Supporting SMEs and entrepreneurs in Sittingbourne 

From helping a customer who has got locked out of their unit…to co-ordinating centre upgrades… to dealing with new enquiries… to mentoring new staff… the job of St George’s Park Business Centre Manager is varied and far-reaching. Jeanette Crockford kept a diary of a typical Monday morning in her role at Sittingbourne – and it gives valuable insights in the diverse ways in which she and her team support our workspace customers.  

Meet St George’s Business Park Centre Manager: Jeanette Crockford  

Jeanette Crockford is centre manager at St George’s Business Park, where she celebrated a decade in the role this year. In charge of a diverse mix of business owners occupying a range of offices, studios and workshops, the centre’s popularity is down to a mix of factors: the flexibility of our licence, its location and ability to meet the needs of offices and light industry. Jeanette is supported by two other key staff: business support coordinator Kristjana and Facilities Handyperson Anthony. 

8.30am check in 

The day begins with unloading the dishwasher and setting up the meeting room for the day’s visitors, making sure all the catering orders have gone out and are ready for their arrival. We have one meeting room at the centre, which is available to hire by the hour, half day or full day. It is available to our own customers, as well as offsite companies.  

I then check my diary to see what the day holds and what is coming up this week. There are 60 workspace units onsite, and just three of us to look after everything and everyone! I took on a new business support coordinator, Kristjana, earlier this year, who has turned out to be a quick learner, dependable and fantastic with our customers. I also work closely with our facilities handyperson, Anthony, who has a varied job, whether it’s looking after site maintenance or helping to paint units for new customers ready to move in. 

10.30am check in 

I welcome the meeting room host, a hydraulics company who are meeting with some prospective partners, and then greet his guests on their arrival. They were very complimentary on the room and service. 

I check the day’s emails and discuss any relevant information with Kristjana. She’s feeling a bit nervous as she is due to welcome a new potential customer for a vacant unit which will be ready in about three weeks’ time. This will be her first solo viewing as the centre has been fully occupied since she joined the company over five months ago – a record I am very proud of. However, I have complete faith that Kristjana will do a terrific job of showcasing what we offer. All new reception staff benefit from rigorous training at Capital Space as we continually strive to offer exemplary customer service. 

We have locksmiths on site so we are kept very busy with them: we are having a new suited lock system fitted across our whole site. 

A fairly new customer in our unit has come round to Reception asking about the process of booking the meeting room. I remind him that we can take bookings over the phone, in person or by email. I show him our meeting room, tell him about the catering options available, ask how he is settling into St George’s. He is more than happy – which is great to hear. 

One of our customers comes over to discuss moving from their office to a studio because they need more storage. The beauty of our simple, monthly licence is flexibility, enabling customers to upsize or even downsize their workspace with just a month’s notice, depending on our availability. Out studios are perfect for office/storage purposes as they offer spacious double doors and allocated parking for easy access for pallet deliveries.  

Just by chance, another customer arrives, asking for help because she has got her key safe box jammed so needs to be let into her unit. She invites the first customer to view her studio for its size and suitability for their needs. It’s a wonderful gesture – and underpins the community feel we have here at St George’s. I grab our handyperson, Anthony, and we all walk over to the studio together, where he’s thankfully able to mend the broken key safe box. 

The customer is impressed with the studio, and puts himself on the waiting list for next available unit of that size. 

12.30pm check in 

I check my emails again and our accounts team has reminded me of some tasks that need to be completed, so I spend some time getting up to date with these. There are a lot of administrative tasks associated with my job but each day is different, which is why I enjoy my job. 

I have a lunch break and spend an hour reading a book, which allows me to recharge for the afternoon. 

The locksmiths return to Reception to report on their progress and some problems they have encountered.  This has been a mammoth task, but I can see the end is now in sight, which is great news. 

Kristjana and I chat about how her viewing went earlier; she had been nervous, but was happy about how it went and the prospective customers seemed enthusiastic about the studio. I then assisted her with the follow-up email. 

2.30pm check in 

I visit one of our customers to ask about her husband’s health as I know that he has been quite unwell. Many of my customers have been with me as long as I have been in the job – and so you get to know them really well and share in their highs and their lows. 

We have several customers due to upsize or downsize over the next few weeks, so I have started the planning for this. It requires a lot of time and thought to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as possible.  

4.30pm check in 

I check in with CEO, Lorraine Lee, on some decisions that are being made on a new deal that I have been  preparing and to update Lorraine on the lock project. 

As the end of the day nears, I go back to my diary to try and complete as many outstanding tasks as possible. It’s been a busy but productive day. 

Find out more about how St George’s Business Park in Sittingbourne helps SMEs succeed.