Upton pays close attention to creating the right working environment to attract and retain the best employees to the £26m-turnover call centre services company. This is particularly important given he’s built the business by offering a premium service to clients.

“There’s no one major secret to finding high quality people,” Upton says. “There are lots of little levers. For example, it’s about finding the right people. Therefore, you have to be in the right place. We’re always in the centre of town, next to a train or bus station with social amenities close by.”

The Listening Company takes recruitment and promotion very seriously. Upton says employees have to apply for every job that comes up while the company also has rigorous training and coaching programmes in place.

To inspire his workforce, Upton has employed former England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio as a director of motivation. “We needed someone who would be inspiring as a role model and someone who has also got phenomenal leadership skills and strong motivational skills,” Upton says.

“When you’re employing 2,000 people, you need someone to add a difference. If you look at Lawrence’s track record as a leader, he makes a huge difference even when he’s not captain of the team.”

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