications.
My current goals are to process procedures from start to finish, take ownership of my own client base, and become the best manager I possibly can help the company exceed.