This coveted award recognises franchisees that go above and beyond in their commitment to deliver the best possible customer experience. Other nominees for this award include O2, Molly Maid and Revive. Earlier this year, Jane's hard work and dedication to the business was recognised as a finalist in the EWIF (Encouraging Women into Franchising) awards as New Franchisee of the Year 2016. These recent award nominations are a testament to the couple who took on the business in January 2015. Since then, the centre has been going from strength to strength, continually striving for customer service excellence. Jane commented, 'We never say no to a customer's request. We prefer to use the creativity and innovation of our team to find the right solution to complete every project to a high standard. Some of the installations that we have completed in the past have seemed almost impossible to achieve, however with the guidance of the Signs Express Headquarters we have worked with our customers to deliver above and beyond their expectations'. Signs Express (Portsmouth) have invested in their team and enhanced their skills through training, personal development and professional qualifications. In addition to this, they are now offering design services to their customers; providing a one-stop-shop for smaller businesses looking to use signs and graphics as part of their marketing. Thanks to a more proactive marketing approach in the area and a substantial uplift in the number of referrals the centre has seen a huge rise in website enquiries that has contributed to their substantial growth. Indeed, their expansive expertise within the business and a dedication to customers has also lead to an increase in repeat business from 40% to 80%! The finalist announcement follows the great success of Lee Eaton, Signs Express (Manchester) franchisee, where he not only won the B2B category but the overall franchisee of the year accolade from the BFA in 2015. Ray and Jane are worthy finalists for the BFA Customer Service Franchisees of the Year 2016 award. Winners will be announced on the 29th September at the BFA Awards Gala in Birmingham.