Andy Taylor, Sales Director of Haydock Finance: Leading with Empowerment and Customer Focus

Main image: Andy Taylor, Sales Director of Haydock Finance

At Haydock Finance, we believe strong customer relationships drive business growth. Understanding the needs of both our introducers and their SME clients, while delivering exceptional service, is at the heart of what we do. 

This year, we partnered with the Institute of Customer Service (ICS), an independent organization that helps businesses achieve customer service excellence. With their guidance, we conducted surveys to independently measure our service, culture, and processes. This data has been key to identifying areas for improvement. 

We launched two ICS surveys: ServCheck for our internal team and Business Benchmarking for our introducers. The ServCheck survey evaluates team sentiment regarding company culture and our ability to deliver top-tier customer service. Encouragingly, our team’s feedback demonstrated a strong customer-centric culture. 

The Business Benchmarking survey aligns with the UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI), allowing us to measure our performance against 371 UK companies. Haydock’s results were better than the market average in 13 out of 15 key areas, with over half of our scores exceeding benchmarks by 10%. These strong results highlight our strengths in trust, transparency, and problem resolution, which are crucial to building long-term customer relationships. 

One notable compliment came from a customer who said, “Haydock is one of the easiest funders to deal with! The agreements are genuinely my favourite to complete as they are so clear and concise.” 

Our partnership with ICS is part of an ongoing effort to gather and act on feedback. Understanding what we do well and where we can improve has become a priority. Regular feedback helps us map the customer journey and make continuous improvements. In a competitive industry like finance, staying connected to our introducers and their SME clients through such initiatives keeps us focused on the bigger picture. 
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These efforts not only enhance our service but also strengthen the relationships that drive our business forward.  

Leadership, for me, is about more than driving performance. It's about fostering a culture of empowerment, where people feel confident making decisions that benefit both the customer and the business. At Haydock, we emphasize transparency, trust, and empowerment. When employees are trusted and supported, it shows in their customer interactions and they feel brave to make decisions that benefit both the customer and the business.  

Our high scores in "ease of contact" reflect this leadership approach. Introducers appreciate that they can reach the right person quickly, which reduces frustration and speeds up decision-making—crucial in the fast-paced world of finance. Our goal is to strive to become easier and easier to deal with. 

Trust and transparency form the foundation of all strong business relationships. We aim to be as open and honest as possible, even when facing challenges. This commitment to transparency is reflected in our survey results, where we scored significantly above the market average. Introducers know they can rely on us to be straightforward and fair. 
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Problem resolution is another area where we excel. Instead of just providing solutions, we listen carefully, ensuring resolutions work for everyone. This approach has built the trust and loyalty we've enjoyed with our introducers over the years. 

A key survey result that stands out is that 80% of our introducers expect their business with Haydock to stay the same or increase in the next 12 months. This shows that we’re on the right track, but we’re not complacent. We will continue to use feedback to improve the experience of our introducers and deepen our relationships. 

In an evolving industry, staying customer-centric is critical. Our initiatives—from introducer interviews to surveys—are just the beginning. By continuously seeking feedback and making thoughtful improvements, we aim to exceed expectations. 
For me, the most rewarding part of leading Haydock Finance is seeing the impact of an empowered team that consistently puts the customer first. As we look ahead, this commitment will remain central to everything we do. 
 
Andy Taylor has over 20 years experience in the asset based lending industry. He is also a Non Executive Director on the National Association of Commercial Finance Brokers (NACFB) Board.