Michaela Wells

Experience

• 

  RSA

  Sept 1993 - Jul 2000

  Sales & Service Manager

  Led sales and customer service activities across a contact centre of 120 FTE.

• 

  Aviva plc

  Jul 2000 - Jul 2002

  Sales Manager, Inbound & Outbound

  Led sales operations across multiple contact centre sites with 300 FTE.

• 

  Domestic & General

  Jul 2002 - Oct 2006

  Operations Manager

  Designed, set up and managed a new 100-seat Customer Contact Centre for the British Airways Holidays contract.

• 

  Pips of Petworth

  Oct 2006 - Nov 2010

  Owner/Entrepreneur

  Acquired this business, with sole full P&L responsibility - Managed all aspects of commercial and operational management and development. • Established new contracts with suppliers, negotiating competitive prices to increase profit margins.• Controlled pricing and discounting, timing and physical presentation of produce.• Managed relationships with bankers, external accountants and other professional advisors.• Secured an outstanding reputation for providing top quality local produce to retail and trade customers.• Transformed a struggling greengrocer into a thriving specialist fruit and vegetable shop.• Delivered YoY profit despite a double-dip recession by adapting to the customer's changing needs with the introduction of smoothies, fruit and vegetable inspired cupcakes and a home delivery service. • Gained high levels of understanding of retail operational practices and legislative requirements.• Successfully sold the business at a good profit, having received an exceptional offer. Show less

• 

  Towergate Insurance

  Nov 2010 - Apr 2015

  Operational design and delivery lead for a new 500-seat Broker Customer Contact Centre/ Relationship Hub. This project involved migrating 250,000 diverse commercial and personal lines policies (£36 Million income) from 90 individual branches across the UK into one operation within strict timescales - Reported directly to the CEO - Budget £18.2 Million.• Informed and influenced strategic decisions required for the project by representing the Manchester operation at Group Executive meetings with the Group CEO and board members. • Managed the customer journey (including migration), initial and ongoing experience, quality assurance, complaints management, Voice of the Customer (VOC), Net Promotor Score (NPS) and Customer Effort Programmes. • Established the appropriate environment and culture, including resource scheduling to maximise individual ROI, staff engagement, reward, and continuous improvement facilitation that embraced ‘Systems Thinking’ methodology. • Planned and implemented dynamic processes, including workflow planning and management, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to accommodate online channels such as email and live chat alongside traditional telephony inbound and outbound solutions, outsourced document management and paperless environment disaster recovery and business continuity.• Responsible for managing multiple set-up requirements, including on-site furnishing and facilities, end-to-end process mapping, writing service standards and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and a new business and renewal insurer placement strategy to ensure the quality of the customer’s experience remained consistently high throughout the transition. • The project was successfully completed on budget and on time while working in a highly regulated environment. Show less Accountable for creating and implementing a strategy for operational best practices across 16 diverse, multi-site, specialist business units operating throughout the UK for the ‘Direct’ Division. These business units sold specialist Personal Lines and SME products through telephony and digital distribution channels - Reporting directly to the Divisional COO - All 5 Sub-Division Operations Directors were dotted line reports. • Designed and embedded best practices for all customer touchpoints, both on and offline. Incorporated a continuous improvement ‘Learn and Improve’ culture across 750 sales and customer advisers to improve performance. • Improved quality over six months, from a 42% to an 85% pass rate, based on insight provided through Quality Monitoring (QM). Standardised Service Level Agreements (SLAs) encouraged staff feedback through engagement programmes such as a regular staff forum and monitored customer satisfaction and advocacy using regular surveys such as Net Promoter (NPS), which improved over 12 months from 29% to 64%. Show less Accountable for the delivery of operational and business processes, objectives and best practice across 5 diverse, specialist business operations. • Led Operation Managers responsible for 125 FTE across Sales, Customer Services, Retention, Claims, Management Information and Underwriting teams to deliver organic and new business growth through customer and employee engagement, advocacy and retention, in a regulated manner.• Managed key change activity surrounding business integrations and acquisitions, with a keen focus on balancing customer requirements and experience with business needs. Show less

  • Director Customer Operations

    Mar 2014 - Apr 2015

  • Divisional Operations Director

    Sept 2012 - Mar 2014

  • Operations Director

    Nov 2010 - Sept 2012
• 

  Ape Action Africa

  May 2015 - now

  Operations Lead and Fundraising Coordinator (Volunteer)

  • Led the development and delivery of the organisation’s first strategic plan in collaboration with the Director and Board of Trustees. Setting the direction for the charity, providing the organisation, funding partners and supporters with a clear view of our priorities. • Created and delivered the operational plan for the organisation shaping the day-to-day operations of the sanctuary. This involved addressing cultural sensitivities and overcoming logistical challenges. Additionally, successfully introduced, and managed initiatives like the international volunteer program and animal sponsorship program and implemented clear policies and processes essential for team expansion.• Created and delivered in-person and virtual high-value events, including live interactive online experiences with the sanctuary staff, online auctions and our first international fundraising event in London. These events were designed not only to raise funds but also to enhance supporter advocacy and expand our network reach.• Secured and managed multiple high-value relationships with results including a six-figure multi-year unrestricted gift from a widely respected conservation foundation, a five-figure multi-year unrestricted gift from a family trust, over £100,000 per annum from individual major international and national donors, and ongoing trading income from a partnership with a global toy company. • Enhanced value and advocacy from current supporters through a strategic shift towards supporter care. Implemented initiatives such as analysing the supporter experience for improvement opportunities, adopting a CRM approach to donor data management and analysis, and creating a proactive re-engagement program for former supporters, leveraging new digital channels for outreach. Show less

• 

  Paula Rosa Manhattan

  Jul 2016 - Dec 2019

  Director Of Customer Service

  Responsible for the leadership and strategic development of the UK Customer Services operation, circa 60 FTE, including Design and Quotations, Contract Services and field and office-based Customer Care, to ensure the company’s performance and cultural goals were met - Reporting directly to the UK Managing Director - Budget £4 million.• Created and delivered a strategic plan that shaped the customer operation to work in a lean and agile manner while providing uncompromised quality service. Working in collaboration with the operation to create a clear plan that would work in practice and theory without investment into the existing technology. • Increased the capability of the operation to enable everyone to autonomously drive beneficial change within the business, using a competency framework, coaching, and training, monthly 1-2-1s and quarterly reviews, all based on SMART targets, personalised development plans and measured progress.• Reduced error-based costs from £450,000 in 2016 to £70,000 in 2019 by introducing a ‘Learn and Improve’ culture across the department where front line individuals were involved in the design and embedding of best practices for each touchpoint throughout the customer journey. • Increased staff engagement within the department from 50% agreeing it was a ‘Great Place to Work’ in 2017 to 70% in 2019 by establishing the appropriate culture and environment with the involvement of the workforce and executing an action plan to address company and departmental issues. • Redeveloped the end-to-end customer journey by analysing all customer touchpoints, identifying areas of frustration for the customers and staff and implementing improvements to make processes easier for all involved. Alongside reduced complaints and increased customer satisfaction scores (from an average of 1.9 out of 5 in 2017 to 4.6 out of 5 in 2019), this also increased customer engagement, retention, and growth from repeat sales. Show less

• 

  Dogs Trust

  Mar 2023 - now

  Responsible for the management and development of customer-facing activities, the administration of the site, staff communication, IT support and overseeing site maintenance.• Developing continuous improvement of customer services at the site.• Ensuring agreed customer service standards are delivered appropriately by centre staff.• Responsible for the IT provision within the rehoming centre. • Day-to-day administrative management; maintaining accurate records, including admissions, adoptions, staff records and financial information, and championing good data integrity across the rehoming centre team.• Ensuring maintenance issues are resolved effectively and in a timely manner by the Maintenance Operative(s). Show less • Managing a multi-million pound portfolio of major donors and prospects, to secure gifts over £10,000.• Cultivation of new donors and stewardship of existing donors ensuring a top-tier journey that distinguishes Dogs Trust in the charitable sector.• Establishing and building robust relationships with stake holders ranging from internal colleagues through to international partners, enabling the delivery of meaningful change, on a global scale.• Crafting tailored, personalised written communications and compelling funding propositions aligning with donors' interests and advancing the mission and vision of Dogs Trust.• Creating and delivering in-person high-value events, designed not only to raise funds but also to enhance supporter advocacy and expand Dogs Trust’s network reach. • Collaborating with teams across Dogs Trust to ensure alignment between the organisation's priorities and our high value fundraising plan, identifying, and capitalising on opportunities for sustainable growth. Show less

  • Rehoming Centre Assistant Manager

    May 2024 - now

  • Major Gifts Development Manager

    Mar 2023 - Apr 2024