Since the UK went into lockdown, due to COVID-19, we wanted to reflect on how our colleagues have adapted to working from home, and are supporting our clients at this exceptional time.
At Brown Shipley we remain focused on earning your trust, and providing you with the highest standard of personal service. Our unwavering goal, is to be a partner that listens carefully and supports what really matters to you and your family, in terms of your wealth management needs. Whilst we’ve not been able to see you during this period of time, due to the social distancing measures, we wanted to share with you some examples of how our colleagues are supporting you, from their new working environment….from their kitchen table, to yours.
Name: Sandra Dailidyte
Role: Client Senior Manager
Usual Office Location: Edinburgh
The most important thing for me in the current environment, is to be on the front line contacting my clients and keeping them up-to-date on the market. Every client is different in terms of their individual needs, so knowing my clients is key. I make sure I understand what information they need, and tailor my calls accordingly.
Name: Phil Harris
Role: Private Client Director
Brown Shipley Office: Leeds
Due to the current situation, I’ve had to rethink how I currently support my clients. I’ve adapted lots of processes, to ensure my clients get everything they need and their service remains seamless.
Thankfully most of my clients, have opted to go paperless, but others have very quickly become accustomed to receiving emailed documents. I have found that providing everything 24 hours ahead of a call gives clients the ability to pause and think. This has led to some more challenging questions on market conditions and positioning, but this provides us with the opportunity to demonstrate our investment insights.
Name: Duncan Cowburn
Role: Private Client Director
Brown Shipley Office: Manchester
Working from home with digital technology has been seamless. I have continued to service my clients, and have found it uplifting listening to their stoicism, and how they are coping with isolation. Whilst stock markets around the world have depreciated, I have communicated to my clients what we did pre COVID-19, and also what action we have taken during it, to not only protect portfolios, but what we see as key areas to focus on moving forward.
Furthermore, our team have a daily video conference to discuss workloads and how we are all coping. I often refer to it as my Brown Shipley second family!
![width=500 height=667 /></strong><br/><br/><strong>Name:</strong> Rebecca Williams<br/><br/><strong>Role:</strong> Private Client Director<br/><br/><strong>Brown Shipley Office:</strong> London<br/><br/>Keeping in touch with clients, and being responsive to their needs is at the heart of what we do, and I’ll admit to being apprehensive when setting up my new ‘office’ at our kitchen table. I’ve been surprised at how quickly I have adapted to it, using conference calls, email, investment updates and social media to stay in touch with clients and colleagues. We’ve all had to learn to be more flexible in the way we communicate and that’s a great skill we can continue to use when we get back into the office.<br/><br/>Each week since the lock down, the wealth planning team has been talking to clients, not only about the current situation but about other concerns including retirement and income planning, estate planning, tax efficient investing and reviewing wealth plans. The whole team have pulled together, to make sure our clients receive the support and reassurance they need right now.<br/><br/> <br/><br/><img class=alignnone wp-image-6037 data-cke-saved-src=https://brownshipley.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_0593.jpg src=https://brownshipley.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_0593.jpg alt=](https://brownshipley.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IMG_0443-767x1024.jpg)
Name: Gary Rusby
Role: Business Development Manager
Brown Shipley Office: Nottingham
As a Business Development Manager, my role is heavily focused on building meaningful relationships, which includes attending events and lots of face-to-face meetings. Initially, at the start of the pandemic, everything just stopped, due to the social distancing, but over the last few weeks everyone has found new ways to interact and come together online. I’m now using Zoom and having virtual chats around the table and I’ve even got a Facebook networking session, with a local society, later this week. Maintaining regular interaction, with my business contacts is essential, and I’m embracing a new digital way of working.
![width=500 height=353 /><br/><br/><strong>Name: </strong>Yvonne Laing<br/><br/><strong>Role: </strong>Receptionist<br/><br/><strong>Brown Shipley Office: London</strong><br/><br/>I usually work on the reception desk in the London office, greeting clients and business contacts that come into the office along with directing them and any calls appropriately. Whilst I’m now working from home, reassuring our clients who call in, is key for me right now. I do everything possible to ensure their messages get through to the right person and that they get a call back. It’s lovely to speak to our clients and everyone is so supportive right now. It definitely helps to brighten my day.<br/><br/> <br/><br/><img class=alignnone wp-image-6039 data-cke-saved-src=https://brownshipley.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/WFH-Hong-2-1024x768.jpg src=https://brownshipley.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/WFH-Hong-2-1024x768.jpg alt=](https://brownshipley.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/BS_SM_1207_1205-1024x724.jpg)
Name: Hong Tran
Role: Senior Administrator
Usual Office Location: London
The client servicing team has really come together to ensure all accounts are opened on time, especially meeting the deadlines for the tax year end for our clients. This has been achieved by effective communication and putting customers at the forefront of our minds. We have also provided ongoing support to our clients for My Brown Shipley, ensuring we respond to enquires efficiently via telephone or email, and taking full ownership of any issues and resolving them in a timely manner.
I have absolutely embraced working from home and it’s definitely helped to bring all our colleagues together. We all been working collaboratively to provide excellent service to our clients during this difficult time.