Our Star of the Month and one of our longest standing employees, Hayley Perrin
Our star of the month celebration is a little bit different this month, as it’s someone rather special. Hayley Perrin is one of Windsor Telecom’s longest standing employees. Hayley’s our Billing and Reports Co-ordinator and has been an essential part of our team and culture here for 15 years. She’s also just celebrated her 60th birthday so you can understand why we want to give her a little more of our time this month. Here’s some words from Hayley herself about life at Windsor and her ever changing role.
“Back in 2007, when I joined Windsor in credit control we knew exactly who we were. The UK’s number one provider of inbound business numbers with a customer portal that was so easy to use that our customers loved us!
I got my first opportunity to progress in 2012 when the company merged its Poole and Farnham offices, and no one wanted to move. It was a stressful time but one that I emerged from in a happy place – as Windsor’s billing manager, a huge step up in responsibility and one that I was determined to succeed in.
And succeed I did. My role changed completely. I had full responsibility for billing our 5,000 customers – some of whom were household brands that I recognised as I walked down the High Street, others were small, local sole traders who were reliant on the number we provided them to run their businesses. There was a steep learning curve – I quickly learned the Ofsted legislation and continued to help across accounts payable and receivable, it was crazy times. But I got there, I relaxed in my role and took it all in my stride. I was a Windsor person through and through.
But in 2019 when Pete Tomlinson, our current CEO joined and we started diversifying our products, having wider conversations and fulfilling more of our customers’ challenges, life at Windsor got even more exciting.
Hayley Perrin |
Then in 2015 I hit a personally difficult time. I got Cancer and it completely changed my outlook on life. Suddenly work wasn’t a big priority, I had to get myself well for my family and my future. I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive team. For over a year they supported me while I battled the Beast – they didn’t know which days I’d feel well enough to work but they never made me feel like I needed to. In a small business of around 30 people this was a huge thing. I knew I was leaving an enormous gap, but they never made me feel like it was an issue. My health and well-being were always their first priority. I’m very lucky that I recovered well and am looking forward to many more exciting years ahead.
To be honest I didn’t notice the change initially. I didn’t notice that customers were looking for new solutions and that the cloud was the future. But in 2019 when Pete Tomlinson, our current CEO joined and we started diversifying our products, having wider conversations and fulfilling more of our customers’ challenges, life at Windsor got even more exciting.
In the last couple of years, we’ve completed three acquisitions – they’ve brought with them new billing systems, new processes, new ways for me to learn. I’ve got less than ten years left working but I still want to feel challenged by the work I do and excited about every day.
So, a little bit more about me; I love arts and crafts – my craft room is my sanctuary. As well as doing all sorts of crafts for fun, such as resin pieces, paper craft and jewellery, I also run a small jewellery and crafts business in my spare time. And of course, my large family and dog keep me busy and give me lots of reasons to smile.
I’m really honoured to still receive that praise you often seek when you are new to a role all these years into my job role and can’t wait to see what new projects and challenges are in store for me in my future years at Windsor Telecom.”
Thank you Hayley for being such a rock for the company and for all your years of service and dedication. It most certainly doesn’t go unnoticed – we look forward to your future with us and to see what the next few years bring.
