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The very latest happenings at Expert Logistics

Charlotte’s (not so serious) exit interview…

June 12, 2015 | By | No Comments

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This week we say goodbye (again) to our work experience stalwart, Charlotte!

Charlotte first came to us in the summer of 2012 through South Cheshire College, via their Careers Academy. But she enjoyed it so much that she’s now back for another stint!

Charlotte is currently studying Business and Marketing at University in Chester, and as part of her course she needs to undertake 5 weeks of work based learning – and where better than with her old (employment) flame – Expert logistics.

We managed to steal 5 minutes with Charlotte on her last day, to ask her those all important questions:

So Charlotte, first things first. There’s a phenomenon that comes from working here. Most of us will suffer from it at one stage or another, with only the strongest managing to avoid it. Some refer to it as ‘the expert belly expansion’, which is a freak occurrence that happens to due to a lack of self-control and an abundance of free chocolate and fizzy drinks. How have you coped over the past 5 weeks?

Ha. Not great but not terrible. Im not sure if I’ve put any weight on. I haven’t checked to be honest but I know I’ve drank a lot of coke. Im sure its fine.

We’re glad to hear it. So free treats aside, how’s it been?

It’s been great. I’ve spent most of my time with the engagements team, and helping them to arrange to family and football day was a really good experience. Being able to see the planning and effort that goes into a day like that, and then seeing it all fall into place on the day was just a great feeling. I also want to say thank you to Julia Bent and Jayne Chapman for trusting me with some of the jobs that needed to be done. Both big and small.

It was a fantastic day and we’re sure we speak for everyone when we say thank you for all your help in arranging it. Would you say that was your highlight?

Maybe. We also went to South Cheshire College to interview potential work experience candidates through their Careers Academy. When I came here in 2012 that’s the process I had to go through, and so sitting on the other side of the desk was a surreal feeling – being the interviewer rather than the candidate. We also went to City Tower in Manchester for a meeting, where we got to watch ‘State Of The Nation’ business update from the CEO on the live feed. It was nice to see another side of the company, and to see how well you communicate across the business. Seeing everyone all gathered together from Bolton to Bedburg for one meeting – It was cool.

It sounds it. Come to think of it I think we did see You and Julia do a little dance in front of the camera in Manchester before the meeting started. So is there anything you feel you’ve learned over the past 5 weeks to help you in your degree?

Probably the main thing is how important communication is in a business. Breakdowns can really slow a project down, but the fact that you have regular updates from the CEO to all corners of the business is amazing. Everyone knows exactly whats going on, and I think that’s something I’ll always remember.

We’re glad we could be of help. So do you not fancy sticking around for the summer?

I cant, I’m sorry. I’m going to work in Disneyworld in Florida.

…………..what?

As part of my course I’m off to work in Disneyworld, and also study out there for one year. So from July to July im going to be working and studying at Disneyworld! I’ve had an interview and they measure you up for who you could be in a costume. Apparently im Winnie the Pooh size. That’s not saying im going to be him, that’s the category. So I’ll be in a costume doing meet and greets etc. I cant wait.

………….what?

I know. And I get free entry into the park all year.

That sounds amazing. Well we wish you all the best over there. It sounds like you’ll have the time of your life! So will we be seeing you again, possibly for a third stint?

Ha. Yes I’d like to. I’ve been given a number to call in 2017 when I graduate, but who knows. It’s a great company, and if im around then I’d love to come back.

We’d love that too! Thank you very much Charlotte. It’s been an absolute pleasure.

Apprenticeships are go!!

May 6, 2015 | By | No Comments

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We invited our gas apprentices in for a very special breakfast this morning.

After working with our engineers since the prem fleet began, it is now time for our apprentices to begin their training and become fully qualified engineers themselves.

In honour of the launch our 10 apprentices were cordially invited to a presentation on what the new course will entail, and to field any questions which they might have (not to mention enjoy a complimentary fry up, cooked in house by students from South Cheshire College).

But before Prem Fleet Manager Gary Ainscough presented the finer details, Managing director Dave Ashwell was on hand to welcome them to the next phase in their careers.

“Our goal is to never have to go outside to recruit new employees, because we know we have all of the talent in the world right here. So rather than have to continually look outside, we’d rather just grow our own.

You are all sitting here right now because you have the right personality, and that’s what we are looking for above all else – engineers, but with a great personality – and so growing our own is key to achieving that”

Starting Tuesday 12 May our apprentices will attend Crewe and Nantwich training college for the next 20 weeks. The course will be split into 4 modules and will cover topics from cookers, hot water heaters, central heating systems and gas meters. Then at the end of the course they will sit their final exam.

On top of that they will also need to submit a portfolio of 35 jobs which they have personally completed.

All of this will count towards obtaining their ACS certification.

That may seem like a lot to cram in over the next 5 months, however with plenty of experience now behind them, some fantastic mentors to help them along the way, and an above 90% pass rate at the college, we’re confident our guys will be fully qualified in no time.

This initiative is the result of a lot of hard work from the team based in Crewe, and is yet more evidence for how serious we are in developing our internal talent, and also delivering the ultimate doorstep experience to our customers.

So please join us in saying well done to everyone involved in the project, and good luck to our apprentices over the next 20 weeks.

We’ll be sure to keep you updated on their progress as the weeks go on.

Work Skills – are you an Office Ninja?

April 22, 2015 | By | No Comments

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Lets face it, we could all use a little improvement when it comes to polishing our personal skills in the work place. You could be a black belt in time management, but a yellow jelly when it comes to communication. Or you could be a whiz on keeping your inbox tidy, but be a bit biz when it comes to staying motivated enough to see a project through.

We all want to be the ultimate Office Ninja, which is why we’ve got some top tips on helping you shore up those chinks in an otherwise impeccable armor.

Time management
“Waste is a thief” or so the corporate spiel tells us. So it’s important to manage your time effectively in the workplace. But managing your time doesn’t have to mean more work. Instead, it allows you to focus on tasks which matter, and complete the ones will make a difference to your day before tackling those less important jobs.

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We asked Carol Sewell , who runs our ‘Personal Effectiveness’ Workshop for our STAR programme, what her top tip would be for managing your time more effectively:

“Always start your day by planning your time. Don’t instantly give priority to unplanned interruptions unless they are business critical. Try not to leave the tasks you least enjoy until the end of the day, otherwise they will still be on your ‘to do list’ tomorrow.”

Unplanned interruptions can seem urgent in that moment, but on reflection are not important to accomplishing your goals for the day.

Tasks can be grouped into four categories:

Urgent and Important
Urgent but not important
Not Urgent, but Important
Neither Urgent nor important

It has been said that people with good time management create time to concentrate on non-urgent but important tasks. By doing this they minimise the chance of important tasks becoming urgent – easing the pressure and making for a less stressful day. Easy.

So plan your time and allow for interruptions, but be sure to assess whether those interruptions are important enough to command your undivided attention.

Self Motivation
Staying motivated to get the job done can sometimes be a tall order. Usually it’s because our focus is being tested and we lose sight of what it is we are actually trying to achieve.

Carley Leese runs our motivational workshop for the Star Programme:

‘Motivation comes from having a clear goal, something you truly believe is achievable. It helps to break the goal down into parts, you consider the obstacles that may come your way and you are relentless at reaching it’.

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We are motivated when our goals are clear and defined, because we know the feeling of satisfaction we get once we achieve them. In contrast, we’ve all had the horrible thought at the end of a hard days work where you suddenly think “What did I even do today?”. So if you want to stay motivated it is important to understand what it is you’re setting out achieve on a daily basis.

If you didn’t meet those goals then it’s time to regroup, plan your next day, and set out to smash them all tomorrow.

Another key to staying motivated is knowing how the work you’re doing makes a difference. It can be hard to carry out the same task day in day out (and to the best of your ability) without understanding the significance of your role plays in the company’s success. We depend on you. And if you don’t know why then you should find out – because you are important to us.

Communication

Understanding that everyone is different is key to being an effective communicator, in the work place and though out life.

Lynne Wood runs our Communication Workshop for the Start Programme each year:

“At work, you can’t have a ‘one style fits all’ way of communicating. You have to recognise that people react in different ways and if you are to be successful, you have to find the best way to deal with their personality, rather than expecting them to adapt to you.”

Personality types can be grouped into 4 different categories.

Amiable –Around half the population lean towards being amiable. They are calm, great team players, love family and hate hurting anyone. To communicate with an Amiable you should be relaxed and agreeable, be prepared to answer ‘why’ questions, be a good listener, don’t push, and don’t rush.

Methodical – These are the people that love lists, spread-sheets and flowcharts. They are also great problem solvers but like to take their time. A good way to communicate with Methodicals is to be systematic, focus on the task, be prepared to answer ‘how’ questions, expect to repeat yourself, and be sure to bring lots of evidence.

Upfront – Most likely to be management, very firm. They are decisive, independent, and very determined. Effective ways to communicate here include talking about expected results, discuss and answer ‘what’ questions, argue the facts, not feelings, and be sure to provide options.

Expressive – These are the motivators within the group, they are animated and quite often they are easily distracted. They are the ‘ideas’ people. When communicating with Expressives you should focus on developing a relationship, be enthusiastic, open and responsive, ask and answer ‘who’ questions, and remember to be warm and approachable.

Different personality types work better with some than they do with others. For example; Methodical and Expressives are always thinking. Expressives provide the possibilities, and Methodicals provide the solutions.

Whereas Upfronts and Amiables are the do’ers. The Upfront deligate, and the Amiable get stuck in.

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It’s worth pointing out that non of us are 100% one personality or another. We each have various amounts of other traits in us as well. However when the chips are down we will usually assume one of these roles within a group in order to get the job done.

The trick, however, is identifying which personality trait is strongest in the person you are speaking to. If you are able to adapt your style to meet the individuals needs then you will be a communication King or Queen in no time.

There are many more ways to improve your skills and become more effective in the workplace. If you have any tips or tricks that you’d like to tell us about then please share them below. Maybe you have a different method of staying motivated, or a better way of managing your time? What ever it is get in touch.

Good luck out there Ninjas, and remember: Work smarter, not harder.

Expert Logistics Supports Red Nose Day

March 16, 2015 | By | No Comments

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With numerous fund raising events going on around the business, we wanted to show our support for this amazing cause by hitting the road and adding a dash of red to our fleet.

In partnership with our friends at Toyota, we sent red noses across the land to be put on our vehicles, all in honor of this months Comic Relief.

220 noses have been proudly strapped to the front of our vans over the past 12 weeks, helping raise awareness for the bi-annual charity bonanza, and our drivers have managed to snap some great ‘selfies’ along the way.

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Here we grow again…

March 9, 2015 | By | No Comments

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You may have already heard the rumors, Well now we can confirm that our Premier fleet family is about to get even bigger. Our Prem fleet currently run out of Potters Bar and Crewe only, and are responsible for completing those installs which require that little bit of extra know how. Whether it’s installing a gas cooker or a wall mounted tv, these guys have got our ao customers covered.

But as the business grows so does our workforce. Which is why we’re pleased to announce that we’re expanding team in Crewe from 12 engineers to 21, with Potters Bar increasing from 13 to 19 fully qualified gas engineers. But that’s not all! By next month we expect to have engineers running out of 4 other outbases around the country. Our Spennymoor and Larkhall depots will each have 6 engineers, Yaxley will have 8, whilst our Avonmouth depot will welcome 9 engineers to help us provide service to the south West.

At present we cover 45% of English, Welsh & Scottish postcodes with our Prem Fleet, however our new expansion will mean that we will soon be able to cover 100% of the mainland. It’s an incredible leap, & even more proof that our 2 man home delivery service is now in high demand.

5 Star Eco rating for Crewe

September 26, 2014 | By | No Comments

Eco Stars Scheme awards 5 stars on recent visit.
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ECO Stars encourages and helps operators of HGVs, buses, coaches and vans to run fleets in the most efficient and green way.
The scheme provides recognition for best operational practices, and guidance for making improvements. The ultimate aim is to reduce fuel consumption which naturally leads to fewer vehicle emissions and has the added benefit of saving money!

Members are awarded an ECO Star rating when they first join – ranging from 1 Star to 5 Stars – based on an assessment of their current operational and environmental performance. One of our ECO Stars team (all industry experts with years of transport experience) rates each individual vehicle and how the fleet is run as a whole.

The ECO Stars assessment is based on six key pillars which make up fleet operational efficiency.

So after a recent visit by one of their representatives, Expert Logistics was awarded 5 stars based on their initial assessment!

But not one to rest on our laurels, we are now working with ECOSTARS on a ‘roadmap’ on how we can maintain and even improve on our fuel ecomomy and carbon footprint.

Now we can boast about being green in more ways than one!

Our supply in demand!

August 9, 2014 | By | No Comments

With sales high our fleet is running at full pelt to keep up with demand….

We recently recorded our busiest day ever at Expert Logistics!

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On August 29th we delivered to over 6,000 properties for ao and other clients, delivering well in excess of 7,000 appliances – all in just one day!

It’s no surprise our volume is increasing all the time, and with the busiest weeks usually recorded around the festive period this winter promises to be one like no other.

Delivery in numbers:

Highest number of deliveries in one day: 7,842 (Week 22, August 29th 2014)

Number of deliveries in week 22: 41,327

Highest number of deliveries in any week: 41,464 (Week 41, Christmas 2013)

Number of vehicles delivering in one week: 1,492 (Week 22)

Average distance our fleet travels per week: 400,000 KM (Over the past 2 weeks)

Fuel consumption in a week: 106,754 Litres (week 22, includes trunking)

Crikey, that’s a lot of appliances!

That’s also enough fuel to fill 1,335 bath tubs, and enough distance traveled each week to drive us to the moon!

Things may seem to be settling down again, but you can no doubt expect records to be tested once more during a whirlwind Christmas 2014………… Only 15 weeks to go!

Drivers Academy opens it’s doors.

July 23, 2014 | By | No Comments

Expert Logistics has been faced with a conundrum for some time:

“How do we get the very best customer service agents who can also drive 7.5 tonne vehicles?”

That’s always been a tough question for us because giving a fantastic customer experience is what we are all about, and finding HGV drivers with the right attitude can sometimes be a difficult task.

That’s because we don’t just want your run of the mill ‘drop off and drive on’ drivers. We want them to give something extra to our customers. Which is why there was only ever one real solution to this problem – Let’s find the best customer service agents and train them up to be drivers ourselves.

And that’s exactly what we did. Say hello to our brand new drivers academy, now being run from all of our depots nationwide!

The planning for the Academy began way back in December 2013, and has been a tough process for all those involved in getting the project up and running. Reg Sanders from our driver quality team has been one of those responsible for ironing out all the legal requirements for our academy and it’s cadets:

“to be fair we are a logistics company – NOT a training company and so we had to make sure everything was properly covered before we started, to protect us and more importantly to protect the new candidates”

Earn while you learn!

The doors finally opened at the end of April this year, and we currently have 51 crews across all depots on the driving academy, and recruitment is still going strong.

It takes approximately 10 weeks to progress the drivers from category B licence (3.5t vehicle) to category C1 licence(7.5t vehicle) – then a further 8 – 10 weeks to pay back any advanced funding.

“The Academy was a perfect example of ‘necessity being the mother of Invention’ – we needed a new way to recruit and bring a good quality of driver into the business. We had to come up with a revolutionary way to recruit – we call it: ‘Earn while you Learn”.

So It’s exciting times ahead for the group. Not only because it will undoubtedly help us become stronger in the market as we progress, but it’s yet another reason why we are the number one, 2 man delivery service in the UK.

Installation for the TV nation

June 1, 2014 | By | No Comments

Expert Logistics are proud to announce our brand new TV installation service!

We are now offering a basic unpack and connect service on TV’s 32” and above, so that by the time our Expert drivers leave your home your brand new set will be ready and raring to go.

But wait, there’s more!

We also offer a Premier Installation service, meaning that if the installation of your TV is less than straight forward we can still have you up and running in no time. The Premier service includes the installation of standard and Smart TV’s, mounting TV’s onto wall brackets, connection to set top boxes, to the Internet – basically connecting up to as may devices as the TV’s inputs will allow! You won’t have to lift a finger……..except of course to press the button on your new remote.

So whether you are looking to get the most out of your mid-week movie nights, or lock down in luxury for the upcoming World Cup, our fully trained drivers have got you covered.

Welcome to the next step in our exceptional customer service experience!