NPS score still on the up!

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Our Net Promoter Score system (NPS) tracks the level of satisfied clients by asking them the vital question (“how likely are you to recommend us?”). We are very excited about our progress over the last year and are pleased to show you this graph showing the results of all our training and effort in striving for the ultimate customer service. Many thanks to all of you who contribute to this – we love to hear your feedback, whether it be positive or negative – as it allows us to be true to our core values and continue to improve.


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More efficient, more effective. Never say Die.

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With the wild weather that has recently hit this country, we suffered, along with many other companies, several power-cuts which disrupted the progress of day-to-day work. Rather than sitting tight and just waiting for them to happen, we have installed a substantial generator to ensure we can keep rolling through any power-cut! ‘substantial’ is the operative word – our operations manager reckons it has enough power to keep the local village going!


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We’re on a high for the End of the Year!

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Over the past year we’ve been busy. Our No.1 focus was to get our service from a good standard, to a great standard, to exceed all expectations…it’s been hard work and our service team have really dedicated themselves to creating ‘raving fans’! And look at the results!

Our ‘10 minute response time to all service queries’ has increased by 40%!

Our ‘solution to query provided within 2 hours’ has increased by 32%!
…in just 6 months.

We think they deserve a large pat on the back! Watch this space for next year – we’re on our journey to create raving fans…


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Instant Transparent Reporting – a Win-Win Solution for Our Clients and Us!

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Planteria implemented an ‘Open Reporting’ Software tool – providing instant, transparent access about our service visits. This is a ‘must have’ for Facilities Managers with multi-site responsibilities.

Lindsey Anderson, from the Service Management team explains more about our reporting tool, the benefits for our clients and its impact on our business processes.

“We went live with our new software in May 2013. In a nutshell it works from the technicians smart phones and it records technicians’ time on site. The software also runs the work flow processes seamlessly, recording any replacement plants used and ordering plants required for the next visit to a client. The technician writes a brief ‘report’ on his visit, and then it captures a customer’s signature. All this information gets collated into a client visit sheet and sent through to the client after each visit.

Our clients love it! It keeps them totally in tune with our service visits and provides a medium for the technician to communicate directly with the site contact, even when they are in and out before office hours. Multi-site managers can now benefit from instant reporting from all of their buildings, keeping them up-to-date every day.

As well as greatly increasing our communication with our clients, it has streamlined our internal ordering processes, and automatically runs a P&L report for us which helps with accounting.

The new system of working has improved things for our technicians too. No more scrappy bits of paper, everything they need is all there on one device. They can order plants quickly and smoothly, knowing they will be there labelled up with their name, and the customer’s name, ready to collect within the next few days at our nursery.

Finally the system has been a great advantage to me in managing the scheduling of maintenance rounds. Everything is all there on one system, with an easy to use drag and drop planner board all synchronised with the technician’s Smartphones. The technology allows real time allocation, updating and completion of field service maintenance jobs, linking the technician to the office based system, making processes much more efficient with less margin for errors”.


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Meet the Team Event, London

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Our Meet the Team Event day was a great success. The concept was to give our existing and potential clients an insight into our organisation and services. A good number of plant displays, showing a large range of containers and plant specimens helped provide an idea of the world of different styles and environments that can be achieved. Several demonstrations throughout the day from our florist and plant technician were very popular and showed the expertise that lies behind these key roles. The constant provision of refreshments concluded what could be described as a very enjoyable day!

We can’t wait to do the next one….see you there….


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Looking Back at 2018

planteria staff at 2018 staff event on stage in front of large screen

2018 was an excellent year for growth at Planteria, with both new and existing clients engaging with our business. We ended the new year on a high, with our annual event to celebrate our achievements.

At Planteria, we value our staff not only in thought but through our actions. Our annual All Staff Meeting allows us to thank everyone for their hard work and to recognise achievement. It is an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made and to focus on the challenges, strategy and vision for the coming year.

The impressive venue for our meeting was The Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Cambridge. This museum displays military aircraft alongside wartime memorabilia, but it is also occasionally a site from which stunning airshow displays can be enjoyed.

runway

Luckily for us, the day of our All Staff Meeting we were blessed with a beautifully crisp winter morning. The day kicked off early, at 07:45 with a full English breakfast which equipped us for the busy agenda ahead.

A series of seminar-style presentations from our department managers shared insights and overviews of 2018. Recognising the immense ground we’ve covered together allows our organisation to take pride in our individual skills as well as the business as a whole, which emboldens us to approach the year ahead with hope and enthusiasm.

Katie Le Chevalier talking at Planteria 2018 staff event

We showed our gratitude to particularly active members of our organisation through awards. Like many successful organisations, we reward long-service and excellent work, and this year we were very pleased to hand one such award to technician Sarah O’Brien, who is now the current owner of the title ‘Employee of the Quarter’.

We followed this emotive and positive start to the morning, with some delicious refreshments. To be seasonal, our treats included some festive mince pies, alongside the traditional tea, coffee, pastries and fruit. This break was made very special thanks to two of our talented team members, Lindsey Anderson and Marcus Norman, who both took to the piano to further entertain and enlighten our morning.

staff chatting with refreshments at Planteria 2018 staff event

We continued the day with the Planteria Quiz. This battle of the brains kicked off with a round of questions inspired by our business. Other topics included questions about colleagues, food, London and ‘round-the-world’. A practical round, to build the largest free-standing structure using only paper and sellotape, was both fun and deadly serious, there were chocolate santas to win after all! Overall, it was a fun team builder that everyone could get behind.

team building event, making towers out of paperRolled paper tower held up by lady in red dress

After the quiz, Director Matt Anderson shared his vision for Planteria’s expected growth over the next two years, considering both long and short-term plans that could help us to achieve our goals, one of which will see our Head Office in Hertfordshire undergoing a re-fit to give our growing team the space they need to be creative and productive.

Following this round-up, we were given the chance to engage in a stimulating Q&A before wrapping up by lunchtime. In keeping with the festive theme started by the mince pies, the day ended with the gifting of hampers to all staff from the management team. It was at this moment that we were lucky enough to get the chance to view an aerobatic display and Spitfire fly-past, organised by The Imperial War Museum.

As usual, our annual All Staff Meeting was a roaring success. We’re ready to approach 2019 with gusto and look forward to bringing you happier, healthier, greener corporate environments through biophilic design services, our wide range of office plants and expert maintenance across the UK.

Are you ready for 2019?

planteria staff at 2018 staff event on stage in front of large screen


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Bring and Share Christmas Food!

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Christmas and New Year’s festivities are a must for offices across the country – the chance to create some merriment and festivity in the, normally corporate workspace, with decoration and celebration is important for the wellbeing of many workers, not ignoring the fact that it’s also a lot of fun! A great way to celebrate it is with a bring and share – an event that encourages everyone to contribute together to make some delicious treats for all to enjoy!

Raise Morale and Celebrate with Some Delicious Treats

Not every company wants to host a Christmas party, and this could be for a variety of reasons, but that doesn’t mean that you should forgo celebrations altogether. There is plenty that you can do within working hours to raise staff morale without impinging on their own commitments. Hosting a bring and share is a perfect example of how you can satisfy staff desires to celebrate Christmas or the new year without cutting into their personal time. The event could also be used as a charity fund raiser giving an extra incentive for everyone in the office to get involved, either in baking or sampling the food, on a day set with more of a relaxed atmosphere and a little more socialising.

It’s also a great idea to reward those individuals who are striving to keep the business running over the Christmas period.

A plate of mince pies and a glass of milk in front of Christmas tree. Two mince pies have pastry toppings with stars embossed on them whereas the other two have stars cut into their pastry topping

Inspiration for a Brilliant Office Bring & Share

Firstly, if you are going to be getting into the Christmas spirit in your office, then we fully recommend investing in a Christmas tree to get everyone in the festive mood.

The Planteria New Business Team will be enjoying a thoroughly Christmassy celebration this year, complete with decorated tree and plenty of food contributions from our colleagues. We’ve collected a selection of our tried and tested favourite Christmassy contributions for a bring and share, to inspire you:

Photo of Katie Chevalier on christmas baublePhoto of Caroline Armon Jones on Christmas BaublePhoto of Jill Gregory on Christmas BaublePhoto of Nicola Hamblin on Christmas BaublePhoto of Sarah Kingham on Christmas BaublePhoto of Clare Robertson on Christmas BaubleWe’re bringing more than just food to the table; we’re also looking forward to engaging in a few Christmas activities, such as wreath making whilst listening to some classic Christmas songs.

Close up of two people's hands while they make Christmas Wreaths

Tips for Making Your Own Cheese Scones

Cheese scones are a classic twist on your favourite plate of afternoon tea, and they are incredibly easy to make too! All you need to do is add some cheese to your classic scone recipe, perhaps with a pinch of pepper and salt added to ensure that your scones are a truly savoury sensation. Other recommendations include adding spring onions and chives to the cheesy topping to add a little heat and variation in colour too. If you are concerned about your scones looking a little pale, then choose a darker cheese such as a red Leicester to make them stand out as perfectly scrumptious.

These taste especially exquisite when paired with some roasted or sundried tomatoes, but it can be quite easy to accidentally fill up on these treats before you have had the opportunity to try the rest of the dishes on the table.

Cheese Scones arranged on a blue gingham tea towel

If you want a go at replicating some of the Planteria team’s favourite dishes, here are some recipes for you to use as guidance! Good luck!

Cheese Scones

Christmas Tree Gingerbread

Marzipan Mince Pies

Malteser Tiffin

Mary Berry’s Christmas Cake

Sausage Rolls

Ready for Christmas

If you’re thinking about Christmas already, then you should know that you’re on the right track for enjoying a spectacular and super-organised Christmas period. We understand that there is plenty to do and think about, so let us handle your  Office Christmas Tree preparations. Order now with our configurator to ensure that you receive the perfect tree this December.

Planteria Group installed Christmas Tree within corporate office. The tree stands arround 20 ft tall, with two men either side looking up at the top of it

A Planteria Christmas Tree


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Beekeeping: Our Story and Advice

Our head office team are all buzzing about our honeybees, and you might be too if you knew how important they were and how easy it is to keep them. In this article, we share our experience of beekeeping and offer you some advice to help you get started.

Beekeeping at Planteria

We take the environment and the stewardship of it very seriously. It’s our job to work with nature and improve workplaces across the UK, and this encourages us to understand the importance of natural habitats and how to protect them. Caroline works in our New Business team and she recently became our resident Beekeeper. Read Caroline’s blog below which includes tips and facts to inspire you.

Beekeeping at Planteria – by Caroline

It seems a little ironic to decide to become a beekeeper with a postage stamp for a garden. But, with my first nucleus hive just set up and prepped for winter, here’s how I started my beekeeping adventure.
I have always had a fascination with bees; they are remarkable insects! Every colony is a highly complex community made up of around 50,000 bees, each with a specific role to ensure the survival of the colony as a whole. Bees play an essential role in all ecosystems, pollinating most flowering plants, in turn serving all other animals, with around a third of human food-producing crops reliant on them.

The honey they produce boosts our immune system, provides protection from pollen allergies and has wound-healing benefits through its antibacterial properties. It is also a delicious and natural source of sugar which our bodies find easier to process. The bees produce honey to feed on and, more specifically, to store to ensure their survival through winter. Given enough nectar to forage, and somewhere to store it, they will keep producing it to excess all through the summer, which we can then extract.

There are approximately 44,000 amateur beekeepers registered across the UK, managing over a quarter million hives. Over the last few decades, most of the honeybees’ natural habitats have been destroyed, along with their food supply, so these managed hives make up most of the UK honeybee population today.

 

I had the opportunity to take part in a beginners’ beekeeping course run by my local beekeeping association. This involved six fascinating evening classes and a little hands-on experience with the bees and their honey. I really just wanted to learn more about bees and maybe lend a hand at the local apiaries. It created a lot of interest at work and I suggested we could have our own hive at Planteria.

We have a clear view of environmental issues and are proudly a zero-to-landfill site, alongside other positive changes like using hybrid vehicles to further limit our environmental impact. It wasn’t a stretch to think Planteria would be open to the idea of a little backyard beekeeping, and I have such amazing employers who not only thought it was a great idea – but they also covered the cost of bees, the hive and equipment too.

We are so lucky to have a rural office space with over an acre and a half of meadow. With it already home to our sheep and lots of chickens, the bees are barely noticeable and have lush hawthorn hedgerow and dandelions to forage from. Our year-round supply of office flowers, awaiting delivery to our customers, also provides a unique and diverse menu for our bees.

With any little luck, and despite my novice beekeeping skills, our bees will be producing honey from spring next year. In fact, if all goes to plan, I should be harvesting upward of 10kg honey from our single hive.

Starting Your Own Beehive and Supporting the Bees

We highly recommend meeting with your local beekeeping association who are experts at beekeeping and can support you with both knowledge and resources. They can give you lots of advice on the local species, how to build your own beehive and the cost of beekeeping.

Spring is the best time of the year to start beekeeping if you are starting from scratch, so prepare ahead. It is best to introduce bees to a new hive during spring, so they have the whole summer to forage and settle with a good stock of honey for winter. Plan to have all your equipment ordered during late autumn and installed before the end of winter so that you can order bees, get some training, and be fully prepared for their arrival.

There is a lot to think about when installing bees on your property; you’ll need to think about appropriate areas of shade, raising the hive to a good height so you can access it easily, and buying protective clothing to tend to your bees without getting stung. You may also want to get tested for allergies by your doctor before you go all-in on your beekeeping. There’s a lot to consider, so speak to your local beekeepers and refer to our blog for more stories about our real experiences with honeybees.


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