Meet the Team
It's International Women's Day. What better time to kickstart our new ‘meet the team’ series and spotlight our very own Kimberley Dawson, Helpdesk Manager here at 1Call. Kimberley joined us in 2015 and today shares some insight into her career to date and takes us behind the scenes of daily life at 1Call.
Q: Could you please tell us a little about you, and your career journey to date?
K.D: I started off my career in Finance working as a Credit Controller for Fitch Ratings Ltd in London, when it was time to move back to Aberdeen in 2007 I worked briefly for Lumsden Security, Wood Group and AVC Media doing the same. A change came in 2010 when I moved into the Oil & Gas industry as an Expediter for Econosto UK before being made redundant in 2015 – luckily for me, my boss at the time had a friend who was looking for a new member to join the Helpdesk Team at 1Call Property Maintenance, and the rest is history. I started working for 1Call in August 2015 as a Helpdesk Co-ordinator in a small team of 2, during the next 4 years the team grew and I was promoted to Helpdesk Supervisor in 2017 and Helpdesk Manager in 2019.
Q: What is a typical day like for you at 1Call?
K.D: No two days are the same at 1Call, working in reactive maintenance often means that any plans laid out for the following day will most likely change to accommodate emergencies and urgent repairs. However, at the moment my day always starts by ensuring all employees have a clear Lateral Flow Test sent by email to the office which lets us keep other members of staff and our customers safe. During the day I will complete and return client reports, attend Contractor Progress meetings, deal with queries and offer support to the Helpdesk Team. I still enjoy Co-ordinating our Trade Operatives and am always on hand to help cover when Co-Ordinators are on Holiday.
Q: What do you find most rewarding about working as a Helpdesk Manager?
K.D: As 1Call grow, we promote staff from within the company to move onto team leader / supervisor and management positions and I love seeing colleagues build confidence and progress in their own careers.
Q: What do you enjoy most about working with 1Call?
K.D: Interacting with other team members, we are a very close knit Family run business, Harry and Denise have been mentors and friends to me since starting in 2015 and go above and beyond to provide an inclusive working environment. They are always on hand with words of advice and support both professionally and personally.
Q: What advice would you give to the younger generation away to start their first job?
K.D: Don’t rush it. There is a lot of pressure, particularly in fast-paced industries to run before you can walk so for someone starting out this can be very daunting. I always advise our new team members to take things slowly to begin with, ask lots of questions and gain confidence in our processes.
Q: What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
K.D: In my spare time I enjoy spending time outdoors with my 7yr old son Angus and visiting friends and family.
Q: What three items would you bring on a desert island?
K.D: A good book to pass the time, some good music and bottle of wine.
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