Stephen Hodgkinson-Soto has been with STANLEY Security since 2015, with his previous role as an Installation Manager in the USA. After moving back to the UK, where he was born and lived for his first 15 years, he joined STANLEY Security GB in 2017 as its new Service Director.
Recognising the “large learning curve” faced by this promotion, Stephen embraces the challenge and brings with him considerable skills and enthusiasm which are already bearing fruit. “Earlier in my career I worked within the hotel industry and learnt a lot about customer service - American style!” states Stephen. “I’m looking to bring some of these aspects to the security industry which is lacking in excellent customer service across the board. It is my intent, with the backing of the full STANLEY team – including our new General Manager Matthew Marriott – to ensure STANLEY leads the way here and stand outs from other players in the market.”
Stephen is working closely alongside Leanne Taylor, Head of Customer Service, to achieve this. Together they have already introduced the Customer First programme which moves away from traditional reactionary models in customer service to a more advanced pro active approach. Customer First is a wide sweeping programme addressing all areas of STANLEY’s customer service, from a ‘Customer Discussion Guide’ aimed at maintainingpositive contact with customers throughout their contract period through to a Bespoke Management service for customers that require more focussed attention.
With responsibilities for a field service team comprising 110 engineers and associated regional managers across GB, Stephen is also concentrating on improving efficiency amongst the team by ensuring they have the right equipment to perform their tasks and meet customers’ expectations. As part of this he has introduced an engineer training programme, which will instil engineers with additional knowledge via courses paid by STANLEY. He is also looking to create a more formalised career path for engineers to recognise and reward their skills and experience. “Investing in our workforce is a priority” states Stephen, “as they not only undertake the work on the ground, but are also our company ambassadors who have the most direct contact with our customers. We want them to be the best in the business and fly the flag for STANLEY Security.”
Stephen’s remit as Service Director at STANLEY Security also includes overseeing health and safety, training and technology, as well as quality and compliance for the business.
Even with all these activities initiated in a relatively short time, Stephen still has plenty of plans for the future, including forming a remote maintenance team to specialise in resolving system issues without physical proximity. This will save resources and time for both STANLEY Security and the customer. He is also working with the product team to develop new cutting edge solutions for security and beyond.
Stephen Hodgkinson-Soto commented, “Since joining, I have been working towards internal developments which aim to uphold STANLEY’s position in the market and to also set us apart as a true forward thinking leader. It is only by continuously strengthening our core internal practices that we can raise our game to excel at servicing our customers. We believe in the necessity of constant improvement to stay ahead. It’s challenging and demanding, but we have the right team in place, the right attitude and the capability.”01793 412462alison.thomason@sbdinc.com
