Winner of the 2018 Relocate Award for Best International Removals Provider
Bournes Relocation Solutions
Sponsored by: FIDI
Above: Jeremy Chandar, Jesse Van Sas (Sponsor)
Bournes Relocation Solutions is the winner of the Relocate Award 2018 for Best International Removals Provider for demonstrating exceptionally high performance through its investment in people.
The Kent-based international company is adding value and inspiring others by supporting professional development and sharing knowledge to raise standards internally and throughout the global mobility supply chain.
The judges praised Bournes’ positive approach to continuous improvement, which is delivering benefits both for the company and its clients, concluding “the firm clearly believes in the value of its people and places them at the heart of all that it does.”
Linking training and development to continuous improvement
“Anyone can move a box – and hopefully without breaking what is in it,” says Kirsty Parsons, marketing director. “But when we get feedback from our customers, it’s never about that. It’s always ‘I really enjoyed spending the day with your team,’ or ‘we were dreading it and it was actually fun,’ or ‘the move coordinator was invaluable to us in terms of making it stress free.’ This positive feedback is all about what our people put in to make the move a good experience.”
To make this happen, last year every Bournes employee participated in ongoing training and development. Training and development needs analysis is also embedded in the company’s internal risk reporting systems, so team members and customers receive the right support when they need it.
This people-focused approach has earned Bournes a top-performer status among FIDI/FAIM’s international removals companies benchmarks. Its audited report highlighted excellence in key areas like 100 per cent customer satisfaction (92 per cent industry average) and lower-than-average insurance claims (6 per cent versus 8 per cent), putting Bournes in the top 30 per cent of companies worldwide.
“We have all the systems, processes and materials, which mark us out technically as a great mover,” says Ms Parsons, explaining one element of the high global ranking. “But what really defines us is how we remember the human aspect of moves and how we can make a real difference. Our strapline – ‘With Bournes, it’s personal’ – comes from a place where we acknowledge the individuals working on the move and the individuals making the move.”
Making performance personal
Further proof this people-first approach works is Bournes’ impressive employee retention. The average employee has eight years’ service, rising to over 40 years in some cases. Kirsty Parsons herself has been in post for 11 years.
“The people I work with understand and care about what they are doing. We care about the opportunities to give our clients a better experience,” says Kirsty Parsons. “When you are proud of your job and you feel like you are doing important work, that reflects in the awards, the ratings and the loyalty.”
Such high engagement is supported by Bournes proactive approach to capturing observations and new ideas from its team. In 2017, it launched the Pulse app as a new communication channel for employees to contribute ideas and improvements to further improve individuals’ relocation and removals experiences.
Internal excellence and external focus
Bournes, a member of the Harmony Relocation network, is generous too in sharing its knowledge and resources externally. Exemplifying the company’s progressive, people-first approach and its solid leadership throughout the global supply chain and the removals sector as both a training and network partner, Bournes won a second Relocate Award this year, for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion.
“Together we can continue to improve the global mobility sector as a whole and to everyone’s benefit,” says Kirsty Parsons. “There’s so much related to what we do, it’s good to have those wider conversations. This is all about agility and our ability to respond to the changes happening right now.”
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Read about the winners of the other Relocate Awards in the Summer issue of Relocate Magazine.
