Meet the Customer Care finalists in the Rutland & Stamford Mercury Business Awards 2024

In the run-up to the Rutland & Stamford Mercury Business Awards 2024, we are introducing you to the finalists in each of our categories.

The awards are being held on Friday, September 27, at Rutland Hall Hotel, sponsored by Hegarty, when finalists in 10 categories will discover who has won.

This week we’re featuring the finalists in the Customer Care category, sponsored by Thetford Farm Estate. Look out for other finalists over the coming weeks.

Going head to head will be Green Oakham Dental Care, Healthy Hearing (Stamford), Peters’ Cleaners (Stamford) and Stamford Property Maintenance Ltd.

Green Oakham Dental Care, a family-run independent dental practice based in Oakham,

Anand Parekh, who owns the surgery with his wife Dr Chadni Patel, said: “We are proud to be finalists for the customer care category. We are absolutely thrilled to be finalists for this prestigious awards ceremony. We’ll bring the whole team to the ceremony as we’ve all played a part to make customer care a priority at Green Oakham Dental Care.”

The firm won Small Business of the Year in 2023.

Healthy Hearing in Red Lion Street, Stamford, is an audiology centre helping people with hearing loss.

Digital marketing manager James Loker said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be a finalist in the Mercury Business Awards and in a category like customer care. Our success is entirely due to our fantastic relationship with our customers and it’s wonderful to see that recognised.

“We can’t wait to celebrate alongside other important businesses in the local area and be able to share in our collective achievements as important, independent businesses.”

Peters’ Cleaners in Stamford is no stranger to the business awards and CEO Vicky Whiter said it is “always a fun night”.

“We are thrilled that the judges have recognised our dedication to customer care. Providing dry cleaning and laundry services, we are acutely aware that we are dealing with very personal items that our customers love and are often emotionally invested in, so treating every item with care and ensuring customers understand potential issues and limitations is paramount.”

She said that despite the past four years being incredibly tough due to covid, high energy prices and rates of inflation, customer care has always been at the forefront of the business.

Gareth Pyne, of Stamford Property Maintenance, said being shortlisted felt like “the cherry on the top of a very busy and exciting year” for the firm, which only started in January.

An electrical firm that Gareth worked for went bust so he decided to start his own firm and create a company that was “reliable, transparent, and, above all, honest with everyone—staff, suppliers, and customers alike”.

“Our services have been met with overwhelming positivity from the community. Customers appreciate our commitment to reliability and transparency, often highlighting our prompt communication and honest assessments. We believe in going the extra mile—whether it’s through offering a "buy me a coffee" option, on our website, for small, quick jobs, or providing detailed explanations for larger projects. This customer-centric approach has helped us build strong relationships and a loyal client base,” he said.

The other categories are: Best New Start-Up (sponsored by Alltech); Best Independent Retailer (sponsored by Hegarty); Business Innovation (sponsored by Stamford College); Best Social Enterprise (judged by Richard Olsen); Businessperson of the Year category (sponsored by Quibble); Environmental Champion (judged by Lincolnshire County Council); Employee or Team of the Year (sponsored by PVS); Small Business of the Year (sponsored by South Kesteven District Council) and Large Business of the Year (sponsored by Chattertons).

Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be bought from tinyurl.com/MercuryBusinessAwards2024

With grateful thanks to our headline sponsor Hegarty, category sponsors Alltech, Chattertons, South Kesteven District Council, Stamford College, Quibble and Thetford Farm Estate, and drinks reception sponsor and host Rutland Hall Hotel, event programme sponsor Moore Thompson and video production company PVS Media.