12 Jun Meet Head of Sales and Service, Shelley Rolfe

Shelley first joined Contacta 12 years ago to work as a scheduler, booking engineer visits and ordering the products they needed for their clients.

With a background in service delivery, the role put her skills to good use.

“It also developed my knowledge of UK geography!” she says.  “I had to make sure there was sufficient time for the engineers to get from one appointment to the next.”

Shelley is always keen to learn and progress, and she soon became a team supervisor before being promoted to assistant service delivery manager.  She became Head of Service Delivery and Contracts in 2016 and added the sales team to her role the following year.

“Every day is a learning day at Contacta’, she says.  “I love that I’ve had the opportunity to take on different roles and more responsibility.

“I’ve been able to develop myself and take on the next thing.  I think it’s important to be open to change.”

As well as overseeing the teams, Shelley is herself in direct contact with clients on a daily basis.  She looks after retail, supermarkets and banking sectors.

“You need a huge memory!” she says.  “The customer base is vast and you have to understand each setting – where they could, and should, be using assistive listening systems, and any changes in a business that might mean there is an opportunity to add to their provision or upgrade what they offer to customers.

“I even consider whether there is a bespoke product we can develop for them.  We did this recently for Tesco who needed a hearing loop for their hybrid checkouts.  These can be used by staff or by customers as a self-service option and the hearing loops needed to perform in both situations.”

Shelley has certainly noticed a big shift in awareness of accessibility in the last five years. Many retailers now have specific staff or departments focused on customers’ needs.

“Before, they never knew they had a responsibility to be accessible to people with hearing loss,” adds Shelley.  “There’s much more awareness now.  Some have inclusivity audits, and they know about the Equality Act and the BS 8300 standard.”

Outside of work, Shelley puts her drive and energy to use in the gym, and playing with five year old daughter, Ruby.

“Contacta have always been flexible,” she says.  “Now that Ruby’s started school, I know I can go to a special assembly or a Mother’s Day afternoon tea.  As a family business, they know that family is everyone’s first priority.”