In the latest episode of our Meet The Team series, it's time to introduce KCS Operations Director, Helen White.
Transcript of interview as follows:
What is your background in the motor industry?
I worked for Inchcape for 10 years. I was the head of CRM for the UK. Prior to that I worked for Mercedes-Benz UK, the manufacturer, and before that I worked in marketing for various other retailers. I've been in the industry now for, dare I say it, 30 years I started selling cars.
What is your area of specialism?
I am a CRM specialist. I was Head of CRM for Inchcape for 10 years, and prior to that I worked for Mercedes-Benz around a CRM and database role and that's where my area of expertise lies.
How long have you been a consultant at KCS?
So it's just over three years now, I've been working with KCS as a Consultant.
Why did you become a consultant rather than an employee in an organisation?
My reasons behind going down the journey of becoming a consultant were very much geared around having more flexibility for my home life. Having been in a corporate role for a very, very long time I wanted to work less hours and I definitely wanted to have more flexibility and get a balance between work life and home life and initially at the beginning, being a consultant gave me that flexibility.
What appeals to you about working as a consultant in this industry?
It's an industry I've been in for a very, very long time. I feel incredibly grateful for the work that I've done in the past, for the businesses that I've worked for. I'm incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I've had. It's an industry I love and I still love New Car Day so I can't imagine doing anything else.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I guess it's a little bit different now. So I'm the Operations Director for KCS now. So I do a variation of things across different projects. Certainly across, we're doing a big project with Porsche at the moment, so I'm working quite a lot of time on that so my day is so varied. It's what makes it really, really interesting.
What excites you the most about working as a KCS Consultant?
The best thing about being a consultant is the flexibility and it's the variation. Every day is different. Every new project with every different customer. Definitely that, that is the most exciting thing about what we do.
Who are some of the clients you currently work with?
So who we're working with at the moment, we're working with Porsche, on a big project for them. It's been running close on a year now and we've probably still got another couple of years to go. It's a big project looking at their customer journey. From a retailer perspective, we are working quite closely with Dick Lovett on a number of different projects.
They're a great retailer to work with for us because they're so innovative and they're really open to trying different things. So we're working with them with some new technology and from a consultancy perspective as well.
What is different about working with a KCS Consultant?
It's definitely our level of experience. The KCS consultants, all of us come from an operational background, so we all have an understanding of actually how the business works. So it means that we can go in and make a difference and kind of add to the remit that our customer's given us.
What do you feel are the key ways in which KCS benefits its clients?
Definitely our expertise around operational processes. When you're a consultant, it's very easy to turn up on site and get asked to deliver ABC. We will always offer advice if we think that we can enhance that experience for our customers and I think that's really important when you're choosing the consultancy you work with.
What makes a good KCS Consultant?
Consistency.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the motor industry right now?
I think it's a challenge and an opportunity in terms of how the, how the motor industry is changing now. And that is technology. It's a challenge in terms of mindset, and it's an opportunity in terms of how we deliver what we do as an industry. We do have to evolve. We've seen that from Covid. That was an experience none of us saw coming and made us change our behaviours and technology is a huge part of that.
What type of projects are you most looking forward to in the next 12 months?
Oh, it's definitely going to be the partnership programmes that we're currently working on at the moment. We've got some key partners that we're going to be working with, which is going to bring about some new technologies and certainly a change in what we do, but will open a lot of doors and drive us down a lot of roads that we probably haven't had the opportunity to work with before.
For more information about how we can help you ensure commercial goals, business processes and IT systems are all perfectly aligned please contact the team today on +44 (0) 1635 592 972 or email enquiries@kcslimited.co.uk.
