Behind the Connections: How our Hands-On CEO Kris Nurtures Partnership
Partnerships at Cooee are about trust, growth, and support — and our Hands-On CEO Kris proves it. He tells us his hands-on experience of working with our partners, promoting relationships, and creating opportunities that lead to positive results.
Here's how Kris, our #HandsOnCEO, sees and strengthens the bond we value most: our partnerships.
Between and Beyond Partnerships
When it comes to building relationships with Cooee's partners, what does "personal touch" mean for you?
Personal touch for me is about availability and visibility. I take pride in being a CEO that is only a phone call away, and I know (because they have told me) that the CEOs/MD’s and business owners we work with hold this as a major factor for partnering with Cooee.
How do you personally nurture long-term relationships, relationships that go beyond mere business dealings?
There is not one size that fits all, and so it’s about understanding our individual stakeholders and what is important to them. Culture also plays a part, and by that I mean ethnic culture, and what I love about my job is getting to interact with so many nationalities. You learn so much about how people tick, and it’s always been an aspect of business that I've enjoyed.
The Art of Consistency
When meeting with partners, what are the key things you focus on to make them feel valued?
Feeling valued can be very subjective. In Cooee, when we talk about a client journey, it’s about trying to be as consistent as possible. By this, each partner has a manager to face off with, they get the same end-of-day reports and partner packs, and they get the same visits from myself and my leadership team. Consistency is the key.
Describe a time when you were personally involved in the partnership strengthening process.
Strengthening a partnership is not a one-time event; it’s a process that unfolds over months and years. It’s going through good times, but especially difficult ones. It comes via those regular interactions, onsite visits, partner packs, and KPI reviews. I get back to consistency; that's really the message. We are great at running the process, but business process outsourcing is much more than that; it’s about being an agent of change. We are a solutions provider, and so when we get on that partner journey, it becomes about a whole range of things we do that ultimately solidify that relationship.
Partner Stories
Cooee has been working with IWS & WHALE—can you share a specific experience that reflects how our partnership with them grew and how your personal touch played a role in it? Could you share a story about how the partnership began?
Both of those businesses are excellent examples of partnership, and the success they have had in their team extension journey is largely due to the top-down support and buy-in to the model. Because of that strong leadership, it trickles down, and you end up with a fully supportive team who engage and are there right throughout. Both those engagements started because of referrals.
My own touch is just about being the connector, the connector of the dots. I'm the guy on the ground and I’m here for them every minute of the day.
How should you support our partner through difficult times or challenges and then bring any dilemmas encountered in the process to resolution in such a way that they don't harm our relationship?
I’ve always said that one of the strengths of Cooee is how we react in those difficult times for our partners, and naturally, being small to medium-sized businesses, there are difficult times. Of course, it's not easy. We have lost some big partners simply because they might have gone out of business or wanted to change direction. I am always proud of how we have handled those situations, and I know our partners appreciate it as well.
Building relationships towards the future
How do you apply the same personal touch in nurturing relationships with Cooee employees, beyond just partners? Looking ahead, how do you see Cooee’s approach to relationship-building evolving?
I would like to think so! I do a 1-1 with every staff member twice a year. It takes a couple of weeks to get through that, but honestly, it’s so rewarding. I also run a class on foreign culture and geography for new joiners. It’s a bit of fun but also does get into stakeholder management, which of course resides at the heart of what we do in Cooee and in business process outsourcing.
I think the flat, non-hierarchical structure we operate in Cooee helps create an environment where people feel comfortable and one where all of us are approachable. I came from that big- title, structured environment in the banking industry and always said I would never operate my own company like that. It’s so pleasing to be able to do what we do every day.
Hands-on leadership reflects Cooee’s belief in building genuine, lasting connections — it is the core of everything we do. Our CEO's way shows how we value authenticity and continuous support with our partners and our people, because at Cooee, relationships and partnerships are more than just a business; they're built on trust and care.
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