Monday 6 August 2012

10K; 110% - customer service with a smile

They came from New York, Tokyo, Nairobi, Glasgow, Cancun and Maidstone in Kent to form a happy (if damp) throng of 25,000 runners in Green Park, London. Focussed on the 700 charities their efforts raise money for and full of eager anticipation, they waited for the start of the 12th Annual British 10K, 2012.

Except for the top international runners who have a privileged get away, it takes a while to cross the start line through Wellington Arch to embark on the ten gruelling kilometre race through London’s central streets and past many of her iconic landmarks.

Technology makes us all equal though”, explained eager entrant Sharon Amos, “the special D-Tag on our shoes clocks our time out at the Start and in as we cross the Finish”.

Just a minute – Sharon Amos – not Sharon Amos, senior Customer Services Representative at Sinclair & Rush, whose dulcet Rainbow Nation lilt is part of the vital team helping to process and finalise client orders and queries from the UK / Europe office in Maidstone … the very same.

But why?


By day, Sharon and her team deal with all aspects of ‘post order’ support to make sure clients get just what they need, when they need it and of course where – which can be anywhere in the world.

By night, Sharon discovered that running helps more than personal fitness, mental agility and family fun – but it’s a great way of raising money for good causes.

The Customer Services Team at Sinclair & Rush help clients in UK, Europe and beyond. In fact, two thirds of their calls are to customer offices in Europe, hence the broad linguistic skills of this team of three, including French, Hungarian, German, Afrikaans, Italian and English.

Between them they process over 300 orders a month, taking a proactive role to support customers. I like to think we represent the customer rather than Sinclair & Rush said Sharon of the vital and appreciated job that she sums up as relationship management.

At the end of a satisfying day it’s on with the Nikes, headphones in place and a run to the rock beat of Boston, ELO and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

With a tune in the head and spring in the step it is the beneficiaries of two great charities that Sharon and her family like to support – Help for Heroes is one and Combat Stress the other.

Sharon very nearly didn’t make the British 10K this year though, because of injury. A running related injury of course, cracking a heal bone on a training run. The work / run balance was work only for quite some time.

The same tenacity and determination to achieve that she shows at work won out in the end and she made it to the start line.



Then, it was past icons such as St James Palace, The Ritz, and Nelson’s Column; along the Embankment, past The London Eye, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey; past the end of Downing Street and finally over the Finish Line. 

Speaking to Sharon (left) before the race she would have been happy simply to complete the course and if so, an hour and thirty would have done her as a ‘respectable’ post injury time.

But, well done Sharon, your finish time of 01:09:39 shows a very healthy determination indeed.






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                                                     … when we are not out running.


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