Pictured: Sue Wright
An export specialist has launched a new helpdesk for companies,
co-inciding with the Government's push for overseas trade to boost
the British economy.
The helpdesk run by Long Eaton-based Exporter Services will
offer three service levels to cater for all sizes of business to
help with those tricky but all important questions that can make a
difference when trading abroad.
The company is one of only a handful in the UK which specialises
in export services support.
With the currency markets in turmoil director Sue Wright knows
all about purchasing in pounds, dealing in dollars, engineering in
euros and vending in yen, having more than 20 years experience in
export matters.
In 1989 she went to do filing in an export office in Nottingham,
where she stayed for five years. She then spent 12 years with
specialist education equipment manufacturer TecQuipment - next door
from her current office in Bonsall Street - where she became export
manager, accompanying trade missions to Malaysia and the USA.
Sue handled documentation and cargo - everything from the
smallest component to specialist items weighing tonnes - for
TecQuipment which exports to more than 60 countries.
"I was being asked by other companies for help which I did
freely out of hours," she said. "I realised there was a need for
services to help firms export and set up my own business two years
ago."
So Sue knows the can-dos and the can'ts, the complexities,
cultural awareness and customs of different countries.
She can step into the breach when there is a shortage of trained
staff that could hold up exports, hit cash-flow and possible lose
business.
The company has also run courses in the Midlands and in
Scotland, including for various chambers of commerce, as well as
doing bespoke workshops for companies such as Saint-Gobain at
Stanton-by-Dale.
Another service deals with Letters of Credit. "We turn the
documents into cash for clients quickly by getting them to the bank
in record time," said Sue. "First presentations against letters of
credit have an average 80% failure rate. Our service provides a 99%
success rate which means fewer delays in payment."
The new helpdesk is a one-stop shop for both exporters and
importers giving them a rapid response - anything from a one-off
question to support with documentation.
The service will be provided by phone and website/e-mail. Extra
staff are being taken on in January to help manage the additional
workload.
The launch comes as the Government is encouraging companies to
export to help the economy.
"Businesses that export are growing as opposed to those that are
stagnating because they only sell in this country," said Sue.
"Exporting is vital not just for individual companies - it creates
and maintains job levels - but also for the country's economic
wellbeing.
"There are lots of companies locally which are exporting and
others which need help to do so, but they must do it properly or it
can result in problems. The helpdesk could save a headache."