Me and Business Support Manager – Postmaster Jenny and BSM Ezra

Postmaster Jenny Pinner

How did you get in touch with your Business Support Manager?

“They got in touch with me when I first started, which was nice. Ezra arranged his first visit, stayed as long as I needed and gave me lots of advice and guidance on the Post Office side and the retail side, which was great.

“Ezra has contacted me a couple of times since then. We’ve had a couple of phone calls, a couple of visits. I know that if I ever run into a problem, I can contact him.

What support has your BSM given you?

I found after the on-site training, that it was only 5 days and I felt I still had gaps, questions, things I was unsure on. So when Ezra called, I asked if he could help fill the gaps in the training.

Ezra helped me himself with a few bits on Horizon I wasn’t sure about. Then to make I was really secure on it all, he arranged for a trainer to come in for a morning, which helped me get really confident.

Ezra also put me in touch with Jim, from the NFSP Retail team, to give me even more detailed advice on the retail side. Jim also spent a whole morning with me, advising me on what would sell best, how to apply for a Community Grant to update my display and counter area and how to make best use of our very small space in the branch.

Tell us a bit about your branch

Barrowby Post Office and Village Shop is a community branch and when the ownership was changing, I really wanted to keep it in the village for local people.

I have an assistant Vicky who works part time a couple of days. She is the daughter of the previous owner, so I can always ring her to ask her things too and she knows a lot!

Our Post Office has been located in the same building in the heart of our village for well over 100 years. On our Barrowby Post Office Facebook page, you can see a photo of the Post Office back in 1905, with the former postmistress standing in the doorway. A local historian is looking into the history for us, so we can display it in the branch, as local customers are interested in finding out more.”

All in all, how has it been working together?
Ezra is really easy to get along with and talk to. He has worked on the counter, been a postmaster himself and because he has run his own branches, he really knows his stuff and can advise on anything.

I am pretty much up and running now, so I don’t need the support as much, but it’s nice to know it’s available when I need it. “

BSM Ezra Nadasen

Tell us about a branch you’ve worked with recently

“One of the branches I have been working with is Barrowby Post Office, in Lincolnshire.

The postmaster, Jenny Pinner, is quite new to the position, but knows the branch and the area really well. She lives in the village and was very keen to see the Post Office stayed within the community. She has lots of support from local people and knows all the regular customers well.

What sort of support did you give the branch?
“I helped Jenny with a few things, including:

• Transactional processes, running through the processes, refreshing the sales conversations, making sure she was fully confident and compliant on Horizon before starting trading.
• I got a trainer in to train her on the details of the Back Office and accounting side.
• We also looked together at the whole business, including the retail side.
• Referred Jenny to the NFSP retail team, who give expert advice on the retail business. The shop is very small, around 10 m square, so they helped plan how best to maximise the display space and what to stock for maximum impact.
• Together, we helped her prepare an application for a Community Grant, as Barrowby is a community branch and has ‘last shop in the village’ status.

All in all, how has it been working together?
Jenny has lived in the village for many years and has always used the Post Office, so when it became available, she jumped at the chance to apply and ensured it continued to be the focal point of the village.”

“Jenny is a Postmaster who is keen to promote her business and is well supported in the village of Barrowby.  She has been extremely receptive to the Business Support Manager’s role and has been a pleasure to work with.”