20 Years at MRM: From Boots to Balloons – My Unexpected Career Journey
From the blog series: 30 Years of customer service success – insights from the team.
Background:
Yvonne King is MRM’s Head of Client Services, responsible for a team of client managers and call centre staff working at the heart of production and order fulfilment.
About the author
If you’d told me 25 years ago, I’d be leading the client service team at MRM, I’d have laughed and gone back to stacking shelves at Boots. This career path wasn’t part of my plan at all.
I started at Boots the chemist and after having my children, I took a temporary Christmas job at a small handling company near home for a bit of extra money. They asked me back after Christmas and I ended up staying for years.
I worked through every department, post room, production, customer service, client services and eventually becoming General Manager. That company was part of the Weetabix group, but when it was sold to an American firm, the site closed.
MRM, A New Opening
That’s when MRM approached me. Some of the services we used to run were moving over here and they needed someone to help set up the customer service team. I thought, “Why not?” …and here I am, 20 years later.
I now head up the client service team at MRM and my role is really about supporting the team, supporting our clients and ensuring we maintain strong, collaborative relationships. I’m always looking at how we can improve services, offer new solutions and adapt to changing needs. The job is never the same two days in a row and that’s a big part of why I enjoy it so much.
A Job Like No Other
Client Services is a bit of a unique department. We’re essentially the meat in the sandwich. We’re part of MRM, yes, but we’re also the voice of the client. We work on their behalf, finding the best solutions, managing the logistics, communicating updates, watching out for trends in the market and advising on new tools or services. It’s busy, challenging and full of variety, which is exactly why I still love it.
I’ve been involved in so many great projects in my time at MRM, some that we turn around in less than a few days and some that form a bedrock of regular business, transforming and evolving with each client consultation.
Take the Department of Health’s initiative ‘Healthy Start’ that ran for over 12 years. MRM processed over 36 million vouchers encouraging low-income families to focus on nutritious food options through designated retailers. We repaid retailers over £110 million directly from the governments trading account. Uniquely, the client services team developed the skills to sell the benefits of the initiative to a range of retailers in each area across the UK, building trust and ensuring redeemed vouchers were efficiently refunded. It hadn’t been done before!
Projects that Stick with You
One standout project that will always stick with me was with Walkers. We ran a huge promotion where you could win an iPod every hour. It was that hectic. We had a big team making outbound calls to the winners. A lovely part of the job because people don’t expect to win, let alone get a call telling them they have! It was a big, busy campaign, but one of those high-energy projects that’s genuinely fun to be a part of.
Then there are the completely random ones like the Peppa Pig campaign, a gender reveal package containing a helium ‘pink powder’ filled balloon along with an assortment of baby gifts and lotions. A client asked us, “Can you do this?” It was a PR stunt tied to a big TV campaign. We were just one cog in the machine, but it was exciting to be involved. Those curveball jobs are some of my favourites, they challenge us to think on our feet and adapt quickly.
I’m currently collaborating with one of Europe’s leading retailers on activations and fulfilment in Germany, with similar initiatives taking shape in the UK. It’s a rewarding partnership that energises our team and continually pushes us to excel.
What’s Next for Client Services?
Looking forward, things are changing and fast. There’s AI, new technologies, evolving client expectations and we’re doing our best to stay ahead of it all. One big change we’ve embraced recently is Project Blueprint. It’s a new system that streamlines how we brief out work to the wider business. In the past, we’d write the brief, set things up in the system, raise the GRNs and it was a lot of duplication. Now, with Blueprint, we input everything in one place and it automatically creates the brief and sends it to all the relevant teams.
It’s improving communication and creating stronger links across departments. It even connects to our quoting system now and in the future, we’re looking at it handling invoicing and PO creation too. It’s exciting to see those improvements happening.
As for me? Well, I’m not getting any younger (as much as I hate to admit it!), but I still love what I do. And I’m constantly learning. It’s about growing alongside the team and the industry, staying engaged and continuing to push our clients forward with the support and innovation they need.
Twenty years ago, I had no idea this is where I’d end up – but I’m so glad I did.
Yvonne King, Head of Client Services