Mastering the art of promotional handling: Building supplier relationships, empowering teams and surpassing customer expectations.
From the blog series: 30 Years of customer service success – insights from the team.
Background:
John Churchill is the Operations Director for MRM and focusses his life on delivering exceptional customer service across the wide range of business activities. In this blog John takes us through the operation and commercial expectation of promotional handling.
“In today’s fast-paced world, society expects instant service. Orders placed before 10am are often delivered the same day, a standard MRM constantly strives to meet. For our partners, a fully integrated solution from order capture to dispatch ensures reliability and consistency.”
About the author
I’m John Churchill, the Operations Manager for MRM. I joined the company five years ago, bringing a wealth of experience from my engineering background and logistics trades. My career has always been driven by a passion for problem-solving and efficiency. When I stepped into this role, I saw an exciting opportunity to dive into a logistics-focused environment that matched my strengths and challenged me. I’ve enjoyed shaping processes to deliver gains that keep the business ahead, allowing me to grow and contribute in meaningful ways.
About MRM – Multi Resource Marketing
MRM (Multi Resource Marketing) has been a leader in promotional support services and fulfilment for over 30 years. As a member of the Institute of Promotional Marketing (IPM), MRM collaborates with major marketing agencies and some of the world’s largest brands. The unique diversity of skills and expertise under one roof sets MRM apart.
The SLA – Service level agreement and exceeding customer expectations
In today’s fast-paced world, society expects instant service. Orders placed before 10am are often delivered the same day, a standard MRM constantly strives to meet. For our partners, a fully integrated solution from order capture to dispatch ensures reliability and consistency. MRM excels in balancing flexibility with structure, allowing us to react swiftly to exceptions and maintain realistic lead times. Exceeding customer expectations is not just a goal—it is the core of our operations.
Being part of big brand success
A few years into my tenure at MRM, we faced a logistical “perfect storm” when two major clients’ campaigns overlapped unexpectedly. The first, a major fundraising event for a charity, was in full flow, and this coincided with a national retailer bringing forward their Christmas campaign by a month, resulting in an additional 8,000 to 10,000 orders daily. We responded with immediate action, securing 12 additional staff and creating a new night shift to clear the backlog. It was a true team effort, and looking back, it is a moment that makes me incredibly proud of our achievements at MRM under pressure.
Keeping the plates spinning
Success in logistics hinges on strong supplier relationships, effective workforce utilisation and data-driven operations. Our key supplier relationships ensure we deliver on our commitments, while our flexible team handles diverse tasks that no robot could replicate. With the support of MRM’s IT department, we developed a reporting system called Gauge, which provides real-time insights into our operations, helping us stay on track and deliver consistent, high-quality service.
Where next?
Looking ahead, we’re exploring further investments in manual handling equipment like additional conveyor belts and cherry pickers to improve workflow. Succession planning is also a priority as I prepare for my eventual ‘well earned’ retirement! Finding the right candidate to take over is crucial—someone who shares our passion and commitment to excellence. It is an exciting time for MRM, and I’m confident our future remains bright.