10 is the Magic Number As Arriva Reveal New Buses at Leavesden Park

Leavesden Park will be the setting for Arriva to unveil 10 brand new buses for service 10 in Watford on Friday 1 March. The investment in new buses is part of an exciting project with Arriva and Hertfordshire County Council working together to offer improved bus services in the Watford area. The launch of the new buses and a new improved timetable for service 10 is the first step in a partnership that will improve passenger experiences.

Service 10 is key local service; it plays a vital role in linking huge residential areas of the town with employment areas, health services including the hospital, leisure opportunities and also acts as a commuter service with excellent links to Watford Junction station.

The new buses are fully-accessible and have more-comfortable seats and environmentally-friendly engines which meet the latest stringent regulations on exhaust emissions. The new service will now operate up to every 10 minutes during the day and a weekly ticket is only £10. For more infrequent users there is also a 10 trip ticket for just £10.

With the cost of fuel still on the increase, these improvements offer a real alternative to the car for trips into the busy town centre of Watford for work, shopping or just a great day out.

Arriva’s Managing Director, Paul Adcock, said “I’m delighted that we are investing in our network in Watford. This key partnership with Herts County Council is a great way of bus companies and local authorities working together to create a more positive experience for the customer. With their colourful design, and great value tickets and a frequent service, the improvements and investment should really encourage people to try the bus and see the difference.”

Councillor Stuart Pile, Hertfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Arriva to improve service 10 for the residents of Watford. This project is just one of many that the county council is currently investing in as part of the BigHertsBigIdeas scheme; a package of projects aimed at supporting local economic growth and reducing carbon emissions in Watford, Hemel Hempstead and St Albans.”

Says Roz Bird, Head of Business Development at Leavesden Park: "We're delighted that Arriva has chosen Leavesden Park for this major launch. Our free bus service from all over Watford - using Arriva buses - is one of the many benefits of the park, along with the great setting and extras such as the café and on-site management team."

Flybe Customer Service Takes Flight with Sitel

Sitel, a leading customer care outsourcing provider based at Leavesden Park, today announced that Exeter-based Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, has selected Sitel as its customer service partner in the UK. The partnership integrates Flybe’s existing customer service agents into Sitel’s state-of-the-art Exeter facility to provide travellers with world class customer care.


In its search for a customer service partner, Flybe evaluated a number of options and service providers throughout the UK and overseas. Sitel was chosen because the company could minimise the impact of the transition on Flybe’s existing staff whilst offering a high standard of infrastructure and technology. Through the partnership, Flybe will retain the skills and knowledge of the existing team and gain the travel industry customer care expertise of Sitel’s management team.The contract took effect on 15th December 2012.

Jonathan Breedon, Flybe’s Director of Customer Services said: “Flybe’s decision to outsource our call centre function to Sitel at its Exeter-based facility is good news for our staff, our customers and the company. Sitel is a leader in its field and this move ensures job security for all transferring staff. Our customers will continue to receive high quality service from a premier UK-based call centre and Flybe will not have to bear potentially significant relocation costs given the need to invest in modern premises and enhanced technology. I look forward to establishing a long and positive relationship with Sitel.”

www.flybe.com

Joe Doyle, Vice President Global Marketing, Sitel, said: “Sitel has years of experience managing customer care for travel companies including major airlines, online travel sites and international hotel chains. We are thrilled to have come to such a mutually beneficial partnership with Flybe and look forward to having the team join forces with us to provide great customer service and support to Flybe’s customers.”

For more information about Sitel, visit www.sitel.com.

Semcon Engineers Receive Award from Ford

Two software integration engineers from Leavesden Park-based company Semcon Engineering have been presented with an award by Ford.

As well as undertaking project work for manufacturers and suppliers to the automotive industry from their office in Leavesden Park, Semcon Engineering UK Ltd also arranges contracts for engineers in a variety of automotive industries and a range of countries.

Anuradhilka Uppuluri and Leena Jolly are two of Semcon’s software integration engineers, members of a team based at Ford in Dunton. In October this team was presented with a Ford award for their work supporting a hot climate vehicle testing exercise which was carried out in the USA.

Anu (second left) and Leena (fourth left) are seen here with the Head of Ford’s global powertrain control systems engineering department, (far right) and Richard Springall of Semcon Engineering UK Ltd (far left).

Christmas Fayre gets Leavesden Park into the true spirit of Christmas

With 25 shopping days left until Christmas the high street came to Leavesden Park on 29 November when staff were able to buy everything from clothes and accessories to books and plants at a special Christmas Fayre.

A steady flow of visitors came along to browse and buy from a wonderful selection of stall holders. These included Captain Tortue clothing, jewellery, local gift shop Desire & Design, handbags and scarves from Love Bumble, poinsettias from Leavesden Park gardeners Urban Planters, The Book People, home created silk flowers in aid of charity and nail products and gifts by Jaeger Beautique.

In the true spirit of Christmas there was also a charity raffle in aid of Leavesden Park occupier the Alzheimer’s Society. Over £280 was raised with a fantastic 32” flatscreen TV donated by Leavesden Park company BrightHouse as first prize along with 21 other prizes. Winners came from many companies on the park including BrightHouse, Arkady Feed and Semcon, along with a stall holder from Design & Design and Leavesden Park gardener Steve.

Says Estate Administrator Karen Yadav, who has organised the Fayre along with colleague Cynthia Hooper : “The fayre offered staff a great opportunity to find some lovely Christmas gifts without the usual Christmas shopping hassles, as well as raise money for a really good cause. Thanks to everyone who donated the wonderful prizes, the stall holders and everyone who supported the event buying gifts and raffle tickets. We’re now looking forward to next week’s Carol Singing.”

Click here to view the gallery.

XOR named in 2012 Deloitte UK Technology Fast 50

XOR Professional Services, based at Leavesden Park, has been ranked Number 17 in the 2012 Deloitte Technology Fast 50, a ranking of the 50 fastest-growing technology companies in the UK. Rankings are based on percentage revenue growth over five years. XOR grew 1196 percent during this period.

XOR’s Managing Director, Premkumar Subramanian, credits the company’s quality of specialist technical services and the increasing need for services in the UK reseller channel with the company’s 1196% revenue growth over the past five years. He said, “Our ability to assist our partners grow their business in a tough economic climate, coupled with the exceptional quality in our services has helped us achieve this phenomenal growth. We work passionately every single day to help us partners succeed which has in-turn helped with our own success.”

“Our success also demonstrates a growing need for independent services in the reseller channel. We intend to continue this aggressive growth over next three years”

David Halstead, Partner leading the Deloitte Technology Fast 50, said: “The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 gives great profile to technology companies and is internationally recognised as being one of the most important business awards in the sector”

“Achieving sustained revenue growth of 1196 over five years is a tremendous accomplishment “XOR’s exceptional growth puts it in select company.”

The full list of this year’s winners and winner breakdown by region and sector is available at www.fast50.co.uk

Head Offices Watford

Leavesden Park, Watford is one of eight Business Estates managed by MEPC. A 300 acre business park located just north of Watford city centre. We currently have exciting pre-let offices opportunities for headquarters style offices here in Watford

Headquarters Watford

Sitel Honoured with prestigious CCA Global Standard Accreditation

Sitel, a leading customer care outsourcing provider based at Leavesden Park, Watford, has received Global Standard© Accreditation from the CCA - the leading authority on customer contact strategies and operations. The CCA has more than 15 years' experience and is recognised as the definitive source for research, analysis and expertise in the field. Launched in 2001, the Global Standard© is a key set of principles defined by industry experts, assessed every three years to ensure continual improvement to customer service. Accreditation represents a prestigious quality seal for Sitel as well as an ongoing commitment to best practise.

Independent auditors for the CCA carried out a rigorous assessment of Sitel's contact centres in Newcastle upon Tyne, Stratford upon Avon and Watford, with sites in Exeter and Kingston upon Thames also evaluated. Performance was evaluated in several categories: measuring innovation, enterprise, professional standards, social responsibility, training and customer satisfaction. Recommendations were subsequently made to the CCA Accreditation Panel, and the Global Standard© was granted in recognition of Sitel's provision of excellent customer service, across multiple channels and languages for all five UK sites. Sitel now joins an exclusive network of contact centres including Tesco, UCAS and the Financial Services Authority.

Rob Pike, Chair of the CCA Standards Council said: "We are delighted to announce that Sitel has met the CCA Global Standard. This honour is a clear recognition of the commitment and drive demonstrated by Sitel in working towards improving standards and customer experience across the organisation."

"Sitel is proud to be recognised by the CCA Standards Council for our rigorous dedication to high standards," said Lawrence Fenley, General Manager UK & Ireland at Sitel. "Being named in this prestigious group of contact centres underscores the hard work and dedication of every Sitel employee in the pursuit of excellent customer service."

About Sitel
Sitel is a world leader in outsourced customer care services. With over 26 years of industry experience, Sitel has twice been ranked as the top overall call centre outsourcing provider in Datamonitor's annual Black Book of Outsourcing survey. Sitel's 57,000 employees provide clients with predictable and measurable Return on their Customer Investment by building customer loyalty, increasing sales and improving efficiency. Sitel's solutions span 120+ domestic, nearshore, and offshore centers in 25 countries across North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia Pacific. Sitel is privately held and majority owned by Canadian diversified company, Onex Corporation.
For more information, please visit www.sitel.com.