A South West telecoms reseller has become the first in its industry to achieve B Corp status.
First Class Comms in Weston-Super-Mare has spent the past year working towards the certification which assesses the governance, employment standards, community outreach, environmental values and customer service levels of a business.
Fewer than 1,500 companies in the 海角视频 have achieved B Corp status. Now First Class Comms, which started life as a one-person, home office business in 2013, has become the first of its kind in the country to achieve the award.
The company provides telephony, mobile phones and contracts, and broadband and internet services to some 300 clients, the majority of which have their head offices in the South West.
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Founder and managing director Mark Burland said: “Becoming B Corp certified is a great achievement for the company. Fortunately we had already incorporated many of the values into our business practices, particularly in terms of our management of staff and our customer services.
“The challenge for a small company like us is to formalise those values into coherent policies which can then be assessed, so it’s been a time-consuming process. But we’re delighted to have our achievements recognised.
“We believe our customer service and corporate values are inextricably linked – you can’t have one without the other. So hopefully this badge of honour will be recognised and appreciated by the people we want to do business with, including current customers and those we seek out as we look to grow the company further.”
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FCC moved into new offices in Weston-Super-Mare in 2021 and, 10 years after incorporation, now employs seven staff with a forecast turnover for 2023/24 of £1.75m. This year will be the company’s most successful to date with double-digit turnover growth after two years of flatlining during the pandemic, with revenue up by 25% and EBITDA up by a third.
Customers range across business sectors and include businesses such as Bristol International Airport, café chain Boston Tea Party and food services firm FSC Group.
Mr Burland said: “Throughout our client relationships, our personal approach and determination to understand business challenges help us articulate the benefits of their various options, finding best solutions for the most important parties – our clients.
“To facilitate that, we have invested heavily in supporting mobile services, creating cost alerts for every single customer so that their unbilled data usage and billing is transparent and well-communicated. It’s an example of us proactively helping our clients control costs, prioritising their performance over our immediate profits. The result is a return on investment through customer loyalty and our enhanced reputation.”
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