"We have the largest network of offices in the UK but we also wanted to extend our reach into Ireland where we believe we can also provide a fantastic service for small businesses both north and south of the boarder," comments MD Simon Carter. "With the appointment of our franchisees in Dublin and Antrim we hope to attract both new customers and additional franchisees to help service the needs of the Irish small business community."

Kendlebell have cultivated an enviable reputation over the last nine years for providing the most personal level of service to its 2000 plus portfolio of customers throughout the UK. Each office is run by one of its franchisees who typically employ three or four members of staff to answer the calls and forward the messages to the clients.

The Dublin office opened in June and is already helping nearly 100 local businesses make a first class impression each time a call comes in. With impressive modern offices just outside the city centre Fairview Strand Road, Kendlebell Ireland is run by Tom Shanahan and David Kelly. Both have a strong commercial background and were viewed as ideal candidates to establish Kendlebell's presence in Ireland.

"Tom and David had been thinking about setting up this sort of business for quite some time when they met us at last year's Franchising Exhibition at the NEC," says Simon. "They visited some of our franchisees here in the UK and were particularly impressed with the investment we have made over recent years in the technology that is needed to run the business. We have our own specialist online message management system - Perfect - which enables our staff to log messages and distribute them to the clients very quickly and efficiently. Perfecta also provides the franchisee with a wealth of management information as well as generating all the invoices each month." Tom Shanahan confirms this: "It would have taken us years to replicate everything Kendlebell can provide and probably cost us a fortune too!"

Tom and David may have been with Kendlebell for less than a year but Kendlebell have been providing small businesses throughout the UK with a Telephone Answering service - simple, efficient, professional - since 1997. Each client is given a team of two or three ladies to answer their calls. The same team works with the client all the time so a rapport is soon established and callers are blissfully ignorant of the fact that the person they are speaking to does not actually work for the company they are calling. They perceive the Kendlebell receptionist to be an employee of the company although they cost a fraction of a salaried member of staff.

The franchisees are responsible for providing the clients with the service. They normally work in a small office, close to where they live, together with their team of three or four receptionists. They will manage the team of receptionists and also promote Kendlebell in their area. The receptionists are the ones that answer the calls and forward the messages.

Each franchisee is supported by Kendlebell head office so, whilst they provide a very personal level of service at a local level, they have a very sophisticated computer and telephony system provided by head office to help them handle all the calls. This means that every message can be relayed to the customer immediately via email or fax or even as a text message to their mobile phone.

For Tom and David, who were looking for a new business venture this time last year, Kendlebell has been the perfect answer. For the Kendlebell clients that use their services, Tom and David and their team are also providing a perfect answer.