It would be hard to find anyone more friendly and helpful than our credit controller Claire Ingham.

Claire joined SRL in February 2020 from The Hut Group and, although she has not been with us that long, she has already made a big impact within the business.

Claire is a highly experienced credit controller with 17 years’ experience in the field. An IAB (International Association of Bookkeepers) qualified bookkeeper, she is currently studying for her Level 4 Professional Diploma in Accounting.

Delivering incredible customer service

Claire works alongside our accounts assistant Fiona Highcock and her role involves monitoring, managing and maintaining customers on our credit control system and carrying out due diligence checks on them. There are more than 500 clients to look after, so it’s a big responsibility.

Claire also answers any customer queries about their invoices and works with them to resolve any payment issues. A big part of Claire’s job is to reconcile the accounts and report on cash coming into the business as well as preparing detailed regular reports for our auditors.

A real ‘people person’, Claire has built up a great rapport with customers and colleagues alike. “This is very much a customer service role for me and I see everyone – whether they’re a client or a member of the SRL team – as a customer,” says Claire. “I believe it’s important to deliver great service to everyone and to be helpful – I really take pride in doing that. SRL is known for its incredible customer service and I’m pleased to be part of the company-wide team that works so hard to deliver this.”

Striving for continued improvement

When Claire joined SRL, she quickly realised that the business could benefit from a review of its credit control processes. “I introduced a master data tracker, which contains all the information we need on clients, such as their current balance and their status with plant insurance. Everything is centralised in one place and it has made a huge difference to how efficiently we work. The senior management team were really impressed with how visible all the information is now – it’s been great for me to have implemented such a successful development.”

Claire has seen some changes because of Covid-19, one of which is the rise in demand for VMS products among customers. “VMS have been increasingly used on UK roads to remind drivers to stay at home and to signpost people to local testing centres. Since the pandemic, we’ve been receiving significantly more enquiries from clients who want VMS, which is very positive.”

Claire is pleased to help customers steer their way through Coronavirus, whilst minimising any financial risk to the business. “We’ve supported all our customers through the challenges of the past year and have implemented flexible terms to support clients, where necessary. We work in partnership with them and will always bend over backwards to ensure all our clients can continue to operate. It’s the SRL way.”

Looking ahead

Covid aside, Claire hopes to see SRL achieve further growth and make inroads into Europe. “It’s exciting to see SRL grow and it would be terrific for the business to make a name for itself within the EU. There may, of course, be challenges because of Brexit, but I will be here to support SRL as it moves forward.”

So, what does Claire see in the future for her at SRL? Claire isn’t daunted by the challenges of combining work and study and she will continue with Level 4 training. “I like to be busy and I thrive on both work and studying. I want to build my knowledge, so I can bring even more to SRL. It will be a couple more years before I’m fully qualified, because I’m working as the same time, but I am very committed to achieving this qualification. I’d like to develop into management and financial accounting and, because SRL supports progression, I hope that I’ll have the scope to do this.

“I love working for SRL, it is genuinely the best job I’ve ever had. It’s wonderful to be recognised by the business for the work I’ve been doing – it motivates me to work harder. It is such a supportive company and the people are amazing. My future is definitely with SRL.”

Due to rapid expansion and growth, we have opportunities for more exceptional individuals to join the team. If you’d like to get in touch, please email recruitment@srl.co.uk.