Meet the team - Client services manager Beth
If we were to describe Charity Link’s Client Services Manager Beth in one word, it might be ‘extraordinary’. Or maybe badass. Heavily tattooed with striking rainbow hair, dramatic makeup and some 6 foot in height, it’s easy to feel a little bland by comparison. Beth unapologetically owns her space and seems to truly define a fledgling 2022 generation of proud misfits. One of the most multifaceted of our Charity Link people, Beth is certainly not to be underestimated. With intelligence, openness and a fierceness to boot, there is also a cleverly disguised fragility among the many layers that define Beth. We invite you to read on to find out more about this most unique client services manager, not only the most colourful, but among the most motivated and committed too. Beth’s laser focused commitment to please and succeed our charity partners come in equal measure. As we travel up to the 2022 Crufts dog show at the NEC Birmingham to meet fundraisers and charity clients, Beth spills the beans on her role at Charity Link, her biggest loves and future goals.
Where have you come from Beth? Tell us a bit about your history and what you’re into
So workwise, I’ve got a background in customer service. I came out of education and went straight into working for Sainsbury’s customer services, where I picked up the general skills of keeping clients happy.
From there it was from the frying pan into the fire (literally) where I entered hospitality and tried my hand at chefing, front of house and bar management, which was fun while it lasted and taught me all about pressure!
I’ve always been a creative and photography seemed like it was always meant to happen. I built up my own photography company, ending up doing the usual weddings and corporate stuff for a while, but I have to say I prefer keeping photography as hobby largely.
Then a few years ago I kind of ‘fell into’ IT as I started work as an admin assistant for a medium sized company in Hampshire where I live.
It was here that I cut my teeth on a little bit of digital marketing and ended up climbing up the company to account manager. This is where I built upon previous skills and really homed in on the logistics and general client services skills even more. I’m blessed with quite an analytical mind, which comes in handy when recognising patterns in data.
I seem to have a very focused brain – which is actually to my detriment sometimes because I tend to get pretty locked on and forget everything else! My habits seem to be to adopt a complete obsession with whatever I’m into until I’ve mastered it. Once that’s done I kind of move on to the next thing. I like to think of it as ‘collecting’ skills!
A good example of this is my drumming. I’ve been at it since I was a kid and I absolutely love it – it’s the most fantastic coping tool to bash it out and really helps me express myself and heal. When I have a new piece I literally cannot leave it until I’ve got it.
Through my passion for drumming, I’ve found my absolute greatest love - my band, Bad Bitchin’ Hour.
We’re an LGBTQ 5 piece girl band who write and play our own rock music. We released our first album in early 2020 and we’ve just released our second album which we’re totally psyched about!
I get such a kick from performing and I’m especially proud of my original songs. I just love what we’re doing right now and seeing our progress, as well as the incredible bond we all share. I’m an only child, but hanging with these girls feels like I’ve got four sisters!
The band is made up of lead singer Leonie, guitarists Laura and Rebecca, me on drums and then Lara our bassist. We sometimes joke that we’re like this really dark hard-core scary version of the Spice Girls – we have a pretty fierce look and sound… At the same time we laugh because actually we’re all total softies who cry and get emotional about the smallest things. Once we were asked for an autograph (an amazing moment btw!) and we literally all replied by crying because we were so touched!
Bitchin’ Hour regularly plays gigs all over the South East and we’re gradually starting to make money and grow a bit of a following which is just sick!
Music is definitely the biggest thing in my life and one day I would absolutely love to manage my own studio. That is one of my total life goals and I fully intend to get there! Just got to buy a house first! Easy right?!
Another interest of mine is martial arts - I’m a black belt at Karate and Kickboxing. When I was younger, my parents recognised that I wasn’t exactly the ballet type, so they put me into martial arts classes. I remember I just loved the feeling of empowerment from knowing martial arts and I still do to this day!
When I have time, I also like to keep a personal website blog and have amassed nearly 4 thousand readers, something I’m pretty proud of. I know I’m quite a strong flavour and I love to think that I’m inspiring others to embrace their differences, express themselves and cope with what they’re going through.
I have a partner who I call ‘Tree’ because he’s 6ft 5, but who is the one person who calms and grounds me. We have great plans for our future but right now, we’re just enjoying the process. At home we have two dogs Ben and Bentley (both golden retrievers – one is a rescue) and my cat ‘Axel Bean Toes the Paradise Kitty’. Trust me the cat deserves this title, he is lord of the household. For the record if I had a tortoise I’d call it Voldatort!
So what’s your role at Charity Link?
I’m account manager in our client services department. Whenever I describe my role I liken it to being the ‘lemsip’ of the company – think of me as first defence for anything that comes up!
Basically I’m here to meet all the day to day needs of the clients’ – answering questions, problem solving, pushing processes through, that kind of thing.
Take us through a typical day at Charity Link for you
So on daily basis I’m in quite a few meetings. I’ll always be in constant communication with one or all our clients via zoom meetings, phone calls and emails. I’ll usually spend the beginnings of most days answering or actioning emails, prioritising whatever is most urgent for each client.
I have to say I much prefer face to face meetings because you really can connect better that way. I like to get to know my clients properly if I can, so I can look after them better.
Aside from that honestly every day is just totally different! On one day a client might suddenly need tickets to get into an event like Crufts… but on another we could be dissecting a new campaign idea and what it will take to execute those changes and processes from our end. Or I might spend time looking at data or our no show rates (when donors agree to sign up then cancel before the first payment). Another day I could be putting together a PowerPoint presentation to update a complaints procedure or fact sheet about gift aid.
The thing is, each client is managing completely different challenges and sets of objectives on any given day, so it definitely requires me to be reactional and swift to meet their needs.
My job is also about building relationships too. At Charity Link it’s really important for our clients to trust us and good communication is essential for us all to stay on the same page and understand each other’s needs and boundaries.
What’s the hardest part of being a client services manager?
I think for me the most difficult part is try to manage client’s expectations. Obviously I want to be able to deliver everything they want exactly when they want it, but that’s not always possible.
Sometimes it’s tricky to move appointments around to suit everyone, especially when we’re all so busy! There’s always a balance between striking while the irons hot and not rushing through a meeting because there’s so much going on.
Overall though I absolutely love my job, so I honestly don’t find anything difficult as such.
It’s really easy to want to please our clients - I love these guys, they are just such decent people and you know that their intentions are always about benefiting their charity.
How do you de-stress after tough days?
My go to is hanging out with my partner because he always knows how to chill me out!
I’ll go to band practice and drum it out - it’s amazing how cathartic that is! I also love gaming – you can just completely lose yourself in an alternate reality and that’s sometimes exactly what I need.
I have been known to take a middle of the night trip to the Devils Punchbowl (this massive national reserve filled with trees and steep sides) and just scream into the abyss. Sounds dramatic but honestly it works a treat when you’ve had enough!
My other escapism is planning and having new tattoos done – I am totally addicted and have spent FAR too much money over the years – Each one has its own precious meaning and I feel like it’s like a way of taking back control of my body and my experiences. My tattoo artist is not only a brilliant artist, he’s actually become a really good friend of mine - we have such great chats every time I visit.
What’s your overall motivation in your job?
Honestly I know it sounds cheesy but it’s knowing I’ve made the clients happy! It genuinely feels good to know I’ve done my job well and that they have everything they need to function and run successfully.
It’s also important to me that Charity Link does well because I love what they stand for and what they do. They are honestly a great company to work for.
Everyone here is so nice, it feels like we’re all cogs in this big wheel working towards the same goal.
Supporting charity is just really important - they’re helping the most vulnerable. Having had my own low experiences has taught me that support and kindness is literally everything.
What charity would you choose for Charity Link to support with our fundraising next if it was up to you?
I am a strong advocate for sexual abuse victim support. The RASASC is a charity that does amazing work and genuinely helps transform lives after traumatic experiences.
Another charity I admire and support is Mind - the mental health charity. Mental health is such a broad and enormous topic that affects almost everyone, especially since the pandemic. I really think more needs to be done to help people realise they’re not alone and that there is help. This world is tough right?! It can be so difficult to process trauma and heal without guidance.
So yeah, those two issues are pretty close to my heart and I’d love to see us fundraising for them.
What’s your best memory of working at Charity Link?
Well to be fair I haven’t really been here that long and a lot of the time we’ve been working from home because of Covid. But looking back I think my first week was a particular favourite. I was meeting all my team and the clients for the first time and I think it was only then that I realised how awesome this journey was going to be and it felt like I’d really found something good here.
I felt so proud of myself for landing such a great job and was excited for what the future held. Plus I really love my team and my boss Tom! They are all so supportive so I feel very lucky!
And I have to say today has been pretty cool! I’ve never been to Crufts before and it’s buzzing – I’ve been able to meet the Breast Cancer Now team in person again which has been great. I’m also total sucker for cute dogs and this place is filled with them!
If you’ve enjoyed reading about Beth and love the sound of Charity Link, why not check out our indeed profile for our latest job?
We offer industry leading training, a generous package of perks at work and free healthcare and comprehensive incentives. We’re always on the look out for new talent, especially to join our field sales team. As a growing company, there are plenty of opportunities ahead.
