Meet Sue Hunt
Sue Hunt is Head of Marketing at C3 Ltd and as such is also responsible for producing LookOut call News. Prior to joining the company Sue worked in the security packaging industry and also spent some time working in the motor racing industry including a spell with Formula 1, but it wasn’t always as glamorous as it sounds, as she explains. “My company produced the data monitoring and telemetry equipment used to monitor engine efficiency with the ultimate aim of making the cars faster, as a result I spent many hours at the side of race tracks in freezing cold surroundings! Although I was never totally alone I did sometimes feel a little bit intimidated - motor racing is very much a male-dominated sport, well it was back then! I used to travel to race tracks and events on my own often with no official security systems in place, thankfully things have improved somewhat now”.
Sue has always been very much aware of the importance of personal security, this stems back to an incident that occurred in her student days in France and although she doesn’t want to divulge it here as it still brings back unpleasant memories it undoubtedly was a major factor in her future career with C3, as was her time in the security packaging industry as she outlines. “I acted as a European sales representative spending a great deal of time at airports and in hotels in Paris, Brussels or Madrid, usually alone. As a result of my previous experience I quickly developed the art of self-preservation in terms of personal safety by making sure I did not arrive at a destination late at night, or by booking taxis well in advance for instance, simple things but very important for the safety of a lone female traveller.”
Safety First
Sue has now worked with C3 for 12 years where her current role consists of managing all marketing and PR activities relating to C3’s mainstream products including LookOut call. Sue is also responsible for the websites, marketing collateral and event management, all of which keeps her very busy but also at the forefront of developments in personal safety issues in general and lone working in particular, as she explains. “Lookout call is a very enjoyable product to work with because it is a perfect example of how technology can benefit other people and make them feel safer. Lone working itself has become more prominent in society today mainly because of advances in communications technology and improved broadband connectivity in residential areas for example. People can now work from virtually anywhere – all they need is a laptop and a mobile phone.
Sometimes the safety element of lone working can be overlooked because employers try to cut corners, particularly during times of economic down turn, but we should never place a price tag on safety. Unfortunately some believe that automated safety systems are costly and a bit ‘big brother’ like, but LookOut call is neither, the base price starts from just 7 pence per user per day and it operates using normal mobile phones. Also LookOut call doesn’t keep a log of every move, the only information stored on its database is information relating to the user’s last appointment, you will not be caught out if you go to the supermarket between appointments! Of course we can integrate satellite tracking into LookOut call if customers want it, this level of accuracy is needed in some industries as a specialist feature”.
Fancy a Twitter?
During her time at C3, Sue and her colleagues have been responsible for many achievements such as the company’s recent ‘Diamond Customer Satisfaction Rating’, however one particular experience ranks amongst the highest as Sue recalls. “We were all extremely proud to have collaborated recently with the Suzy Lamplugh Trust in running a major lone worker safety survey. This did a great deal to raise the profile of lone working and the subsequent response we received was phenomenal”. Sue has also been very pleased with the feedback the LookOut call newsletter itself has been generating since she launched it just over two years ago. “In a relatively short time we have grown a database of over 8,000 contacts and a large number of regular readers. Some of our customers send text alerts out to their staff as soon as it is posted on our website, thereby spreading the word to an even wider audience.
In the future I hope to make LookOut call News even more interactive and incorporate more of a ‘blog style’ element so readers can share their thoughts with us. You can now follow LookOut call on Twitter and I’m hoping that readership will increase significantly as a result of this. And the new technology and developments won’t end there, as smart phones seem to be ‘the thing of the moment’ we are looking at developing lone worker safety ‘apps’ for the iPhone and other Smartphones, watch this space!” So away from the C3 offices, what does Sue get up to unwind in her free time? “Nothing too exciting I’m afraid, I spend most of my spare time driving my sons to different sports activities. I’m quite a sporty person myself and I like to go running and swimming. I also enjoy cooking, for me spending hours in my kitchen being creative is a good way to avoid housework”!
