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Latest press releases and news features...
View more at sparkresponse.blogspot.com
6 August 2010: Spark Response green initiatives save the company over £50k in 18 months...
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.
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16 July 2010: Making sure charity fulfilment actually works...
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.
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15 July 2010: Sports retailer trebles orders after outsourcing fulfilment...
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.
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25 June 2010: Preparing to fulfil a charity DRTV campaign...
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.
About us...
Spark Response is a leading provider of Outsourced Contact Centre and Fulfilment Services in the UK.
Founded as a specialist in brochure and catalogue fulfilment, we have developed our service offering, growing in strength and experience and moving with the times in a rapidly evolving market.
As the world of mail order fulfilment and catalogue shopping started to become dwarfed in comparison by Internet retailing, and the e-commerce industry emerged as the fastest growing market in recent history, Spark’s business model started to transform into becoming what it is today.
Our fulfilment product range has grown both in terms of volume and physical size. Today, we can despatch anything from a single item of clothing to a full size garden leisure pool; from small parcels for home shopping customers, to large trade and retail replenishment orders.
In 1989, we added a significant string to our bow with the introduction of our contact centre services. Initially set up to handle requests for brochures and catalogues, our contact centres now answer inbound order calls and customer service enquiries on behalf of our varied and diverse client portfolio. We also have a highly successful outbound contact centre division, primarily offering sales and acquisition services.
Spark continues to grow from strength to strength, evolving to ensure that we meet the needs and developing business models of our clients.
What we do...
Contact Centre Services – Inbound Division
• Order Taking
• Customer Services
• Catalogue Requests
• Donations
• E-Mail & White Mail Response Handling
• Up-Sell, Cross-Sell & Alt-Sell
• Overflow & Out Of Hours Call Handling
Contact Centre Services – Outbound Division
• Sales
• Acquisition & Nursery
• Telemarketing & Appointment Setting
• Winback & Retention
• Data Cleansing
• Questionnaires & Surveys
Managing the customer experience from first contact to satisfaction… At Spark, we believe that excellent customer service is vital to the continued success of our clients. From order taking to aftercare, enquiries handling to complaints management, our inbound contact centre team works hard to ensure the customer experience is managed effectively and efficiently. With a constant focus on training and development, our team leaders and trainers work alongside our agents to ensure client standards and service levels are met and maintained.
Our outbound division works on behalf of a number of clients across vertical markets, selling products and services, as well as conducting telemarketing campaigns, surveys and questionnaires. Recently awarded Partner of the Year by one of our long-term clients, the outbound team goes from strength to strength and continues to provide an unbeatable service to our clients’ customers and prospects.
Fulfilment Services – eCommerce, Home Shopping, Trade & Retail Replenishment
• Pick, Pack, Despatch
• Storage and Distribution
• Stock Management
• Returns & Aftercare
• Scanning Technologies
• Bespoke Despatch Management Software
• Secure Storage Facilities
Fulfilment Services – Response Handling
• Brochure & Catalogue Fulfilment
• Welcome Packs
• Consumer Offer Fulfilment
Fulfilment Services – Partworks
• Subscription-Based Publication Fulfilment
• Hand-Pack and Machine-Fill
• Bespoke Subscription Management Software
Delivering our promises, fulfilling your expectations… At Spark, we consider ourselves a partner, not a supplier. Every element of every campaign is precisely planned and executed to a fully managed timetable; every implementation completely bespoke and each handled with the same kind of devotion on which we have come to pride ourselves. This approach allows us to offer commercial solutions that best fit our clients’ expectations, allowing for simplified billing and financial planning processes.
With no campaign too large or too small for Spark to handle, we have developed a highly diverse and multi-skilled operation, which has given us the experience and expertise to implement even the most complex and obscure of projects with a professional, swift and cost-effective approach.
We currently run a wide range of warehousing and fulfilment operations for a wide spectrum of clients. Our campaigns range from single product and small-range eCommerce offerings to fully dedicated end-to-end home shopping, retail replenishment and trade order fulfilment solutions.
The End-to-End Offering
• Web & eCommerce design and development
• Web & eCommerce hosting
• Storage, pick, pack despatch & aftercare
• Customer service support
• Outbound sales support
• Project & account management
Clients...
"In almost twenty years with Spark, I have seen the company go through many changes. Today, the business is as varied and diverse as our client base, which includes:
• babycurls.co.uk
• Cancer Research UK
• Canine Spirit
• De Agostini
• E.ON
• FitFlop UK
• Freezacino
• GANT
• kidsplastore.co.uk
• Occa Design (occa-home.co.uk)
• One North East
• Remploy
• Running Bare
• Soap & Glory
• Society Cards
• Straight PLC (& Bins Direct & evengreener.com)
• Toys “R” Us
• Weaveworld (TotallyFunky.com, StrawberryFool.com, ILoveVeeDub.com)
We are highly adept at working with businesses of all sizes from start-ups to household names from across multiple sectors. No matter the size and nature of our clients’ businesses, we work with a constant and dedicated focus on providing proactive, efficient and unbeatable service every time."
- Trish Stockdale. Partner Manager
Quality...
We have a dedicated quality manager, responsible for maintaining and managing our Quality Management System, ensuring that all business procedures conform to ISO 9001:2000 regulations, and a team of dedicated Internal Auditors constructively evaluate all internal processes.
Quality checks are completed for all operational processes from order taking to the despatch of goods ensuring that adequate controls are in place. Detailed work instructions have been written ensuring there is no ambiguity surrounding key processes. Through continuous communication to department representatives, relevant quality documentation is available to all staff at all levels.
Our Senior Management Team demonstrates their commitment to the Quality Management System by reviewing its effectiveness, suitability and adequacy on a bi-annual basis.
People...
As a registered Investor In People, we strongly believe in giving back to our staff for consistent hard work and determination. We operate a friendly and people-driven culture with a team-oriented approach to all aspects of what we do.
Our Core Values:
• Operate with Openness, Honesty and Consistency
• Work with Passion, Commitment and Enthusiasm
• Constant Focus on Efficiency
• Fanatical Attention to Detail
• Challenge the Status Quo
• Tolerance for Honest Mistakes
The Team:
Peter Slee, Managing Director
Peter came to Spark in May 2003 as Operations Director, with overall responsibility for achievement of service levels and client satisfaction across all partner programmes. He moved into the role of Managing Director in October 2006. Prior to joining Spark, Peter held the role of Deputy Managing Director of a leading North East based outsourced contact centre services provider and also has extensive senior management experience within the Digital TV, telephony and financial services sectors.
Noel Lambert, Operations Director
Noel came to Spark in January 2007 with a wealth of experience in the outsourced fulfilment industry, with a focus on ensuring cost effective and efficient operations.
Alison Raine, Partner Services Manager
Alison looks after our Business Support Group, with a core focus on client-facing relationship management with the support of a team of dedicated Partner Managers. She also oversees other core functions: Business Development, Marketing & Communications, Project Implementation and Quality Management. Alison has been with Spark for over ten years and previously held the position of Contact Centre Operations Manager, looking after 150 agents in our dedicated B&Q Contact Centre. She moved into the role of Partner Services Manager in January 2006.
Trevor Flack, Contact Centre Manager
Trevor came to Spark in 2001, when he worked on a major dedicated contact centre campaign. One of the key members of the team, he worked through the ranks to team leader, where his core focus was on quality and performance development. His dedication to improving service levels to our clients took him to the position of Performance Development Manager in 2008 – a role that lead him to win two Call Centre Hero Awards in 2009. Trevor now heads-up the inbound contact centre team and has overall responsibility for developing service levels, quality, efficiency and utilisation.
Andrew Pullan, Operations Manager, Multi-Client & Partworks
Andrew joined the team in October 2003 as Warehouse Manager where his main responsibilities were to maintain and improve service levels and client satisfaction. With over 17 years experience in warehousing and distribution and has worked for blue chip companies such as Asda and Sainsburys, Andrew is skilled and experienced in bonded warehousing and is qualified in logistics distribution. Born in Yorkshire, Andrew has two children and was a professional rugby league player for Wakefield Trinity.
Vivien Gallagher, Operations Manager, Toys R Us
Viv came to Spark in 1998 as a Team Leader for one of our large mail order clients. Since then, she has progressed through the ranks to Operations Manager, where her current responsibilities consist of the day-to-day management of our home shopping operation in our dedicated Toys R Us fulfilment facility. Until recently, Viv also had responsibility for our Quality Management System, which she introduced in 2000, managing the incorporation of ISO accredited procedures throughout the entire business.
Edward Duffy, Human Resources Manager
Edward heads up our Human Resources team and is responsible for all training and development, recruitment and selection and employee relations. Edward brings to Spark broad knowledge and experience from both the public and private sector and from outsourced Human Resources provision.
Beverley Ord, Project Manager
Bev has been with Spark since December 1998. Having previously managed our Operational Administration team, she moved to the role of Project Manager in 2005. Bev is now responsible for managing all implementation project plans for new business before handing over to our Partner Management team. She is also responsible for managing business migration plans on behalf of Spark and our clients.
Martin Stitt, Senior Business Analyst
Martin is Senior Business Analyst within our IT department, working within the Spark development team to provide business systems solutions for our client base. Martin joined Spark in June 1998 in a Support Analyst position and has gained extensive experience and expertise within the fulfilment and home shopping side of our business. His current responsibilities include the project management, development, implementation and support of existing and customised IT solutions.
Natalie Sehnal, Business Development Manager
Natalie has worked within the outsourced contact centre and fulfilment industry for nine years and has been with Spark since 2002. She joined the team as a Partner Manager, looking after some of our key client accounts and moved into the role of Business Development Executive in December 2006. Since then, Natalie has been instrumental in refreshing and improving Spark’s sales strategies and success rates and as a result of which, moved into the role of Business Development Manager in January 2009.
Barry Stiefel, Chairman
In 2002, Barry was appointed a consultant to Primedia Limited, a South African quoted company with various interests in the UK. The purpose of the appointment was to provide assistance to the various Managing Directors of the companies and to be a liaison link back to head office. One of these companies was Spark Response Limited. In early 2003 Primedia decided to sell Spark to a consortium, led by Mr. Stiefel who is our Chairman. Previously Barry was the founder of Meridian Vat Corporation Limited, an organisation that operated in 25 countries around the world, employing 450 people and representing 13000 clients many of which were in the Fortune 500 and were leading multinationals . Meridian became the largest business outsourcing company focused exclusively on the recovery of VAT and was acquired by The Profit Recovery Group, a Nasdaq company in 1999. Barry is an accountant by profession and has extensive experience in Trade finance, financial services and the timber trade.
Green...
Spark Response is committed to reducing carbon footprint and becoming a greener business and operates a fully ISO 14001:2004 accredited Environmental Management System. As part of our Environmental Plan, we aim to reduce our carbon footprint by promoting recycling and energy saving initiatives around the business.
The steps we are taking to achieve this include:
• A simple, colour-coded recycling scheme.
• Energy saving tips around the business.
• Environmental Champions program.
• Recycle@Work scheme.
• Green incentives.
• Cycle to Work and Car Share schemes.
Since January 2009, we have steadily reduced our carbon footprint consistently month-on-month. For more information, please see our Environmental Policy & Objectives via our main site.
Contact...
Get in touch – To speak to a member of our Business Development team about what Spark can do for you, please call us on: +44 (0) 800 328 5880.
For recruitment enquiries, please visit the recruitment section. For media enquiries, please call +44 (0) 191 418 6077.
For all other enquiries, please call our main switchboard: +44 (0) 191 495 9999.
A member of our HR team will be happy to put you through to the person or department you wish to speak to.
Fax: (+44) 0191 495 9900. Email: enquiries@sparkresponse.com
Where we are – Spark Response Ltd., Follingsby Avenue, Follingsby Park, Gateshead, NE10 8HQ. United Kingdom.
Recruitment...
We are always looking for new members of our teams. Please browse our current vacancies on the main Spark flash site and feel free to get in touch if you would like any further information or would like to apply. You can even apply online or print off our application form and pop it in the post.
If you would like further information, or are unable to view our flash site, you can call us on 0191 418 6027 or e-mail recruitment@sparkresponse.com