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www.verbatim-cc.co.uk
the guide to outsourcing
Volkswagen PR’s weapon of choice
Volkswagen's head of PR, Paul Bucket, tells Victoria Harwood why
his five year relationship with Verbatim has kept him in the news…
VH: Why does Verbatim’s personal touch work so well for VW?
Paul Bucket: That’s about understanding your customers. Ours are journalists and they want rapid, instant results. We
wouldn’t want to fall short of this. We hate voicemail and journalists hate voicemail. They can’t afford to miss deadlines
waiting for a response from us. Verbatim provide the reassurance of always dealing with a responsive human being. Any
message that Verbatim take is delivered personally, which means that we can respond swiftly. The journalists we deal
with appreciate that they can always get hold of us promptly when they need to.
VH: Why did you decide to outsource?
Paul Bucket: People hate voicemail. Paddy Hopkirk, the rally driver, recommended Verbatim’s service to me and I
always respect his judgement. We take pride in providing a good service and we have no reservations at all about the
excellent service we’ve received from Verbatim. We needed to entrust a third party to take the calls we couldn’t answer
courteously and efficiently. We’ve used the Verbatim service for five years and I can recommend it without hesitation, as it
enables us to retain our high standards and our reputation.
VH: What is the most valuable aspect of the service?
Paul Bucket: It’s a given that messages never go astray. We take pride in the fact that people know us personally. If
someone who knows us phones the office and speaks to a Verbatim receptionist, they always assume that they are
dealing with a colleague who is not part of my immediate team. This is invaluable to us as our customers always feel that
they are dealing with Volkswagen.
VH: What sets Verbatim apart from other telephone reception services?
Paul Bucket: The Verbatim service is truly invisible to callers. We appreciate the seamless integration with our staff and
our ethos. The receptionists at Verbatim sound as though they are sitting in the office with us. This effect is achieved by a
mix of the type of person that Verbatim employ, combined with their excellent technical infrastructure.
VH: How has the service benefited Volkswagen?
Paul Bucket: We can handle calls to the press office in-house, the benefit is the fact that callers always get through to a
real person, who sounds as if they are sitting in our office. It’s the quality of response, as well as the fact that we can
respond personally to any enquiry that counts. In our business, rapid response to telephone enquires is of absolute
importance - voicemail is an inadequate last resort. The Verbatim service bridges this gap perfectly. “…. We’ve used the
Verbatim service for
five years and I can
recommend it without
hesitation, as it enables
us to retain our high
standards and our
reputation.”
Paul Bucket, head of PR
Volkswagen
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