When Kate Locke, Director at Next Technology, first thought about having ultra-fast broadband fibre installed, she initially put it in the too hard basket.

“It was about two and a half years ago, it was quite difficult to get the information from various companies that were offering it, and they said it was going to be three and a half months on average to install - which we thought was a bit ludicrous - so we just continued using hard drives to transport stuff,” Kate said.

That’s despite the fact that Next Technology specialises in format transfers from tapes to files and vice versa, makes Blu-rays and DVDs, and works with film companies and television programme makers to form their content to screen – all processes that could significantly benefit from ultra-fast fibre.

Ken Tunnicliffe, Vodafone’s Enterprise Director, said Vodafone was determined to make the process easier for businesses.

“We know that the speed of fibre is increasingly vital for more and more businesses who are working with cloud based solutions and expecting real time collaboration capability,” Ken said.

When Kate made the decision last year to get fibre installed, her order was included in the pilot trial of Vodafone’s new solution to making the process simpler – the dedicated Fibre Install Manager.

It comes after Vodafone surveyed customers about what they most wanted in order to make the move to fibre.

“What really shone through was a personal relationship, someone they could turn to, who would manage the process end to end and take accountability,” Ken said.

The Fibre Install Manger makes contact once the order is submitted, steering the process through the length of time the install takes. The business is given a personalised phone number and email address to reach their manager – any time.

When Kate’s Fibre Install Manager, Charmaine Micklewright, (pictured above) made contact it helped enormously.

“She was like a representative for us, and a good consistent point of contact. She always persevered and resolved the problem. Vodafone’s offering clients a very valuable service,” Kate added.

Bryan Munro, Vodafone’s Head of Enterprise Care said that reaction was universal from the pilot customers.

“They had trust and confidence that they would be notified of what was going on, and kept in the loop for timeframes. It cut down calls as the information was proactive.

“With this new service every fibre customer will have someone keeping them front of mind at all times,” added Bryan.

For Bryan it’s also an investment in people – both the customer who is getting what they want and need, and the Fibre Install Managers who are delighted to own the process, and achieve the best solution.

Charmaine thinks of herself as guiding the customer on their journey.

“I email or ring often, to make sure that I’m top of everything they will need as fast as I can. That way they know that I want to help them so much. But it’s about listening to the customer and knowing what they want. They liked getting regular updates,” Charmaine said.

Her dedication to the role saw her treat each business as a top priority.

“I’m pleased that Vodafone provides that service because as a customer yourself, you want one person inside the organisation to take ownership,” she said.

Next Technology Director Kate Locke agrees.

“Somebody who fills the role that Charmaine does is vital. Absolutely vital.”

“Knowing that you’re able to make someone’s life easier, and that I’ve done my best to help. That is satisfying,” Charmaine added.

From 20th February every business that signs up to a Vodafone Business Fibre plan will receive, free of charge, a dedicated Fibre Install Manager like Charmaine, who takes the responsibility for set-up.

For more information on how a Fibre Install Manager can help your business, visit http://www.vodafone.co.nz/fibreforbusiness