Dunoon fulfilment business plans new phase of expansion, including creating up to 20 jobs
CX Services, which provides services including direct mail, order fulfilment and call centre outsourcing, says it is seeing growing demand from customers.
Following a management buyout in 2017 of the forerunner to CX Services – a company called Database Direct – by Dunoon-born managing director Greg Girard, the Argyllshire business has grown turnover by more than 40% to £1.7 million.
Over the next five years, Mr Girard hopes to grow turnover further to £2.5 million, with significant jobs growth in the next two years.
“We employ about 20 permanent staff at the moment and within the next two years we’d like to boost that to around 40 people, so a doubling of our current workforce,” Mr Girard said.
“One of our highest growth services is direct mail, which has grown around 20% since before the pandemic. With more people working from home, companies have seen printed mail delivered by post really helping to drive orders and online sales.”
CX Services’ customers include Scottish country clothing specialists the House of Bruar, life insurance and investments firm Scottish Friendly, membership organisation The Scotch Malt Whisky Society and Highland Broadband, which is delivering ultrafast full-fibre broadband across rural Scotland.
“One of our customers, a young fashion brand, saw a 10% increase in sales from their mail campaign,” Mr Girard said. “Because they were delivering something physical, they were reminding people it wasn’t an email. One thing about mail is that it hangs around the house. And multiple people might look at that catalogue or postcard while it’s sitting there. So, it’s not like an email that disappears into your private inbox and is instantly forgotten.”
CX Services has warehouse teams in Dunoon and Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, which services two large healthcare clients. Mr Girard is keen to create the new roles in the Argyll & Bute area.
“Dunoon and Argyll & Bute are a massive part of my life,” he said. “I grew up when Americans were at the US Navy base on the Holy Loch, and saw the area decline when they left.
“My focus has always been employee centric and I would rather employ people all year round in permanent jobs, than bring them in on six-month contracts when we’re busy.”
Mr Girard started working for Database Direct 29 years ago in 1995, as a data inputter. He progressed to technical director and had been managing director for a year when the business ran into problems after the loss of a big client. He salvaged the business and rebranded it as CX Services, bringing on partners Andy Hore as Operations Director and John Lamont as Technical Services Director.
“I had to make some redundancies,” Mr Girard recalled. “It was the worst day of my life. Now I believe nothing can ever stop me in business – because you can fix all problems if you have the right mentality.”
Mr Girard said one of the company’s most exciting developments was the roll-out of new ‘omnichannel’ telephony software, which would allow agents to manage customer phone calls, web chat, email and instant messaging from a single platform.
CX Services’ other services include data management, digital printing and website development.
Find them here https://www.cxservicesltd.com/
https://couriernews.co.uk/blog/argyllshire-business-cx-services-plans-growth-phase/