Conference calls help link phone company

Oct 1 2008 by Tony McDonough, Liverpool Daily Post

JOHN McGUIGAN, 48, started working for Telefonica O2 UK last May. Prior to this, he was the chief executive of NHS 24 in Scotland for two years.

He is now the general manager for Consumer in O2, and is responsible for approximately 4,000 staff, encompassing three sites – Preston Brook, near Runcorn, Glasgow and Bury.

His main objective is to oversee the service the customers receive – whether by telephone, web or email. In a typical year, more than 50m enquiries are received from customers.

John is based in Preston Brook, near Runcorn, and lives in Cheshire. This was his working day:

8am: A rarity – my first appoint- ment isn’t until 9am and I have the luxury of holding various meetings in our Preston Brook site this week. So, it’s a short drive into the office, rather than the usual “red eye” trip down to Lon- don. The day starts with a confer- ence call to a consultancy firm currently doing some work for us.

1pm: The day has so far involved a series of face-to-face meetings and conference calls involving colleagues across Telefonica O2.

Conference calls are a regular part of the day, and are more efficient for people travelling across the country for meetings. In addition to regular business, I also interview three candidates for a position in my team.

There is just enough time to have a quick lunch of a tuna sandwich and a glug of water before seeing the next person. Fortunately, all Telefonica O2 sites have a relaxed meeting area for staff to hold informal meetings.

2pm: I take a call from my boss Cheryl Black, customer service director for O2 UK. She needs to discuss the impending launch of the 3G iPhone.

2.30pm: I meet another candidate for an interview. Since becoming one of the best companies to work for, we get a lot of job applications. O2 came sixth in the Sunday Times “Best Companies To Work For” list in 2008, and was awarded a three-star accreditation for being an ‘extraordinary’ company.

3.30pm: I have a one-to-one session with one of my direct reports. These are very important and are rarely changed if it can be helped.

4.30pm: I call my PA, Ailsa, to catch up on various issues. We used to work together in Glasgow – and, although I have now moved to Cheshire, we still meet face-to-face once a week and speak by phone twice daily.

5pm: There’s an hour-long call with the key members from the project team involved in the launch of the iPhone.

6pm: I travel home to Alderley Edge to get changed before heading out to attend the CBI North West Chairman’s Dinner, being held in Liverpool.

While I’m in the car, I join members of my team on a conference call to discuss performance issues.

There’s just time when I get home to catch up with my partner, Sheena, and see how we’re doing with booking our forthcoming holiday to the States before heading back out again.