Ian Reynolds-Young
It’s said that in times of trouble, you really find out about people. The ups and downs at SnackTime have been well documented these past couple of years and throughout those uncertain times, the loyalty of staff was as valuable to management as the loyalty of customers.
That’s why CEO Mark Stone decided to take Vendies nominations very seriously. ‘To identify just two entrants, an engineer and an operator, would have been impossible, when we have so many we think deserve to be saluted’, he said. ‘So, we had our own secret ballot amongst colleagues and we consulted with our clients in order to ensure that our nominees were ‘the popular choice’.’
The fact that both the operator – Lisa Blythe, and the engineer, Dave Bryant – won their categories, was a major cause for celebration on the SnackTime table at the Vendies Awards.
‘It’s fantastic’, Mark said in the chaos. ‘I’m really pleased for both of them but this news will spread through the business like wildfire and it’ll inspire everybody.’
The ‘Route Operator of the Year – sponsored by Vendman’, Lisa Blythe, knows the business inside out after 20 years at the helm. ‘She’s always bubbly, always cheerful and always eager to help’, Mark said. ‘Lisa delivers customer service that really is second to none. It’s trite to say ‘she goes the extra mile’ but here is an operator who is fastidious in her approach to cleanliness, health and hygiene. The machines under her supervision are pristine and inviting, and the sales achieved through her machines reflect the confidence of the end-user customers.’
A popular winner in the category ‘Service Engineer of the Year – sponsored by N&W’, Dave Bryant has been with the company for ten years. ‘He’s synonymous with SnackTime throughout his patch’, Mark said. ‘He’s not just a Service Engineer; he’s our in-house expert, the man who deals with the applications when we’re hiring engineers. To say that he’s well thought of by customers and colleagues alike would be to do him a disservice: actually, they admire him.’
‘Were all really delighted for Lisa and Dave’, Mark said. ‘They really deserve this recognition. They’re not just great adverts for SnackTime, they’re great adverts for the UK vending industry. I’m very, very pleased and relieved that they’re on our team and not a competitor’s.’