Churchill Knight and Associates Ltd are pleased to announce that we’ve been shortlisted for both the Medium Business of the Year Award and the Training and Development Award at the Hertfordshire Business Awards 2011.
The Medium Business of the Year Award is open to any business that has a turnover of £2m-£20m, whose growth, drive and quality of management has led to its success.
The key aspects of the award include a strong performance in a particular market and the provision of employment and training opportunities.
We are proud to be a finalist in this category and feel we deserve to win the award.
We have worked hard to reach our goals and have come a long way since the company was founded 13 years ago, with just one staff member. Now we are a team of over 75 employees, each of whom are committed to delivering a high level of service.
With this commitment in mind, it is no wonder why our client base is growing so rapidly. Since the start of the year, it has risen by over 15%.
On top of this, a massive 75% of new clients that join us do so as a result of a direct recommendation.
Despite our growing success though, we are still continually looking for ways to improve. Our dedicated Customer Service department help to identify areas in which staff may require further training and we’re all involved in the development of our systems and processes to better cater to our client’s needs. From minor system changes that enable us to work more efficiently to the creation of the SDE, which was launched following a number of client requests for somewhere to view particular company documents.
The second award we have been shortlisted for is the Training and Development Award. This award is given to a company that can demonstrate a high standard of employee training and development.
The company owners of Churchill Knight and Associates Ltd put a lot of emphasis on personal development so that we, as a company, can improve. They understand the vital connection between team members’ abilities and the performance of the organisation as a whole.
To ensure we are the best we can be, there is a high level of staff training provided, both in-house and externally. Sponsorship programmes are also offered to support employees in achieving professional qualifications; such as AAT, CIMA and ACCA.
Training and development is considered fundamental to Churchill Knight and Associates Ltd; not only because it helps staff members to progress, but also because it’s highly beneficial to our clients. Training in other departments ensures we each have a greater understanding of the business as a whole; which in turn leads to better customer service.
We’re all extremely excited to be nominated in these two categories and would like to say a big thanks to all of our clients who have helped us develop over the years.
Company partner, Louise Payne, said: “Churchill Knight entered the Hertfordshire Business Awards at the end of September in two categories.  I had a telephone call last week saying we were finalists in both.†She added: “I was so pleased that our efforts and company had been recognised and feel immensely proud.  Whilst in my heart I knew we would get through, hearing the news was very exciting.â€
The awards presentation is on the 24th of November and is set to be an exciting event. Until then, we’re all just waiting in anticipation.