WITH customer service being an integral part of our daily retail experience, the Reading Retail Awards are delighted to have uncovered some exceptional examples of service across the town in this 10th anniversary year.

As sponsors of Best Customer Service and knowing that people are their greatest strength and asset, Reading Buses proudly recruit ‘people who like people’ in customer-facing roles, especially their drivers.

Nikki Ball, Marketing & Brand Manager says “We make no secret that we aim to be the best bus company in the country. We’ve been in operation for over 100 years and whether it’s our employees or customers, we really care about people and providing excellent service to everyone.

This is why we wanted to give something back by sponsoring the Reading Retail Awards Best Customer Service category.

Against a declining national trend we have grown our customer numbers year-on-year and carry huge numbers of Reading residents into the town’s retail areas daily. We know that part of the reason people use us so often is down to our drivers.

We employ our drivers for their excellent customer service skills, and use our own training academy to make sure that they are trained to the very highest standards”.

Robert Williams, chief executive officer, said: “We are delighted to support this award as it represents everything we care passionately about.

"Research has calculated that bus users in the UK make over 1.4 billion shopping trips by bus each year with a total estimated retail spend of £27bn.

"Providing great service is a must, be it on Reading’s buses or on the high street, so recognising the key role staff play in this means that sponsoring this category was a no-brainer for us.”

If you would like to join us at this years glitzy awards evening and celebrate retail success around the town, tickets are now on sale at www.ReadingRetailAwards.co.uk.