Our engineers really do go the extra mile. But everyone says that.
What does it actually mean in real life? We talk to our very own Chris Jeffries
about how Continua’s ‘can-do’ attitude sits at the heart of everything we do,
forming the bedrock on which our company culture sits.
First, what’s your background?
“I started my career in customer service with Kern. Since becoming
National Operations Manager at Continua I’ve worked closely with our clients
and the management team to develop our innovative ‘Lean Service’, designed to
deliver genuine value with cost benefits that would be impossible to achieve
through traditional ‘break and fix’ maintenance contracts.”
How do Continua create a culture of responsibility?
“For a start, our people integrate more than other service
companies. In practical terms that means we act as more than
just another service provider. Our Service Level
Agreements and back to back agreements formalise what we do for you, when, how
and to what standard. Armed with that knowledge, our engineers are free to play
an integral part of your production line’s health and wellbeing.
We do much more than just pop in now and again to mend things when
they go wrong. Our in-depth, detailed knowledge means
we can really contribute ideas and improvements & really fit in as part of
your team.”
Tell us about Continua’s engineers
“We have great engineers on our books, with a broad mix of
experience across the whole manufacturing marketplace. You’ll experience
nothing but the best, a bunch of guys who have a genuine can-do attitude, take
pride in their work, are happy to stay late if needs be and really do care
about making things work as well as they possibly can.
We instil an ethos of responsibility too. We know that when you
give the best people free reign, they do much more than it says on the tin. Our
engineers know the buck stops with them. It’s a huge positive motivator! And
it’s a matter of pride. They do what’s right because it’s the right thing to
do. No clock watchers, no big business restrictions, just people you can trust
under any and every circumstance.”
How do you encourage openness and transparency?
“Unlike some, we don’t try to hide if something goes wrong. We’ll
get to the root cause of the problem, by hook or by crook, and sort it out as
fast as we can. It’s all about taking a long term view. We trust our engineers
to do the right thing… and they do.
A people-centric approach is also essential if you want to be
‘lean’ in a business sense. Treating our customers from a traditional B2B
perspective we feel is old fashioned and does not drive continual improvement.
That’s why we believe in a people-centric approach works beautifully in
supporting our lean objectives to improve your business.”
What do you mean by ‘cordial long term relationships’?
“Breaking down the traditional barriers between clients, suppliers
and our engineers means we enjoy a true transparent partnership-style
relationships with our customers. We know every business is different and we
act accordingly. We don’t do ‘one size fits all’, which means we genuinely
understand the implications of what we’re doing and how they affect a
production line in its entirety.”
Tell us about working ‘people to people’
“Our hierarchy is refreshingly different. We are a ‘people to
people’ business, not ‘business to business‘. Which means our brand and our
reputation are built on the the individuals working for and with us. It
enables us to be much more open and transparent than our competitors.
Dialogue is one of our most important tools of the trade.
Powerful, long term, human-to-human connections and strong partnerships based
on trust and affection smooth the path. And value and quality mean more to us
than price. Which might sound odd, but the commercial benefits are crystal
clear for everyone involved.”
How have things changed from the old days of print?
“Most services like ours stem from the old litho print days, where
a job was a job. But print has changed. It’s extremely machine centric. Sadly
fresh thinking is as rare as hens’ teeth, which is why our offering is so
unusual.”
As you can see, we don’t sell a service. We sell a partnership. If
that’s something you like the sound of, we should talk. We’ll be delighted to
discuss your needs – feel free to get in touch for an informed, informal chat
about our contracted and non-contracted services.
