Service with Character

Fay’s story with Integral began in 2013 when she started working for the company’s customer service centre. After an opportunity to join the data team arose in 2018, Fay moved across and dived into the world of data services.

“I’ve been part of Integral’s in-house data services team for three years now. I help look after shops, supermarkets, charity shops, police, fire and rescue services, railways, and many other sectors. I spend my days making sure customer agreements and contract information is up to date in the system, so that operations can run smoothly. I do this by liaising with contract delivery managers and the customers to ensure the data is correct.”

Fay started retraining as soon as she joined the team, and Integral supported her throughout. She’s just completed her Data Level 3 apprenticeship and is planning to begin her Level 4 next year.

“I load and update data into over 120 applications within the system as well as many other responsibilities. My diverse role also includes taking care of the general maintenance of buildings and everything that keeps them running – that work covers over 1000 different contracts. By understanding what’s needed by each client, I can dispatch an engineer with the right skills”.

Fay thought working in the traditionally male-dominated world of IT would be a challenge, but she discovered instead that her skills were highly valued by the team and that her managers and training coaches were extremely supportive.

To be honest, our small team feels like a family, and everyone supports each other. I try to be the friendly face of the data team and approachable – that’s why I have a great relationship with many stakeholders in Integral.”

Engineering is Kerry’s passion, and he’s applied his skills in a variety of environments in the past, including automotive, hydraulics, and mining. Since joining the SAP team at Integral, he’s assumed the lead team member role for the South-West, Wales, and parts of the Midlands.

“For me as a senior authorising person, it’s all about working as a team here at Integral. I’m seen as the ‘go-to’ electrical boffin, someone that deeply understands all the compliance issues for our clients’ high voltage and low voltage systems, which supply services across the Integral portfolio”.

Kerry has a diverse roster of clients under his care including Bristow’s Rescue Helicopters, Great Western Railways, Southwestern Railways, Devon & Cornwall Police, and the GCS Global Cloud Exchange at Land’s End.

“I visit clients to ensure sites are compliant under UK electrical law and deliver Integral’s safety standards. If there are any issues, I offer solutions. I survey equipment, conduct condition reports, and implement maintenance schedules. That involves thousands of sites with differing requirements. We don’t accept the outdated mentality of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” – without proper maintenance, premature failure will happen, often at the weekend when limited resources are available to help. That’s why we offer out of hours services for all our clients. Everything we do is driven by health and safety because it’s people’s lives we’re talking about. That’s why our team are really such unsung heroes”.

Having worked originally in motorsports building cars, boats and bikes, Cole decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and started an apprenticeship in maintenance engineering with Integral in 2020.

Most of Cole’s time is spent on refits of supermarkets and food manufacturers, where he often finds himself working alongside Integral electricians.

“About 90% of the work is food related We do a lot of the ALDI stores. We did Harrods Chocolate Hall. Lots of little restaurants. And we’ve worked with Costco for years. Not a lot of people understand how much goes in to keeping just one supermarket up and running 365 days a year. We can’t work when the stores are open, so there’s a lot of weekends and working through the night to make sure things are ready. It keeps all of us busy, that’s for certain. Some of the jobs are really small and just take a few hours. Others can take weeks and are a lot more work – ripping everything out, making sure everything is sealed and there are no gas leaks, going through walls… it makes it challenging, but we make it work. We’ll often do a few weeks of nights, get as much equipment in as possible, and get most of the pipe work into the shop floor. That way, when they shut the store, it’s not that long until they’re back up and running.”

We cover a huge area. Just before Christmas, we were in Aberdeen. There’s a huge
variety of work, and no two jobs are ever the same. I love it.”

Cole has also noticed that more sustainable solutions are becoming increasingly popular in his work.

“Everyone wants to find something which is more environmentally friendly – that’s why we’ve turned to using CO2 in most situations. It’s a lot safer for everybody.”

“I’ve worked across a wide variety of contracts for Integral since I’ve started. I do a lot of domestic work, but I’ve also worked with Merseyside Police, the Ministry of Justice – which involved a lot of Crown Courts – and the Ministry of Defence, mainly with different barracks in the Northwest”.

Stacey’s work as a compliance supervisor involves a lot of audits and mentoring, which involves assessing gas engineers for health and safety compliance, working practices, knowledge and equipment standards, along with providing support and advice for engineers in the field. She was a domestic gas engineer when she joined Integral in 2013, with the company subsequently supporting her towards acquiring her commercial qualifications in 2017.

“Integral’s much bigger than any other company I’ve worked for before. There are a lot more engineers on the sites I’m working at and there’s a lot more support. It’s great being able to call a colleague if I need help or assistance – I just feel generally I have a lot more backup and am part of a big, supportive team. There’s a great knowledge and skill base, and there’s always somebody at the end of a phone if I need help during the day.

For me, the reason I do this job is the satisfaction that comes from helping people and fixing things for them. The gratitude people show – especially on domestic jobs – is one of the best things about what I do”.

The team’s job description and responsibilities have changed and expanded in the last few years as their client’s working practices have changed. Kat and Marie’s roles as facilities assistants were created by combining the previously separate functions of receptionist and post-room assistant. All the team members now have a wider range of responsibilities than before.

“The front-of-house role at our client’s head office operation is a comprehensive one catering to over a hundred employees across three floors. Between us, we work hard to deliver an exceptional front-of-house service for our client and provide a positive experience for our client’s guests.”

As well as running the front-of-house operation, the team’s responsibilities include stationery, running the post room, overseeing the booking of meeting rooms, and handling multiple locations on-site that include an auditorium and customer care centre. They also have several health and safety roles within the organisation – including acting as fire marshals, first aiders and evacuation supervisors – and run assessments to make sure people’s workstations are properly set up.

The team work well together, love their roles, and do their best to make everyone’s time at HQ an enjoyable one.

“We call our Team Leader, Wendy, the ‘Director of First Impressions’. Marie brings the ‘Service with a Smile’ and ‘Can-do Kat’ is our go-to facilities assistant”.

Beyond the satisfaction of making sure everyone’s day runs smoothly, the team are proud that they’re considered fully fledged members of staff.

“We’re now so embedded in the operation that most people internally consider us as employees rather than contractors! Hopefully, that’s proof of our joint hard work!”

There’s another family connection in the background here, as Charlotte’s dad also works for Integral as a boiler engineer. It was his initial recommendation that led to Charlotte joining Integral as a trainee four years ago, which is when she started working with Kirsty.

Kirsty’s history with Integral, meanwhile, goes back seven years and stems from a 15-year working relationship with Integral’s divisional director. Having been headhunted by Integral in 2015, she quickly started working at PAM before being promoted to team leader.

Kirsty and Charlotte’s role on the PAM helpdesk is a critical one that covers many areas of responsibility. Both enjoy the variety that comes with the role.

“No day is ever the same, as we work together running the helpdesk dedicated to the JLL PAM account. We look after 350 sites across multiple regions, so we’re always pretty busy!”

A key part of the role is handling customer queries and service requests via telephone and email. The job requires speed, accuracy, a calm head, and people skills in abundance.

“Our role involves communicating with everyone, allocating all types of work, arranging callouts, and chasing jobs through to completion. It all means we handle thousands of calls a month – so we’re constantly juggling priorities for individual jobs, working out the most urgent things that need sorting”.

There’s also a technical component to the job, as most of the work is allocated via the CAFM system. Ultimately, though, both Kirsty and Charlotte enjoy the human side of their work the most – especially when they see how it helps people.

“We both talk to all kinds of people and cover a large proportion of the Integral services. What we love is solving people’s everyday problems and doing it as quickly and efficiently as possible. That’s what makes this such a thoroughly rewarding role with a positive impact”.  

Bill’s choice of Integral was initially a coincidence – his Mum worked at M&S, where Integral had the contract for maintaining the refrigeration units. She spoke with the maintenance team at M&S about apprenticeships and encouraged Bill to apply to facilities management.

“I’ve been working at Integral for over 14 years now, but I was still only 15 years old when I started my apprenticeship here”.

Bill excelled as an apprentice and acquired significant experience at London Bridge City, H&S Executive, Richmond Riverside and Alexandra Palace, before winning the Central London Maintenance Association’s Apprentice of the Year Award in 2009. His career accelerated after winning the award, and he began to acquire wider experience throughout the Integral network – first as a lead engineer, and then as a supervisor. In June 2022, Bill’s exceptional progress within the company was recognised again when he won the JLL Work Dynamics EMEA Leadership Award at the first WDX event in 2022.

“I’m looking after approximately 44 properties across London and beyond now. I love being at the heart of what Integral does for its clients, predominantly at commercial offices. And I was really proud to receive the leadership award. It’s by far the standout moment of my career, and I cannot thank everyone involved in my development enough. I hope my story inspires the next generation of apprentices looking to progress in their careers”.

Fifteen years in, Bill is a highly respected member of the team at Integral. He looks back fondly on his early years as an apprentice and is enthusiastic about anyone else who is interested in following a similar path.

“If you have a field you’re passionate about, I definitely recommend it. Businesses like Integral look after you, it’s fully funded, and you’ll be highly rewarded. Look for something you have that instant passion for and run with it. Learning then becomes easy because you’re captivated by your passion.”