Meet Vicki Jagger, our business analyst and support manager and resident IT guru. Vicki originally joined SRL in January 2012 to cover maternity leave, but, as you can see, she’s now become part of the SRL family.

Systems and processes were very different when Vicki joined us and she has been instrumental in helping the team to become familiar with our Syrinx hire management software.

“When I started working at SRL, I was responsible for looking after the company’s master spreadsheet. Like many businesses at the time, we were still manually invoicing and there was a lot of information being duplicated.” says Vicki. 

“Back then, we had just six depots, so it was manageable to collate information for each one, but, as the business was growing, it was clear that we needed to introduce a system that would reduce our manual inputting to help us ultimately improve productivity and save time.”

Game-changing developments

In a short space of time, SRL increased the number of depots to 20 and introduced the Syrinx software system to maximise the efficiency of each depot. With her IT skills, Vicki was one of the first members of our team to become familiar with the system.

“Syrinx was a game-changer for SRL,” says Vicki “As well as helping us monitor all fleet movement, it invoices the customer, keeps track of the servicing of all equipment and helps us trace back the entire history of a piece of equipment. It connects with SAGE too to help us with our accounting. It’s a really intelligent system.”

Vicki spends a large proportion of her time looking at data and Syrinx is invaluable in helping her to create reports and quickly spot any discrepancies.

“The software helps me quickly create utilisation reports, so we know exactly how much equipment we have on hire at any one time,” says Vicki. “We’re currently at 98% utilisation, which is a very high rate of hire.

“Syrinx is also brilliant at helping us keep track of all of our fleeted items to, so we know where any piece of kit is at any time. Every item has a unique serial number as well, which means it is fully traceable – this is invaluable to us, and our customers, if products ever get lost or stolen.”

A self-confessed trouble-shooter, Vicki trains our team on how to use our software and helps them with any issues. “I like fixing problems and people come to me if they need help. I get a huge amount of satisfaction from training a colleague on Syrinx – I know I’ve done my job well when they fully understand the system and its capabilities,” she adds.

Streamlining and expanding

Introducing software solutions like Syrinx and managing our IT internally has helped SRL to streamline processes and enabled us to rapidly expand our distribution network, which is the largest in the UK and Republic of Ireland. We now have 30 depots and plan to open another one in Bodmin soon.  

Vicki is an important asset to multiple teams within the business. She works closely with our seven-strong admin team to support the regional depots in Scotland, London, Birmingham, Wigan, Leeds and Dublin. She also assists the service team as well, to ensure that all our equipment is routinely serviced and is roadworthy.

“At SRL, we are known for our unrivalled expertise and very high standards of customer service, so it is vital that I support these teams to ensure that our customers always receive the quality of product and service they expect from us,” adds Vicki.

Foundations for growth

In her nine years with SRL, Vicki has progressed through the business to become a senior manager. “SRL is a great business to work for and it has a policy to promote from within wherever possible. I’ve seen lots of people - myself included - achieving recognition for their hard work and making successful careers at SRL. It’s great to see people being empowered to develop and grow here.”

Vicki is excited about the future of SRL and her involvement in the next phase of our growth. “We’re building for a very successful future and there is still a lot of scope for growth. I’m proud to work at SRL and to be playing a part in helping it to become not just the biggest, but more importantly, the best in the industry.”

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.