Scott Jenkins is the founder of Scott Jenkins Water Softeners.

He was a plumber by trade and started his own plumbing company back in 2002. The business grew successfully over the course of the next 10 years. Being a plumber has been a major advantage in the water treatment business. In fact, the two have gone hand in hand.

Soft water is his passion!

Where would we be without Kristie?

Since she started working for SJ Water Softeners in September 2019, Kristie has become a key part of the business, in her wide-ranging role of Office/ Customer Services Manager.

In a small and growing business, it’s a really important customer-interfacing position and one which suits Kristie down to the ground, having previously spent more than 15 years in customer services – primarily in retail management, for stores such as The Body Shop and Fat Face in Brighton.

Kristie now handles all enquiries that come into the SJ Water Softeners’ office, taking bookings, orders and payments. On occasions, when she is able, she also acts as troubleshooter, helping customers fix any issues over the phone where possible, thereby avoiding any unnecessary call outs.

So what’s the connection between Kristie and Scott, given that they share the same surname? It’s a popular misconception that they must be married to each other. In fact, Scott and Kristie are brother and sister. “Customers regularly think we must be husband and wife,” Kristie explains, “but when I tell them we aren’t, they often comment that it must be hard to work with a sibling. For me, it isn’t – I really enjoy it,” said Kristie.

She added: “I have built lots of great relationships with our customers old and new and I love hearing their stories on the phone. Over time, they become friends. I truly believe this is what is missing from faceless larger companies. You never speak to the same person twice and you are just a number. Here, we thrive on building a personal service with our clients, treating everyone with respect and as an individual.”

Given the importance we place on putting our clients first, we are delighted to welcome Lauren Hartt into the fold, as our new Head of Customer Relations. It is a role to which she is ideally suited, following 16 years of customer service experience.

Prior to joining us, Lauren was Branch Manager at Fat Face in Brighton and, before that, she worked in retail management alongside Kristie Jenkins, our Customer Services Manager and sister of Scott Jenkins, who founded the company back in 2012.

Speaking of her appointment, Lauren said she was thrilled to be renewing acquaintances with the Jenkins clan. “For me, this is extremely special and exciting, as I’ve known Scott Jenkins and his family for 11 years now and I feel very privileged to be part of his family-run water softener business.

“I am very much a people person. It is always a highlight for me to engage with customers and to make sure they are happy and that we have met their expectations,” she added. “This has always been a priority for Scott and Kristie and I am delighted to be tasked with doing all I can to fine tune the service, to maximise our offering and enhance the overall customer experience.”

When time permits and the sun is shining, Brighton resident Lauren likes nothing more than going for a swim in the sea… as long as the water isn’t too cold that is! And talking of water, her next adventure is learning how to paddleboard.

Luke is one of our water softener installers and service engineers.