The Profit Track demonstrates that despite such a challenging economic backdrop, businesses can still perform well and succeed if they adopt the right strategies. Richard Heap, of the Sunday Times, comments:

“This year’s Profit Track 100 research reveals the variety of strategies behind businesses’ profit growth, including overseas expansion, tighter cost control, buying rival firms, and launching new products or services”.

Here at PCMS our impressive growth has indeed been achieved by implementing tighter cost controls, improving efficiencies at all levels of the company and generating more new business that is complementary to existing business both within the UK and through international expansion.   Alongside our improved efficiencies we have invested resources in further improving our services and solutions portfolio to ensure that existing customers will continue to benefit from the leading-edge technology that has helped to build the business so successfully since its humble beginnings in 1982.

Importantly, PCMS has always been and continues to be an independent, family run company that has proven it is possible to achieve continued success in a challenging economy.

Richard Goodall

Group Sales and Marketing Director

Next week will see the second year of the show running and once again, PCMS will be there with our range of retail solutions on display.   We’re expecting Mobile to be a key topic for the second year running and are looking forward to hearing what others in the industry have to say on the topic.

 We’ll be on stands 550 and 650 demonstrating our solutions including our leading EPoS solution VISION BeanStore,  VISION Loss Prevention and our M-PoS solutions. 

Once again there is a great list of attendees, all of the key suppliers and free drinks in the evening – what more could you want?

Richard Goodall
Group Sales and Marketing Director

The team at PCMS has never been stronger which was reflected in our performance throughout 2011.  We are delighted to have welcomed a number of new clients from around the world across multiple retail sectors including Department Stores, Convenience, Fashion, Grocery, Books, Hospitality and Electrical Hardware.   Our successes have been recognised with our first appearance in the  Sunday Times Profit Track 100, continuing success in the RIS 2011 LeaderBoard and being named for the first time on the MSPMentor 100 list of the world’s top 100 managed service providers.

We held our first Global Software User Group in New York following this year’s NRF ‘Retail’s Big Show’ in January.  This was a prime opportunity for our customers to meet in one place and discuss the big issues in global retail, as well as updating eachother on their current IT projects.  The user group also enabled us to keep our customers informed on what PCMS is doing to ensure our technology remains at the forefront of retail solutions.  The user group was well received with customers from around the world including the UK, USA, Italy, Germany, South Africa and Australia joining us – many thanks go to all of our customers and partners who joined us for making the first meeting such a success.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our users and partners from around the world for their support in providing references and introductions which have contributed significantly to our continued success.

Richard Goodall

Group Sales and Marketing Director

PCMS  call centre telesales agent Carly Smith comments:  ‘I am involved with a number of charities outside of work.  When I saw Grab and Go needed volunteers I was keen to help out.  I mentioned it to some of the other agents and was delighted at how many came forward offering their support.  At such a busy time of year I am touched at how many people have given up their free time to support Grab and Go.’

The PCMS call centre has also begun to sell raffle tickets  to raise funds for this deserving cause with a number of great prizes on offer for those that buy tickets.   The call centre has also become a hub for the collection of donations of clothing, bedding, toiletries and food for those in need or without homes over the coming festive period.

Heather Ramon, customer call centre operations manager comments ‘I wanted to help out but prior commitments mean I am struggling for time, I am pleased with the list of key items which have been displayed around the building, I hadn’t realised the charity would need packs of new underwear but it makes sense this would be a key need.  By having the list I can donate some much needed items and know they will go to good use over Christmas.  I am incredibly proud of the efforts of everyone at PCMS and in the call centre, it reflects what a massive team spirit we have.’

PCMS would like to thank our staff for giving up their time to help such a deserving cause. For more information on the Coventry Open Christmas Appeal – or if you would like to help or donate, visit http://www.coventryopenchristmas.co.uk/

Heidi Coles

Business Development Executive

Along with several other activities, a daily raffle raised over £275 as did the combined total from the Pudsey Picnic (cake sale) and the ‘Tuck Shop’ – we are obviously a hungry lot at PCMS!  Brave staff were waxed on Wednesday, a climbing wall was set up for intrepid climbers on Friday and our Legal and Procurement teams auctioned off a ‘Serenade’ to the highest bidder, raising an astounding £460 for the performance alone.

Footage of the ‘PCMS Serenaders’ can be seen here – a great effort in aid of a fantastic cause.

Thank you to all at PCMS who helped to raise such a large total to go towards Children in Need.

Melinda Richardson

Marketing Assistant

Throughout the week, staff at the Coventry head office have thrown themselves into varying activities, our brave Client Services team had their legs waxed for cash on ‘Waxing Wednesday’, raising a fantastic £103.  PCMS staff also baked cakes for charity, with a homemade cake sale on Tuesday raising a fantastic £145.70.  Other events have included a daily draw, a Quiz, ‘Extreme Logo’ competitions to see who could take a picture of our brand in the most interesting location.  Today, PCMS staff will brave the ‘Climbing Wall Challenge’ and later in the afternoon our Legal and Procurement departments are going to stage a short musical production in the form of a serenade auctioned to the highest bidder.

The final totals raised are yet to be calculated, but we are hopeful that we will be able to make a good contribution towards the BBC Children in Need fund. Children in Need is a great cause supporting projects in the UK which focus on children and young people who are disadvantaged.  Their vision is that every child in the UK has a childhood which is:

• Safe
• Happy and Secure
• Allows them the chance to reach their potential

Melinda Richardson

Marketing Assistant

1.       Professionalism – much of the time we are the primary and often only point of contact for our clients’ customers.  We are the representatives of their brand and it is essential that we maintain their brand image as diligently as we would our own with a professional service experience.  All of the agents within our customer call centre receive extensive training before handling calls, but also at regular intervals to ensure that levels are consistent.  Regular training updates are scheduled for all of our teams, with follow ups, coaching and call monitoring so that we can ensure standards are maintained. We hold 1-2-1 sessions with all of our agents on a monthly basis as well as annual appraisals giving each of our agents the opportunity, all ensuring that the highest professional standards are reached.

2.      Quality and value – Quality delivery that offers value for money is an essential part of our customer call centre services.  Image maintenance is crucial for our clients as their customers call expecting great service; the quality of our teams is evident in the results of our customer satisfaction surveys, which score consistently high.

3.      Increased sales – the PCMS customer call centre has an excellent track record for increasing basket sizes and booking great appointments.  Our telemarketing and telesales services do not engage in pushy sales techniques but listen to the customer and make relevant suggestions of additional purchase. Our customer sales teams are second to none, they receive a lot of training to ensure they perform to the best of their ability on behalf of our clients.

4.      Partnership – At PCMS we have a culture of working in partnership with our clients to ensure that the service delivery is designed to get the results desired.  We have a working culture of being open and giving regular feedback to our clients, enabling the client to influence our working methodology and for us to influence theirs.  Our success is measure by your success and we believe that working in partnership is the only way to achieve the best results.

5.      Long term goals – At PCMS we take a long term view of our relationships with our clients; we believe that this allows both parties the time to develop the right service and brand knowledge.  Establishing a long term relationship means that your customers are secure in the knowledge that they will call through to an experienced customer call centre that knows your products and services as well as you do.  Great customer service is viral, if your customers are happy they spread the word!

Heidi Coles

Business Development Executive – PCMS Call Centre

The busy festive period is the most profitable time of year for retail, but can place significant strain on supply infrastructures regardless of estate size.  As the UK’s leading independent supplier of software and services to the retail industry, having worked with some of the best loved brands in the world, our experience within the retail industry has helped us to create a portfolio of services designed to assist retailers during this busy, but profitable, time of year.

Many retailers find that they receive much higher levels of calls during the festive period, leading to call wait times becoming hard to control and ultimately, frustrated customers who may go elsewhere.  Many retailers often find they could benefit from extra resources on a temporary basis to manage this seasonal peak of inbound calls, as well as engaging in an outbound campaign to boost sales even further.

Our Coventry based call centre is here to help retailers, in alignment with our unique position as an expert in the retail industry we can provide a range of services that help ease the pressure.

The PCMS call centre offers a range of inbound and outbound services to assist retailers.  Our inbound team can offer a range of services to suit your specific needs, from handling overflow calls during busy periods, additional lines or hours of service, a fully managed sales order line or a customer service helpline. PCMS outbound services could help you gain a Christmas sales boost with a telemarketing or telesales campaign.

All our agents are trained to achieve excellence in the provision of customer service; the PCMS call centre achieves consistently high customer satisfaction scores and you can have confidence in our team representing your brand.  Our agents are trained to listen carefully and make relevant suggestions to increase basket size, without using pushy sales techniques that may turn off your customers.

The PCMS call centre offers tailor-made and fully scalable packages to suit your business needs, contact us today for more information on our festive support services.

Melinda Richardson

Marketing Assistant

PCMS has been shortlisted for the best use of technology in the hospitality and leisure industry in partnership with Krispy Kreme, in recognition of the innovative technology needed to meet the rigorous demands of Krispy Kreme’s ambitious growth strategy.

The technology vendor of the year award recognises a UK technology vendor that has excelled in its field, implementing innovative technology into retail organisations during the past year.

The work that we have carried out for retailers such as Krispy Kreme, Marks and Spencer, Luxottica Retail and John Lewis in addition to our work to keep our solutions at the leading edge of retail technology has shown that PCMS is a strong contender for this title.

The Retail Systems Awards 2011 winners will be announced on 26^th October; everyone at PCMS feels extremely proud to have been selected amongst the shortlisted candidates.

Richard Goodall

Group Sales & Marketing Director

This is part of a growing trend in customer service and outsourcing provision; the focus is moving away from cost-led decisions based on the cheaper staffing costs available in other parts of the world and acknowledging the brand damage incurred by  poor levels of customer service and consumer frustration.  In 2009 the Financial Services Authority (FSA) warned that firms with offshore call centres posed a high financial crime risk as a result of poor staff vetting.  With high levels of frustration reported by consumers, the tolerance of consumers has been waning considerably.

Many businesses are now acknowledging that the low cost shipping out of customer service functions to other economies has done more harm than good, the advertising and PR needed to counterbalance the brand damage is significant; it no longer makes financial sense to offshore vital customer contact roles.

Many businesses are now advertising UK only call centres and outsourcing partners as a selling point for their services.  Whilst outsourcing of these functions is still being handed to specialist call centres, the emphasis on quality and consumer perception has once again become paramount.

This is great news for the UK call centre industry and a chance for us to demonstrate what we can offer businesses, offshoring may provide a cheap alternative to the UK but tends to offer very process driven services.

PCMS Group whilst best known for our retail software systems, also operates a UK only call centre providing outsourced services, based in Coventry we offer a value proposition with high levels of customer service at the forefront.   With operational costs being more competitive in the Midlands than in the South East, combined with our extensive knowledge of retail we are pleased to see that the private sector is beginning to realise the benefits of the talent available in the UK and that price should not always be the primary decision maker when considering any outsourced functions.

Once a brand has been damaged through a poor choice of outsourcing partner, it is costly to repair – making the right decision longterm has never been more important.

Melinda Richardson