Jim reflects on 2019

Last week, I called in unannounced to our longstanding client Washroom Washroom and Cre8’s head office in Essex, and spoke to director Philip Gay after winning the Strategic Planning & Management award at the Construction Marketing Awards in November.

His words have stuck with me since: “Your team are the best – the results show it. But for us it’s not about winning an award, it’s about working with a team that do a brilliant job for us and are a pleasure to work with. That’s the Harris team, they’re quite incredible.” And he’s absolutely right.

Working with a client based over 200 miles from our office – as Washroom Washroom is – could be difficult. But it isn’t, because we take the time to understand each of our clients, both personally and commercially.

So what makes the Harris team?

 

Keeping the best interests of clients at heart

Whether it’s through the work we do or the relationships we hold, we’re always looking out for the best interests of our clients. They know this, so they trust that our advice will deliver what’s required.

Strong client relationships

We could employ an account manager to travel up and down the motorway to build relationships with clients. But that isn’t sustainable, either for the planet or the business. Thankfully, it isn’t necessary because we prefer clients to speak directly with the people doing the job – and this personal service is something our clients greatly appreciate.

Confidence in each other

We can work as a team because we have confidence in each other. Each person at Harris speaks directly to the client whose project they’re working on, whether entry level or director, because we wholeheartedly trust each other’s abilities. We trust our team’s ability to provide a seamless and integrated service, and to build sound relationships.

Supporting each other

Despite our great confidence in one another, we always support each other – Harris is truly a team and no matter what comes our way, everything is a group effort.

Genuine passion

Everyone at Harris is genuinely passionate about what they do, whether that’s PR, social media, design, development, photography, videography, and everything in between. And this shows, not just in our work – the trophies speak for themselves – but also in our relationships with clients, many of which have spanned decades.

Commitment

With everyone’s passion comes commitment: to our roles, to our client relationships, to the team, and to being our best.

 

And it works. We’ve built a relationship with the team at Washroom Washroom from day one – 18 years ago – and it’s a relationship that’s equally valued by us and by them.

It’s been a big year for us at Harris: as well taking home trophies from the CIPR PRide Awards and Construction Marketing Awards, it marked the first 12 months post-Headingley, where we were based for over 30 years. It was a big change for the whole team, particularly for those who’ve been with the business for many years, and could have caused disruption.

Fortunately that wasn’t the case and everyone settled in quickly and with minimal disturbance, and our office at Calls Landing is proving popular with clients and the whole team.

There’s no doubt that the smooth transition to Leeds city centre, winning major industry awards and, most importantly, our fantastic ongoing relationships with clients are thanks to the whole team that makes up Harris.

It’s been a great year, and we’re looking forward to being part of more exciting projects as a team in 2020.