Two new staff were appointed on the same day in a move that saw Principle Estate Management’s customer service department grow from four to six team members.
Sophie May has taken on the role of a customer services executive at the Birmingham-based company, while Kiera Hall has joined as a property apprentice.
Ms May, from Sheldon in Birmingham, had spent 18 months as a senior property assistant with a competing estate management company, and before that had four years of customer-facing experience in children’s care, retail and hair salons.
Ms Hall, from Great Barr in Birmingham, has had two years of experience working in customer-facing roles for a leading high street chemists.
Michelle Cox, customer services manager at Principle, said: “We’re delighted to welcome both Sophie and Kiera onto our team.
“We knew we needed to expand the customer service department to meet the increased growth of the business, and both Sophie and Kiera stood out as the ‘right people’ during the recruitment process.
“Sophie’s previous experience in the property sector made her ideal, plus she’s also had customer-facing experience in retail which is valuable as our customer service team is often the first point of contact for both customers and contractors.
“Kiera’s experience in retail also made her ideal to start as an apprentice, and we were pleased to recruit her via the Protocol Group in Birmingham, which has previously successfully found two other apprentices for us.
“It was essential to find people with the right experience so that we continue to provide a great service to our customers, and we are sure both Sophie and Kiera will do well in their new roles.”
Ms Cox added: “These appointments have enabled us to pair all of our six property managers with an experienced customer services executive, each with a dedicated apprentice.
“We can see this structure working really well and enabling our people to get a really good working knowledge of their allocated properties together with specific client and customer requirements.”
Ms May said: “Property management is my chosen profession and I had heard great things about how successful Principle is from a couple of people I knew who worked there.
“I was delighted when I was offered the job and can already see that it is a supportive environment where I will be able to thrive.”
Ms Hall, who is studying for a NVQ in Customer Service, said: “I have been with Principle for a couple of weeks now and I’m really enjoying it. Everyone is really friendly and helpful.
“I have had a lot of training already so that I understand the basics and am looking forward to learning more.”
Principle was launched in 2018 by Brett Williams, a past-chairman of the Association of Residential Managing Agents who has nearly 30 years of experience in the sector.
The Birmingham-based company has grown from what was virtually a one-man band two-and-a-half years ago into what is now 28 staff looking after a portfolio approaching 6,500 units in around 250 developments across the UK.
