Graham Pulsford nominates Clare Bassett for a Young Employee Award. According to the document, Clare joined JPA at age 19 and has risen through the ranks, being promoted multiple times. She is now the youngest ever manager of both JPA's customer service and logistics teams. Testimonials from colleagues, clients, and suppliers praise Clare's leadership, work ethic, customer service skills, and positive impact on the company's success. Graham recommends Clare for the award as a shining example to young people in business due to her talent, drive, skills, and infectious personality.

1. St Albans Chamber of Commerce
Community Business Awards 2015
Nominated by:
Graham Pulsford, Managing Director
Young Employee Award
Clare Bassett

2. Clare Bassett - Position and Route Through JPA:
2015 – age 27. July - Customer Service AND Logistics Team Manager Role confirmed after 6 month pilot
2014 – age 26. Piloted new role of Customer Service AND Logistics Team Manager – taking on another 8 staff
2012 – age 25. Promoted to Customer Service Manager.
2011 – age 23. Promoted to Customer Service Team Supervisor.
2009 – age 21. Gains more responsibility and promoted to Customer Service Assistant
2007 – age 19. Joins JPA as part of Customer Service Team of 8 staff
Prior to JPA, employed at Tesco WGC to stack shelves
On the up...!

3. A flavour of operational work by Clare’s Logistics Team

4. The end result of all that work by Clare’s Service and Logistics Teams

5. Meet Clare’s Logisitics Team

6. Clare Bassett – Outstanding Achievements:
Youngest ever Manager of JPA Customer Service Team
• 8 staff
• Responsible for: Front of House, H&S, Training, Enquiries, Quotations,
Orders, Purchase Order Processing, Invoicing out, Customer Complaints and
Snagging, Client Feedback
Youngest ever Manager of JPA Fleet, Delivery and Installation Team
• 8 staff
• 15 subcontractors
• 7 vehicles
• Responsible for: Fleet Maintenance, H&S, Training, Order Scheduling and
Logistics, Goods In/Out, Deliveries, Installation, Moves, Labour Costs, Stock,
Customer Complaints and Snagging
First female Manager of JPA Vehicle Fleet, Delivery and Installation Team
Youngest ever member of JPA Management Team
Found time to get married in May 2015!!!
Clare brings a fresh
perspective to our
Management activities, a
different approach and a
fresh view, essential for
innovation and growth.
John Pulsford, Owner
JPA Furniture
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7. Meet Clare’s Customer Services Team

8. Clare... always at the heart of the action

9. Clare Bassett – Impact on our Company Success over the last 12 months…
• Implementing a wave of change and fresh ideas to JPA
• Still personally managing key company accounts worth £250,000.00 p/a
• Successfully raised over 2831 sales orders within Customer Services Team
• Sales orders processed within Customer Services to value of £4,833,483.00
• Over 1376 quotations raised within Customer Services
• Over £7,000,000.00 goods quoted by Customer Services
• Outstanding levels of client feedback – see over
• Response times for quotations, orders and enquiries improved by 15%
• Returns rate reduced to 0.4% across despatches over last 12 months
• Over 35,000 individual items successfully delivered and installed
• Installed successfully to over 400 individual delivery locations
• Achieved 20% reduction in labour costs
• Seamless integration with other departments to achieve Company Targets for
first 6 months 2015
“…. it’s very hard to put into words how much Clare has been a great manager, friend and inspiration
to me. When I started at JPA furniture, she has just been promoted to Supervisor and over 5 years I’ve
seen her progress into managing two teams. I didn’t have much experience at the beginning, but with
Clare’s excellent training, product knowledge and encouragement I have managed to progress to the
projects team. Clare has a great approach to work, always with a smile even when there are 100s of
things going on. Clare is not only a great boss but an amazing person and friend, she will always be
there for anyone who needs a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on”
Amelia Cooper JPA Furniture

10. For the nearly eight years I have worked at UCL, I
have sourced furniture from JPA for our staff office
furniture requirements and much of our public space
and reading room furniture needs. Whilst their prices
are competitive, it is their customer service that
stands out to me.
JPA’s head office is very efficient at processing orders
and answering any of our queries as they arise. I
have on many occasions needed to sort out details
of orders such as routine furniture quotations,
organising delivery times to fit our needs or making
last minute changes to quotations. The office staff
have always been very helpful and amenable to our
sometimes last minute and urgent changes.
When JPA delivery and fitting staff arrive with
new deliveries, they have always been helpful and
resourceful in working around changes in schedule
and overcoming obstacles as they have arisen. As they
are familiar with UCL, and with Library Services, they
are aware of noise issues and sensitivity to keeping
disruptions to students studying to a minimum.
JPA Staff have on all occasions been helpful, friendly
and efficient in sorting out anything we needed. I can
say that JPA is one of the few suppliers UCL uses
that is actually a pleasure to do business with. It is
this attention to customer service that makes JPA a
valuable supplier to have available to us.
Scott Foulon
(Acting) Assistant Librarian: Building Projects
Manager
UCL Library Services
Successful JPA Installation & Service – UCL Cruciform Hub
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11. So what do JPA Suppliers, Clients and Staff say about Clare?
As a major supplier to the JPA group for almost 20
years it is unusual to notice a new relationship as
new people come and go.
Clare joined JPA in a customer service role
and her enthusiasm and desire to understand
our partnership relationship have led to great
improvements in what was already a great
relationship.
Innovative and creative she makes a positive
contribution to both our businesses and is a firm
favourite of our sales, customer service and
logistics teams
Ian Blackburn
Sales Director
The Senator Group (JPA Key supplier)
I have known Clare since she joined JPA in 2007. My initial impression of Clare was of
a bright, sparky young woman with a willingness to learn and right from the start she
fitted in in the CS team, quickly settling into the job, the routines and processes, and
building up her knowledge of products.
Clare has extremely appealing qualities which were recognised very early in her
emploment by management and have been developed to enable her to hold her current
managerial postion of CST and Logistics Manager, e.g. Engaging personality with a
sense of fun and the ability to clearly communicate to all levels.
I look forward to seeing her progress further!
Jim Rawlings, Director, RQA
JPA Quality & Environmental Consultants
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Clare is a real credit to the Management team at JPA.
She really is the heart & soul of the customer service/logistics team and will always ensure jobs are
carried out with the highest level of service & care.
Clare is highly efficient in all aspects of her job roles at JPA. She promotes a positive, well-organized team.
I thoroughly enjoyed working with Clare; not only was my time at JPA productive & enjoyable; it was also
fantastic working within such a methodical team.
Clare’s support as a Manager was always appreciated by myself & I know the same applies to others
working in her team.
Clare’s moto of there is no ‘I’ in Team really does apply within her work ethic - she will always do her
utmost to ensure her team feel well supported & direct as necessary to meet the varied demands of the
business.
I still have a very good relationship with JPA & speak very highly of the whole team & of course Clare as I
worked with her very closely with her for a very happy 4.5 years!
I wish her all the best as her career progresses at JPA & am very thankful for the time I worked with her.
Jazmine Lawrence – Sales Account Manager at Thorns Group.
(Ex JPA Customer Service)
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In working with JPA over the past few years, I have had the pleasure of
seeing Clare grow and develop with energy, confidence and a passionate
commitment to provide the JPA clients with exceptional service.
Going the extra mile in the norm for Clare and a ‘can-do’ attitude has
enabled her to overcome many challenging situations when trying to
resolve issues and make things successfully happen for JPA clients. This
positive business focused mind-set is not limited to external clients, as
she has developed in the past few years, so has her level of responsibility
within the business and she has successfully applied this in her
management style. This belief in making things happen equally extends
to her management and training of her staff and team, ensuring that
everyone is given an opportunity to shine, develop and be respected.
It has been with Clare’s tenacity and exceptional customer service that
has led to so many wonderful client testimonials for the JPA team, which
in turn is allowing JPA to go from strength to strength, and underpinning
JPA’s business growth.
Jane Dell
GrowthAccelerator Coach and Accredited Business Advisor
Jade Business Solutions Ltd
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Clare and she is incredibly deserving. I always
think a work place is very much be about
management attitude and a happy work place
means a supportive, professional and well
organised management team.
Your work force has always been incredibly
helpful from your office team through to your
great delivery guys and I suspect this is down
to the sense that they know they are valued.
I think a few organisations out there could do
with a week or 2 at JPA to see how its done!
Where would we be without you !
Anne Skinner
Human Resources Divisional Manager
UCL Staff Accommodation Officer
University College London (JPA Client)
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12. Your guys were great today –
very professional
Please thank them again for me
Cheryl Webster
Office Manager & PA to Divisional Manager and
Divisional Clinical Director, UCLH
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I just wanted to say a very very big thank
you to you and your team for the smooth
running of our installs so far this year, as
always JPA services are second to none !!
Linda Norton
Steward
Magdalen College, Oxford (Client)
I would like to say huge big thank you to everyone for all their help today in
installing the new desks, installing the new computers/reinstalling the old
computers and for installing/reinstalling the new phones.
Everyone from JPA Furniture, IT and Telecoms worked exceptionally hard to
get this done today, and I sincerely thank you all very much. You all came on
time and got the work done as arranged – thank you!!!
Jacqueline Apps
Divisional Admin Manager, UCLH (Client)
I would like to say having used JPA for a number of years for large and small projects the
standard of service they provide has been exceptional. Price is not always the overriding
factor with regard a tender and supplier evaluation. My experience tells me suppliers
promise everything but often cannot deliver a cradle to the grave type service . In this
regard JPA fulfils this criteria, problems with any issues are always dealt with promptly
and resolved amicably . Service is the key factor from my viewpoint and JPA deliver this in
abundance from sales , office staff to delivery drivers everyone is helpful and responsive.
Keith Shore, Faculty of Law, Bentham Hse (Client)
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What do our client’s say about Clare’s Team?
We are so pleased with the design,
furniture, delivery, service, fitting,
great guys.
Thank you also for pushing this
through for us in accordance with
our timescale. We are very happy!
Sarah Pretorius
St Albans District Council
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13. Recommendation
I am delighted to nominate Clare for this award as she
is a shining example to all young people in business.
Her talent, drive and formidable organisational skills
are complimented by enthusiasm, an infectious
personality and sense of fun.
It has been a pleasure to watch Clare develop and
grow at JPA over the last 8 years and I look forwards to
seeing Clare develop her new role and her continued
positive impact on JPA’s success as a business.
Graham Pulsford, Managing Director