Leigh Killah, Service Controller – Aberdeen
Leigh joined Star Refrigeration as a trainee administrator after transitioning from an offshore career. Her organisational skills, experience with IFS, and strong customer service foundation quickly proved invaluable, paving the way for her promotion to Service Controller. In her current role, Leigh is responsible for planning and scheduling service works, monitoring contract performance, and ensuring seamless communication with customers and colleagues. With mentorship and structured training provided by Star, Leigh has embraced this opportunity to grow her career and contribute to the success of the Aberdeen branch. While she's currently thriving in her role, Leigh remains open to development opportunities that Star provide.
Can you tell us about your current role as a Service Controller and what your day-to-day responsibilities look like?
My role involves planning and scheduling service and repair works, whilst also monitoring the financial performance of maintenance contracts and work orders. It requires me to make effective use of the resource planner to manage resources and ensure optimal labour utilisation. Additionally, the role includes keeping customers updated, handling customer queries, organising sub-contractor visits, and co-ordinating material orders. Close collaboration with the branch manager, maintenance manager and administration is important to ensure the smooth running of the branch.
How did your journey with Star Refrigeration begin?
After realizing that I no longer found working offshore fulfilling, I decided to pursue a career Administration (an industry I had previous experience in prior to working offshore) and applied for a trainee admin role with Star.
What inspired you to transition from Branch Administrator to Service Controller?
When the previous service controller left the company, my manager offered me the opportunity to step into the role rather than hiring externally. This trust allowed to me to progress within the company and take on greater responsibility.
What skills did you bring from your time as a Branch Administrator that have been most valuable in your current role?
My time as branch administrator developed my ability to stay organised which is essential for planning and arranging service and maintenance works; experience with IFS gave me a solid foundation for having a good understanding of the system & having good customer service skills has been essential for building positive relationships with clients.
What kind of support or training did Star Refrigeration provide to help you make this career move?
I was assigned a mentor to provide one-to-one training and guide me through a structured training plan. My mentor was always available to support me and answer any questions I had.
How does the role of Service Controller contribute to the success of the Aberdeen branch?
The tasks covered by the service controller plays an important role in ensuring the branch operates efficiently, maintains customer satisfaction and achieving a positive margin focus.
How do you see your career developing from here? Are there other roles within the branch/company that interest you?
At the moment I am really happy in my current role, but I’m always open to new opportunities and taking on more responsibility to grow further in my career.