- June 20, 2023
Ashleigh Reith is a Senior Account Executive at SBFM. When she isn’t working at the beating heart of the company, the helpdesk, she enjoys nothing more than spending time with her son, a professional footballer in the making
Following her recent promotion, we sat down with Ashleigh to talk about her career progression at SBFM, and what it takes to work on the helpdesk for one of the fastest growing soft facilities management companies in the UK and Ireland.
How long have you worked at SBFM?
I started in September 2022 as an Account Executive, acting as a key part of the company’s helpdesk team.
Can you share a bit about your background and experience, and what led you to join SBFM?
Before working at SBFM I had never even worked in an office, so you could say my route into facilities management was fairly unconventional. That being said, in my previous jobs at Argos and at a bookmaker, I had developed a strong skillset in customer service, which set me up nicely for working on the helpdesk.
As a single mum I worked in part-time roles building my experience, but as soon as my son was old enough for me to work full-time, I found this job, took the opportunity, and have never looked back.
I honestly love it here. I work with some fantastic people and get a lot of help from my manager. The people are what makes this place so unique.
How would you describe what you do at SBFM? What does a typical day as a Senior Account Executive look like?
No two days are the same. On any given day I could be dealing with customer queries, managing issue logs and creating reports, supporting cleaners with any issues or questions they may have, and managing time and attendance to make sure that sites are covered and KPIs are met, along with many other duties.
A key part of my role is to manage two account executives and help them develop. I’ve been in their position myself, so I lean heavily on my experience and try to help them to succeed and progress within the business.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? What is the most challenging part?
The most rewarding part is definitely helping others, whether that’s supporting cleaners, clients or junior members of the team.
Following my promotion to Senior Account Executive, I found the initial transition to a management position a bit challenging. The support of my colleagues on the helpdesk such as Helpdesk Manager, Lizzie Clements, means I am growing in confidence and building my skills every day.
I am also being mentored by Caroline Cunningham (Recruitment Operations Director), who is helping me to develop my management skills further and become a stronger leader within the helpdesk team.
What do you think are the biggest skills you bring to work?
I’d say my customer service skills are my greatest asset. I’ve developed these both at SBFM and in previous jobs, and they’ve helped me massively in my last role and as a Senior Account Executive.
It isn’t so much a skill, but I would also say my work ethic, and willingness to go above and beyond to get the job done has definitely been one of the key reasons for my success and my recent promotion.
What advice would you give to anyone in the FM industry who is looking to progress their career?
Above anything else, always believe in yourself, and when an opportunity presents itself, go for it.
When I applied at SBFM, the interview process was tough, but I knew that I believed in my capabilities and knew that I could do the role well. I’ve not been here for long, but I have been given opportunities to progress already. If I hadn’t believed in myself, I wouldn’t have had these opportunities at all.
Outside of SBFM, what keeps you busy?
My son is football mad, so I spend most of my spare time ferrying him around to football training and games!
To find out more about career opportunities at SBFM, please visit:
https://careers.sb-fm.co.uk/vacancies/vacancy-search-results.aspx