How Kieran O’Hara of Palmers in Australia benefitted from the 2016 conference season.
Business travel is more than just handshakes and business meetings. It should be about learning, understanding and the expansion of ideas. Andre Gide the French Author and Nobel prize winner in literature once said, “Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” For Palmers Relocations of Sydney Australia, there was certainly a lot of ocean to view during their first attendance at the BAR conference in London followed by the Euromovers 2016 conference in Helsinki, Finland.
It was Kieran O’Hara, General Manager, who made the European trip. Kieran quickly took to the task of understanding the needs, business practices and developments of the UK & European market. The goal: to take something beneficial back home. And so he did – it was Peter Gawthrop of QSS (Quality Service Standards Ltd) the UK-based subsidiary of BAR specialising in providing affordable audit and certification services for the moving and storage industry.
After discussing his intentions with Chris Waymouth, Chief Executive, QSS, and Peter, a plan was quickly hatched to become the first Australian provider to achieve BS 8564 British overseas removal standards. This was successfully implemented in early August with the view to expand on this with further Standard approvals next year.
“This means a lot to both our customers and our business partners,” explained Kieran. “It enables both ourselves and our UK & Europe-based partners to provide the transferee with the assurance that they will receive the same standard of quality and care at both ends of the move.”
While travelling, Kieran also met TransPak, a provider of materials for local moving. TransPak now provides prefabricated moving blankets to Palmers. This allows the company to safely and effectively wrap and load furnishings, minimizing the risk of damage and providing long-term cost savings. Where previously the service standard was to have two movers bringing out the goods to the truck whilst a third man would wrap, stack and load the truck, now all three movers utilise the pre-fabricated wraps to cover furnishings in the home. This ensures customers' possessions, as well as door trimmings and walls, are protected both in the home and in the truck.
The Mover has frequently championed the benefits of attending international conferences that provide the opportunity to learn new ideas and make valuable contacts. Kieran’s experiences this year clearly demonstrate the wisdom of this approach.