Cozens confident for ais Countdown

Following the merger of ais and Countdown, Ron Cozens, managing director of ais Countdown, reports that the latest developments bode well for the future.

"When businesses unite there is a considerable amount of work to undertake in bringing the two together. There was very positive customer feedback from the beginning, and I am delighted to say that in just four months we are already reaping some rewards. "Considerable progress has been made in integrating IT; while work on the new website and the restructuring of the sales team under the leadership of Steve Hufton, our sales director, is paying dividends. "Staff are starting to see the benefits of the merger in the support they are getting from senior management as we improve efficiency and raise our standards to meet customer needs. We continue to review and give additional support to our service and quality operations, but all these things can't happen overnight. "Some things will inevitably take priority, which means that not everything is achieved as quickly as one might like. Furthermore, it is always regrettable that a reorganisation usually leads to some redundancies, although there were thankfully few in our case." Cozens has agreed to oversee the successful integration of the two companies and ensure that a strong platform for future growth and development is in place before he hands over to a younger successor.