Our ‘Meet the Team’ series continues with a chat with Stuart from our Customer Service team. These in-depth profiles are intended to shine a spotlight on the individuals that make up OneSearch; for over 30 years, we’ve held the belief that the key to exceptional service lies in the people behind our brand.
What would you do if you had to travel around the world on a limited budget, without flights or phones?
That’s the premise of BBC One’s hit TV show Race Across the World. Using any means of transport except air travel, teams of two trek and work their way across an area of the globe in a race to be the first to reach the final destination.
If you’ve ever watched the programme, you might have wondered, could I manage that? How would I cope?
Stuart Chestnut, one of OneSearch’s fantastic Customer Service Advisors, knows exactly what he’d do. He’d take the same two travel guides that he used when he and partner Kelly went backpacking for two months around Europe in 2001.
“We didn’t do the trains because there were limited places, so we done it by bus,” Stuart told us when we sat down to find out more about the man who was recently nominated for a commendation in Landmark’s Remarkable People ‘Success’ programme. And who, with his love of history, is making light work of reading an 1,300-page tome (William L. Shirer’s acclaimed history of Nazi Germany, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich).
“We had no phones at the time. No smartphones. But I had two big Lonely Planet books, one for Western Europe and one for Eastern Europe. It was literally just a case of looking through this Bible paper that’s in it, because they have to cram all that information in there. In the TV show you’ll see young people who don’t know how to read maps and stuff like that. It’s funny, but I’ve done it all from those two books.”
Whether or not he would make it fastest to the final destination, Stuart relishes a challenge. It’s one of the reasons he loves his job.
Spinning straw into gold
Stuart has worked in customer service for many years, doing many different things. But upon joining OneSearch it was the first time he’d worked in the property or legal sectors.
“I like the challenge of finding out new stuff. I like dissecting information and learning all about it. I didn’t see it as a mountain that must be climbed. I embraced it and I knew I had support as well.”
With so many people involved in a property transaction, does that bring extra challenges?
“You might have, for example, a solicitor calling you saying ‘the transaction is going to fall through unless we complete tomorrow. Can you do something?’ Then you’re basically trying to work miracles by phoning the council, phoning the agents, going through all the departments, and then going back. And those are the ones where you’ve spun straw into gold, basically. You’ve just pulled something out there.”
Those are the types of calls that give you a sense of fulfilment.
“If it’s something that’s really tricky and you’ve looked right into it, you always get appreciation.”
A happy team sticks together
While Stuart has always thrived on being thrown a curveball, it helps being surrounded by a knowledgeable and supportive team.
“It’s certainly easier being in an environment where you’ve got a lot of support and a lot of experience from other staff members. Because there’s so many people in there that have got 20+ years’ experience working for OneSearch, so there’s always somebody that has the answer.”
That’s something that struck Stuart on joining OneSearch: how long many people have been working there. Undoubtedly, it was a good sign.
“We have great support within the team. Sharon [Greer] and Carol [Dodd] have been there for ages. I think they’ve got 40 years’ service between them. They’ve seen it all. We know that there are people that have been there that long and they’ve liked it that long. You can definitely see they’re happy.”
Something else Stuart noticed about OneSearch was an openness to new ideas.
Open to change
Early on in his career, Stuart spent a year in the Army, before injury meant he had to be medically discharged. He initially found the transition to working for a large corporation hard – particularly one that was renowned for being slow and antiquated.
“They were stuck in their own way of doing things. Even if you suggested something, they wouldn’t pay attention to it.”
Not so at OneSearch.
“They’re open to changes and they want to know what’s going on. They’ll have people surveys. We’ve just done a big one and then we did a follow-up as well, and they’ll go through it all. Even our parent company, they’re very approachable, all the way up as well. But OneSearch is like my wee family.”
Friends & family
Stuart joined OneSearch in May 2020, right in the middle of the first national lockdown. While it wasn’t until around a couple of years later that people started going back into the office more regularly, he found everyone to be welcoming.
“The team is brilliant. Everyone in customer service is fantastic. It’s just a wee small group but we have good banter and they treat us well. But the company as a whole is just fantastic.”
What does Stuart enjoy most about working for OneSearch?
“The people that are in there. I see them as friends, so you’re happy to go there and see them. It’s not like this kind of standoffish chat. You just have banter and we all have a laugh.”
There’s a family feel. Quite literally.
“There are families in there. There are a lot of sisters and mothers and daughters. It’s very family oriented.”
Stuart speaks from experience. When he joined OneSearch, he was following in the footsteps of his own sister, who had started just three months or so before him.
The importance of that supportive, family atmosphere was brought home when Kelly, his partner of 20 years, sadly passed away. “My work was very understanding, but it was tough as she was a massive part of my life.”
The reality of open-door policies
Stuart talks a little about his career journey. He was in banking for around 4 years and telecommunications for 5 or 6 years. What was it like working for those organisations?
“You kind of get used to corporate structures and they always say, ‘my office door is always open’. But there’s always a block. There’s never free-flowing conversation and ideas and getting to know each other. That doesn’t exist.”
At least, Stuart didn’t think it existed. That was until he joined OneSearch.
“I mean I just turn right to my side and the Operations Manager is there, and then the office for the directors is right beside and you would think, ‘ooh, a director’, but that’s Liz and she’s so down to earth. Liz will come out of her office and sit beside you, and then just gab about stuff for about an hour. She’s dead approachable and that flows the whole way down the organisation.”
Stuart is talking about Liz Jarvis. As well as being OneSearch’s Managing Director, she’s also the Divisional Director of Legal and Search at Landmark Information Group.
“She’s a busy lady but she still makes time, and she’s very approachable and personable. When we have the office Christmas party, or any kind of party, she’ll do bingo and dress up. She’s like the bingo caller. Aye, she’s funny.”
Liz may do the bingo calling, but if anyone should be in charge of the music at a OneSearch office party, surely that has to be Stuart.
Music man
An avid BBC Radio 6 Music listener, Stuart has a degree in sound engineering from the School of Audio Engineering. He retains a keen interest in producing music. An interest that OneSearch has been supporting him to develop.
Every year OneSearch gives its employees £300 to invest in a hobby, interest or new experience. Stuart uses his for an annual subscription to Puremix, where he gets the opportunity to learn from Grammy-award-winning mentors such as Fab Dupont, Andrew Scheps, and Mick Guzauski. It also gives Stuart an outlet for his competitive nature, as he can compete in mixing contests with other producers and engineers in the community.
“It’s amazing what you can learn, so I’m grateful to OneSearch for that. And it’s good they give you that, and you can pretty much spend it on anything – from spa days, gym memberships and dance classes to gigs, travel and learning something new.”
Stuart’s 6 tips for customer service success
When we spoke with Stuart, we were in the middle of National Customer Service Week. So, what advice would Stuart give someone who’s just starting out in a career in customer service?
- Beware of making assumptions
“Don’t guess at anything. Don’t assume things, because it’ll come back and bite you.”
- Listen carefully
“Listen to exactly what they say, because they could say something really quickly and it could be the part of the conversation that unlocks everything.”
- Keep your notes to the point
“Take notes but try to be as concise as possible when you’re taking down instructions.”
- Ask questions
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions, especially if you don’t understand. Ask the customer questions so you understand what they’re saying. By repeating it back to them and asking further questions, it builds confidence between you and the person you’re speaking to, because they want to know they’re understood.”
- Admit your mistakes
“If you make a mistake, don’t try to cover it up. Just admit it, move on and learn.”
- Keep an email folder of nice comments
“If something’s really tricky and you’ve looked into it, you’ll get appreciation. I keep a wee folder with all that stuff in it. If you ever have a bad day, you can go and have a look. It makes you feel better.”
Modest though he is, on speaking with Stuart and seeing how much he thrives on dealing with a curveball, we get the sneaky feeling that his own folder of compliments – if not quite an 1,300-page tome – would be enough to keep him reading for a wee short while.
To learn more about starting your journey with OneSearch, visit our registration page.
