A day in the life of Toni Wilkinson: centre manager at Churchill Square Business Centre

Running a successful business centre takes more than buildings and broadband — it needs people who keep operations smooth, customers supported and buildings safe. Meet Toni Wilkinson, Centre Manager at our Kings Hill business centre, whose day-to-day focus helps small and medium-sized businesses in the Southeast get on with what they do best. Read on for a timestamped snapshot of Toni’s day, what she prioritises for customers and practical tips you can use in your own SME.

Introducing Toni

Toni Wilkinson is Centre Manager at our Kings Hill business centre near Maidstone (Churchill Square Business Centre) and has been in the role for five years. She is responsible for the onsite team who support the centre’s customers — from small start-ups to established SMEs — ensuring the centre runs safely, professionally and with the flexibility business owners need. You can meet Toni and the Kings Hill team on the centre’s local information pages.

8:30am what’s on the agenda for Toni

Toni’s morning began with catchups after annual leave. First up: a back-to-work meeting with the facilities handyperson to review outstanding maintenance tasks and arrange refresher health & safety training. After setting him up on the training system, she confirmed he successfully completed three essential assessments: fire safety awareness, ladder & stepladder safety, and general employee health & safety.

Next Toni held one-to-ones with each of her three Business Support Coordinators — Lesley, Tricia, and Louise — to prioritise contractor visits, customer updates and an on-site workshop that had recently taken place. These short, focused conversations help the centre respond quickly to customer needs and keep the team aligned.

10:30am: mid-morning check-in

At 10:30 Toni met with ETS health and safety engineers who were completing a fire risk assessment across the centre’s buildings. She coordinated access and documentation while the team handled keys and paperwork — practical, detail-focused work that keeps customers safe and compliant. The Kings Hill management team routinely work with contractors and specialists to maintain high standards across the site.

12:30pm: Planning for the week ahead

Midday is when operational planning and customer communications come together. Toni booked the team onto upcoming customer service training sessions and confirmed arrangements for air conditioning works with colleagues at other centres. She also built a content plan for LinkedIn and Instagram to keep customers informed about events and services — topics include training sessions, fraud prevention, NHS health checks, and a customer Christmas event. Having a social and events calendar makes it easier for customers to see what’s happening on-site and access support when they need it.

2:30pm mid-afternoon check in

The afternoon continued with practical tasks and colleague support: sharing contractor details with neighbouring centres, finalising training bookings and checking on follow-ups from earlier contractor visits. Toni’s role blends people management with hands-on problem solving — equally important to keep customers’ businesses running without interruption.

4:30pm late afternoon check in

Late afternoon is admin time: approving supplier quotes, posting updates on LinkedIn about returning from leave and reminding the community about customer review initiatives. Toni also prepared notes for her upcoming annual development review with the CEO and updated billing information ahead of invoicing. Keeping paperwork accurate and up to date makes life easier for customers and keeps financial processes smooth.

Clear priorities facilitate management of a busy workload  

While every day is different for Toni, she has a clear set of priorities to guide her in the successful management of the business centre:

• Invest in people: regular training and one-to-ones keep teams productive and customer-facing staff confident
• Plan communications: a simple social and events calendar helps customers and prospects see the value of being on-site
• Stay proactive on safety and maintenance: scheduled assessments and clear contractor communication prevent downtime
• Use flexible terms to manage growth: the centre’s simple monthly licence removes long-term commitment barriers, enabling customers to scale up or down as needed.

Adapting Toni’s key priorities to benefit your business  

While Toni’s priorities are specific to her role, there are some key takeaways that you can use to help with the efficient management and future growth of your own business:

• prioritise weekly check-ins with your team
• keep a rolling calendar of customer-focused events
• make a checklist for routine compliance tasks so nothing slips through the cracks

 

 

 

Good service starts with good people — a small, organised team can make an enormous difference to how efficiently your SME operates.

If you’re looking for office space from a provider that wants to support your business success, get in touch.