Operations Manager at Green Energy Advice Bureau- Terrie Balfour- shares insights into her role and her most memorable day at GEAB.
The part I play in the GEAB team involves…
Looking after our customers from the point of sale throughout their contract. As Operations Manager, I look after three divisions making up our customer experience team. My job is about 50% account management, and 50% sales. I’ve been in this industry for a long time now, and although I’ve climbed the ranks and explored various roles, I’ve never fully stepped away from sales. I have a large portfolio of clients, and my priority is always keeping those customers at the front of my day-to-day.
I’ve been in this industry for about 15 years now. I have worked for suppliers, but working for a broker has been much more dynamic. As part of our service, we actually do a lot of the work suppliers would normally take on, to make sure we can commit to the best customer experience possible post-sale. Most of this work sits in our team, and we manage every touch point from pricing, tenders, credit checks, compliance, live rate – the list goes on. I think that’s what I love most about my role at GEAB: every day is different and there’s anyways a new learning curve.
The most surprising thing I’ve learnt about commercial energy during my time at GEAB is…
The number of things that can go wrong, or can change when it comes to energy suppliers and contracts, and how much all of this can vary depending on the supplier you’re with. It is incredibly complicated, and the biggest learning curve for me wasn’t about the product itself, but the different companies we needed to work with.
Every day is a new challenge here, just when you think you’ve seen it all, a tricky contract or negotiation crops up and you need to find new solutions for clients. That’s what makes this job interesting, and our continuous effort to expand our product and supplier knowledge is why customers keep returning to us to source their contracts. Gaining the repeated trust from clients is the biggest win from all the confusion in this industry.
The most memorable day I’ve had so far at GEAB was when…
We launched our Superhero theme this month. We’ve been running tournaments and incentives all month, including a redecorated office and costume days. GEAB constantly strives to improve employee engagement – it has always been a key part of this company, making sure that everyone has a good time when they come to work. We also had a trip to the York races earlier this year, that was an amazing day. We work hard, but we know how to have fun.
I also recently went down to visit one of my longest clients, St. Oswald’s Hospice, where we have donated lots of furniture for their new office. I love working for a company who supports and invests in client relationships. GEAB are always willing to support local businesses, and encourage us as account managers to get to know the people behind the contract. We’ve sponsored football teams and charity events, and it means our teams see the real impact our work has on the lives of business owners in the local community. GEAB are more than just an energy consultancy, they collaborate with businesses to help in whichever way they can.
On my days off, I like to…
Spend time with my family. I also own a sweetshop called The Chocolate Box, which my daughter runs, so I help her with that on the weekends. When we aren’t working, we take short breaks away in our caravan.
Something my team might not know about me is…
That I have my own paddleboard and love spending my free time in the water. I also used to own a motorbike, I’m quite the closet thrill-seeker.
