Parkdean Resorts’ award-winning Customer Engagement Centre, located in its Newcastle central support office, has promoted of Louise Harrison to Head of Customer Operations.
Having worked in the role of Customer Service Operations Manager since September 2020 and managed the customer service and customer experience support teams, as well as the company’s customer insight function, Louise’s commitment and hard work have seen her rise through the ranks at Parkdean to now take on a leading role.
In her new role, Louise will be responsible for both the sales and service departments, covering all parts of the holidaymaker journey including new bookings, amendments, queries and customer support, and will be supported by two Operations Managers to oversee a team of 150.
Parkdean Resorts’ Customer Engagement Centre has ambitious plans, and Louise will play a key role in spearheading the day-to-day operational leadership of the department, ensuring customer contact is optimised and customer needs are met.
The team at the Customer Engagement Centre are still riding high following their recent win at the prestigious National Contact Centre of the Year Awards, where Parkdean Resorts was named Small Contact Centre of the Year.
The team impressed the judges with their dedication to exceptional service and their contribution to Parkdean Resorts’ impressive commercial results, and areas of operation that came in for particular praise include the development and deployment of techniques and practices to deliver increased customer contact, including making sure customers are well equipped with relevant information and signposting.
Parkdean Resorts is the UK’s leading holiday park operator with 66 parks across the UK, including five in Northumberland and Durham, and is a major employer in the community, with more than 1,200 employees in the North East.
Catherine Lynn, Chief Customer Officer, Parkdean Resorts, said: “We’re thrilled to have promoted Louise to Head of Customer Operations. She was thrown in at the deep end when she joined the business during the pandemic and was faced with communicating the various Government-led changes to our holidaymakers, and she has worked extremely hard and has demonstrated a real commitment to our customers.
'Louise has also played a pivotal role in re-shaping the voice of our customer programme and in streamlining the feedback journey from our customers which has been hugely important for our business.
“Louise was recently shortlisted for the Customer Champion Award at the UK Contact Centre Awards which is testament to the fantastic work she has been doing, and her strong eye for detail and passion for delivering amazing customer experiences demonstrate her tenacity for this role. This promotion is richly deserved and we wish Louise every success.”
Louise added, “I’m delighted to have been promoted to Head of Customer Operations and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into my new role.
'I’m passionate about helping our customers through every step of their journey with us so they can go on to create amazing memories at our parks, and I love the feeling of satisfaction that comes with knowing we’ve helped this happen.”
In April, Parkdean Resorts announced a record £140m nationwide investment programme to improve the guest experience. The investment includes new developments at 16 parks, over 850 new caravans and lodges, and hundreds of refreshed and upgraded chalets and lodges with a brand-new look.
In addition, 13 parks have received new pitches and developments in 2022, offering a rare opportunity to become a proud holiday home owner in some of Parkdean Resorts’ most exclusive settings. On top of this, £6m has also been spent on connectivity projects, meaning that employee Wi-Fi has now been installed at 65 parks, with direct-to-van Wi-Fi to be available in 50 parks by the end of the year.
Last year, Parkdean Resorts created 2,000 jobs, taking its total number of employees in peak season to 10,000. More than 375 trainees joined via the Government’s Kickstart scheme, with 550 more trainees to be recruited this year and given the chance to launch a new career with the UK’s leading holiday park business.
The company has also partnered with Cranfield University to create a first-of-its-kind Mastering Business Leadership programme, providing elite leadership and management training for future leaders within the business.