As Kendlebell Kimmage approaches 15 years in business, we sat down with our Managing Director and Co-Founder, Gerry Delaney, to find out more about his career journey to date, plans for the future and how Kendlebell Kimmage can assist businesses that have adopted new working models.
With new ways of working in the post-covid era, how can Kendlebell help businesses?
We are definitely seeing many larger type organisations that are now looking at hybrid, or fully remote, working models for the future. Obviously, many of these large companies would previously have had receptionists or someone who did meet and greet. That type of thing no longer exists in a lot of companies, but they still need calls answered and fielded in the instance that they no longer have receptionists or front desk staff. This is where we can step in and assist and fill that gap.
Our inbound call answering service is manned from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm, Monday to Friday, including lunchtime. This ‘always on’ service gives the company owners the reassurance that Kendlebell Kimmage will endeavour to capture incoming calls and business opportunities on their behalf. Our staff are highly trained so all of our clients know that they will be represented in a professional manner, which adds extra peace of mind.
What has been your biggest challenge in business to date?
Definitely the crash in 2008. We had just gone into business in 2007 and everything was going quite well. Even though we were only in startup mode, we were actually getting quite a lot of clients. And then all of a sudden the crash hit and from a financial and a business perspective, it was probably the biggest challenge we’ve had to deal with since we started. But you know, we came through it. We tightened up our belts and learned a lot about running the business and holding onto the clients that we had, even though we did lose quite a lot.
Are there any challenges facing the industry at present?
From speaking with some of the other offices, I know that staffing is a big issue facing the industry at the moment. We are not currently recruiting but I know it’s something that others in the industry are finding a challenge.
What is the best piece of advice that you have ever been given?
An old colleague once said to me, “Gerry, if you try to get it a hundred percent right all the time, you won’t. You’re better to get it 50%, right, rather than a hundred percent wrong.” He was a banker and he actually survived the crash, unlike many other bankers. So I always remember that bit of advice.
What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date?
Surviving the crash was definitely a big one. Also, our ability to adapt and move to remote working during COVID was swift. We had the technology there to do it which obviously helped enormously. We are also tremendously proud of how much new business we secure from word of mouth and good references. Over the years we have lost very few clients, so we are very proud of the quality of service that we provide and the high level of customer satisfaction that we have.
Are you looking for cost-effective solutions to your back-office functions? Here at Kendlebell Kimmage, we can assist by providing telephone answering services, virtual phone numbers and virtual offices? Contact us today to find out more and to arrange your free 7-day trial.