I believe people and relationships are vitally important factors in business. Staff motivation and happiness can be gained through encouragement, trust, and recognition, and in my role as Managing Director of Outsource International I try to apply these principles to the benefit of both the individual and the business. Outsource International depends on successful global relationships with customers and partners alike, where interpersonal skills help grow and develop these vital dependencies. I apply a lot of energy and effort in this direction, and have a proven track record to demonstrate the success of this approach. I have been working in the IT Industry for most of my career, starting out as a Desktop / Network Engineer (MCSE), before becoming an IT Consultant and then a business owner. In 2010 my UK business moved into Outsource International to strengthen its UK operations, and I have since occupied a variety of roles within Outsource: UK Divisional Manager; Global Operations Manager; Global Transition Manager, General Manager, and more recently as Managing Director. Our business is based on and measured by its ability to deliver successful Services. At Outsource we set very high standards day in, day out, and never let our guard down. Part of my role is to ensure we maintain these high standards through active measurement, and continue to explore what could be done better. I am always available as an Escalation Manager should the need arise. Now for my personal and possibly controversial opinion: whoever said ‘The customer is always right’ has clearly been misinformed. It’s simply not true. What is true however, is the customer always deserves to be dealt with in a professional, courteous and considerate manner; given all the facts, and advised of their options. Get this right, and invariably you will have a happy customer.