Raising the Standard

Managing Director David Dickson emphasizes the importance of ‘putting the Customer First’:

Here at Garbutt & Elliott we are committed to keeping levels of client service at the highest possible level, recently becoming one of the first firms of Independent Accountants to achieve Customer First Accreditation.

The roots of the concept of ‘putting the Customer First’ were developed in the Yorkshire & Humber region in 1999 through the business competitiveness group, meanwhile in London a quality working group was developed from the London Business Support Network. In 2001 the two regions joined together to agree a quality framework for the provision of publicly-funded business support, in 2003 Putting the Customer First was formally registered.

Recently the accreditation framework of ‘putting the Customer First’ was piloted across a small number of accountancy firms in the Yorkshire and Humber region and in London. The ICAEW ( Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) and Customer First Chief Executive Hannah Brindle worked closely together to test the scheme for its applicability to accountancy firms. The belief is that by chartered accountancy firms working to achieve the Customer First standard, an industry standard of service delivery will be encouraged.

Customer first is more than just a quality stamp and the concept supports continual review and development to ensure the best possible service is delivered to customers.

Garbutt & Elliott took part in the ‘putting the Customer First’ accreditation process early this year, which involved the assessment of client relationships, market awareness and how staff are trained and motivated through an intensive interview and assessment process with all areas of the team being assessed. At Garbutt & Elliott we pride ourselves in maintaining an excellent degree of client care, ensuring all clients’ needs are met. The ‘putting the Customer First’ assessment allowed us to review and implement changes in the way we develop and manage our client relationships in order that we may further improve our service to clients. Customer First Assessor, Andrea Stephenson commented, ‘Garbutt and Elliott are committed to continuously improving and developing their service and their people and are very open to new suggestions and ways of working.’

As one of only four accountancy firms in the UK to achieve the ‘putting the Customer First’ accreditation, it is important we continue to maintain our standards so that our clients receive the best possible service. If anyone has any comments on our service, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

We would like to thank all our staff and clients who made this award of excellence possible.