Meet Saf Favliones, Transport Coordinator

Saf joined TJ in July 2018 as a driver but was soon moved to the transport office after showing an interest in the coordinator role. Saf has benefited from a vast amount of support from the TJ team to enable him to change roles and settle into his new environment. In his spare time, Saf is a keen Portsmouth FC fan and follows all their matches. He also enjoys playing football himself and is on the Rowlands Castle team.

What does your role involve?

It involves the day-to-day management of the transport office, so it’s extremely busy! I liaise with the drivers, track their route to ensure they are staying on schedule and completing their jobs in good time, and assist with any issues that arise during the day. I also liaise with customers to answer any queries and keep them updated. I’m responsible for scheduling in the transport jobs for the coming days and weeks, slotting everything in so that each driver has a daily job list to follow. I basically keep everything running smoothly!

What’s your career background?

I have my HGV licence and before joining TJ I worked for a removals company, driving the van and doing all the lifting as well. It was certainly a very physical job! It gave me a lot of driving experience as well as a lot of contact with customers, so I was able to develop my customer service skills.

How has TJ invested in you?

They really put their faith in me and gave me a fantastic opportunity. After six months as a driver I spoke to the Transport Manager and expressed an interest in progressing my career and joining the office team. He spoke to the management team and before I knew it, I received a phone call to say they’d like to take me on! Everyone has been so supportive in helping me learn the ropes. I’ve had a lot of on-the-job training to learn how to use the software and in customer relations and I’m going from strength to strength. I’m thrilled to be adding all these extra strings to my bow!

What are the most interesting elements of your role?

I like liaising with the drivers, they’ve all got such different personalities and you can have a good laugh with them whilst trying to get the best from them. Watching the transport schedule come together in front of you is definitely very interesting as well! Getting everything slotted into place is very rewarding too.

And the most challenging?

The juggling of all the tasks! By 4pm each day I’ve usually finished doing all the routing for the following day, so each driver’s list of jobs have been scheduled. So if there’s a change of circumstances, or even a bad weather forecast, customers may want to cancel their jobs, meaning the entire schedule will be up in the air will need to be reorganised completely to incorporate all the changes. When that happens it can be challenging but everyone chips in and helps to ensure it all gets sorted.

What’s your top work achievement?

Making the move from driver to office. The fact that the transition went smoothly and it’s all going well is a real achievement for me. It was hard work and involved a lot of change, but I feel the new role really suits me. My colleagues have been extremely supportive and helpful and have taught me everything I know, so I’m very grateful for that.

Why is TJ a great place to work?

I feel truly valued. I work hard every day, but I don’t mind because I get a great deal of job satisfaction and feel really appreciated – you often get a “thank you” at the end of the week too! The team are all lovely people and great to work with; everyone is so supportive. It’s also very rewarding when you look at the numbers because you can see your hard work reflected in them.

 

Find out more about TJ Transport and the services they provide!