Leonard Curtis launches online agony aunt
1/10/2008
Leonard Curtis, the top 10 corporate recovery firm, has launched an online business agony aunt, Elsie, to give a human face to the hundreds of requests for turnaround and insolvency advice it is receiving each month. The service, called Ask LC, is supported by a panel of senior turnaround and recovery experts at Leonard Curtis, specialising in advising small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The SME community has been one of the hardest hit following the credit crunch - in particular businesses in some areas of manufacturing, retail and haulage; suffering from a combination of a slowing economy and soaring energy prices. Though owner managers are advised to seek advice at the first signs of trouble, many are spending their time fire fighting in an effort to keep the business afloat, according to director at Leonard Curtis, Andrew Bayley. He says: "It's very difficult for owner managers, already under pressure, to find the time to go and talk to someone about the challenges the company is facing. Confidentiality is also frequently an issue, no director wants to advertise the fact that the business is in trouble to employees or funders.
"For these reasons, we found our online enquiries going through the roof. Typically requests for advice were coming in very early in the morning or last thing at night, which are usually the only times a director will have any head space to think about the bigger picture."
To make the service more approachable and to raise awareness, the firm launched Ask LC, fronted by Elsie, a caricature of a helpful, friendly assistant. Users can confidentially submit enquiries, which are answered via email by an expert at Leonard Curtis within 24 hours. The user will not receive any follow-up communication from Leonard Curtis unless specifically requested.
Bayley concludes: "A big turn-off for people when using online enquiries is the thought that they're going to get a follow-up phone call. We allow the user to decide if they would like any contact over and above our email response, putting them in control of the entire process. If they do request a call, the appropriate senior advisor will make contact, rather than a sales person fielding enquiries, to make sure they get instant access to the advice they need."
The Ask LC service can be found at http://www.leonardcurtis.co.uk/ask_lc
